BUMPER CROWDS FLOCKED TO GAMES
WHILE it’s fair to say the decision to allow some fixtures to be played last Saturday didn’t exactly go without criticism from managers and players alike, it did, however, prove popular with supporters – and to record proportions. Figures last weekend show a huge 89.7 per cent increase in those watching the BetVictor Northern Premier League games at Step 3, while National League attendances were up a healthy 15.5 per cent.
With the Premier League and EFL having announced their suspensions until April 3 at the earliest owing to the coronavirus outbreak, all eyes were on the only two league bodies to give fixtures the go-ahead in the top eight tiers of English football.
And fans desperate for their football fix certainly made it worth their while with home clubs of both leagues boasting record attendance figures for the weekend before the inevitable suspension followed on Monday afternoon. According to research uncovered by OLBG’s Fans of the EPL study, the six matches that went ahead in the National League last Saturday saw attendances up by an average of 15.5 per cent from each side’s previous home gate. Maidenhead United experienced the biggest spike in numbers with 1,662 coming to watch their home game against Stockport County
– a 28.2 per cent increase on their previous crowd of 1,296 four days previously.
Of the six games to be played, each match experienced an increase in attendance with the overall figure going from 11,910 to 13,766 when compared to previous home matches for each side. AFC Fylde recorded a 27.3 per cent increase in attendance for their visit of Aldershot Town, while double-figure percentage increases were also registered at Sutton United and Notts County. FC Halifax Town, the only club in Europe to host live televised football for their visit of Ebbsfleet United, drew a crowd of 2,154 – a 7.9 per cent increase on their previous gate.
But it was in the BetVictor Northern Premier League where the biggest attendances were recorded.
A record 4,653 people defied concerns over the virus to attend the four matches that took place
– up from 2,452 from previous figures.
The top-of-the-table clash between South Shields and FC United of Manchester drew a huge crowd of 3,274 – a 117 per cent increase from the Mariners’ previous home figure of 1,508. Lancaster City also saw a spike in their match against Witton Albion – an increase of 84.2 per cent with 216 fans going up to 398. Basford United (42.7 per cent) and Radcliffe (27.3 per cent) also announced huge increases, while further research showed an upturn in Google searches by users looking for their local football teams online.