Attendances boost as EFL continues to be attraction

Total attendances across the English Football League topped 18million this season for the second straight year and only the third time since 1959, the league has revealed.

Of the three divisions, the Championship has seen the highest growth, with gates growing by almost 210,000 to over 11.3million across the 552 matches. This means the Championship trails only the Bundesliga and Premier League in terms of overall attendance in Europe and the total equates to an average gate of nearly 20,500.

In a statement, EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “The appeal in attending live football across the EFL has never been of more interest, with all 72 clubs doing their utmost to attract new supporters and keeping it accessible to those loyal fans already engaged.

“It is particularly pleasing to see that the cumulative attendance has once again topped the 18million mark. (After) a record-breaking 2016/17 campaign, this season has continued the trend of improvement in fan experience, generating a positive impact in enjoyment and ultimately attendance.”

When comparing the likefor-like numbers for the 67 clubs that played in the EFL in both of the last two seasons, this campaign saw four per cent growth, with an average gate across the league of 10,500.

Nine Championship clubs averaged more than 25,000 fans per game, with Aston Villa leading the way on 32,097.

Bradford had the best gates in League One with an average attendance of 19,787, while Coventry topped the League Two stats with an average of 9,255.