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Attendances Continue To Rise In The EFL

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The EFL have released figures for attendances so far in 2017/18 and they show a rise on figures from the same time last season.

Culminative attendances for all EFL competitions are up by 2.54%, breaking the seven million mark by the end of October. The figure for last season at this stage was 6.82million and it’s another rise for the EFL as 5.8million was the number back in the 2014/15 campaign.

For a breakdown of EFL competitions, they say in league terms it’s a 2% rise, the EFL Trophy has gone up by 10% on a culminative basis, with a 3.8% rise for the EFL Cup. Many will adjudge the EFL Trophy rise as being down to additional games in the competition format.

2016/17 was a landmark year with more than 18.2million fans travelling through the turnstyles in the Championship, League One and League Two and member clubs recorded their highest culminative attendance figures since 1959.

The biggest news the EFL will take from these figures will be the increase in junior supporters attending, as junior Season Tickets have shown a 37% growth over the last decade and juniors continue to make up 20% of overall season ticket sales.

With more than 500,000 Season Ticket holders being recorded for the first time last campaign, that has held steady this year with over 511,000 Season Ticket sales so far this campaign.

They break down as follows:

Clubs in the Championship have the largest share of season ticket holders, with 336,000 between them.

The remaining 175,000 are split, with League One and League Two clubs having 120,000 and 55,000 respectively.

Overall, season ticket holder figures have increased steadily in recent seasons, with growth of 25% from 409,250 in 2006/07, to 511,657 this season.

EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey commented:

‘Football does not exist in a bubble, but it is clear that EFL clubs are doing all that they can to ensure it remains accessible to supporters young and old, in a tough economic climate. Ticket revenues continue to underpin the finances of EFL clubs and it is therefore correct that ticket pricing is a matter for individual clubs. However, the rise in attendances would only be possible if our clubs offered excellent value for money and it is clear that they are reaping the benefits of developing and maintaining ticket pricing structures that reward the loyalty and dedication of supporters in growing numbers. It is particularly pleasing to see that the number of young people attending EFL matches is continuing to grow and it is no surprise to see season ticket holders are continuing to reap the best value for money, while also providing EFL clubs with a solid foundation with which to operate financially in an intensely competitive marketplace. I`m sure such efforts being implemented to encourage families and youngsters to attend live EFL football at an early age will ensure that football has a bright future with generations of supporters getting an early taste of the matchday experience.’

Looking at prices charged, across all three divisions the EFL found that the average price was £13.53.

Championship – £15.36
League One – £10.57
League Two – £10.81

With the BBC’s Price of Football being released late last night, it’ll be interesting to see what their breakdown shows across the tiers.

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