Doncaster delight as more fans go to games
SCOTTISH football recorded an attendance boost of more than 12 per cent last season as 4.2 million fans saw their side in action across all four Ladbrokes leagues.
Figures released by the Scottish Professional Football League show a healthy increase in the number of punters paying through the turnstiles during the 2016/17 campaign.
Almost 500,000 extra supporters attended the 788 matches in the Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two compared to the previous 12 months.
It is the first time the four million mark has been reached for league and play-off fixtures since the 2008/09 season when Rangers won the SPL and Scottish Cup and Celtic lifted the League Cup.
The figures also show that nearly 400,000 fans saw the 95 matches in the Betfred Cup as Brendan Rodgers’ side took the first step towards their domestic clean sweep.
And 54,000 supporters were in attendance throughout the Irn-Bru Cup that kicked off the new campaign in July and was won by Dundee United as they beat St Mirren at Fir Park.
The countdown is already under way to the new season and SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster is delighted with the backing that clubs are receiving from the stands.
He said: “These figures are hugely encouraging and testament both to the hard work of clubs in attracting people to games as well as the commitment and passion of supporters of all 42 SPFL clubs.
“There is already a great level of excitement ahead of SPFL season 2017/18 with many of our clubs executing some very creative season ticket marketing campaigns to help attract even more fans to attend matches regularly.
“All of this sends out a very positive message and provides a great platform for the SPFL and clubs to continue to improve the overall profile and health of Scottish football.”