Fans group sounds warning as Premiership crowds fall
The new Premiership season has thrown up interesting results on the pitch, and worrying statistics off it.
Monday’s Middlesbrough v Portsmouth game attracted only 24,834 fans to the Riverside while just 19,398 saw champions Chelsea take on Blackburn at Ewood Park.
Charlton have not sold out either of their home games while Fulham are yet to hit 19,000 this season.
“We have certainly been warning the Premier League for some time we think the bubble is in danger of bursting because of continued price increases and messing people around with kick-off times,” said FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke.
“It is also an uncompetitive division so a lot of games are meaningless before the season has even started.
“We are going to do detailed work on this, comparing attendances on a game-by-game basis. We’ll be watching closely and talking to the Premier League about it because once these trends start they can move very quickly.”
The demands of television meant Portsmouth supporters had to travel from the south coast to the north east on a Bank Holiday for an 8pm kick-off.
Last season, Middlesbrough had to wait until December 31 for a traditional 3pm kick-off on a Saturday.
With television money rather than gate receipts increasingly the main source of income, there is an argument in favour of ticket prices being reduced to help fans.
“That would be the common-sense and intelligent way for the Premier League to respond,” said Clarke.
But the Premier League insist there is no need to panic just a week into the new season, which is traditionally slow as fans come back from holiday or make the most of the final weeks of summer.
“Attendances have grown 55% since the start of the Premier League. Last season we had 93% occupancy rate, but no club rests on its laurels and we are seeing some innovative ways of ensuring attendances stay healthy,” said a spokesman.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
