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BBC Sport - Football club attendances: Are fans getting the full picture? http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45158878
Football club attendances: Are fans getting the full picture?
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
3 hours ago
Arsenal's empty seats and near-capacity official figures have been frequently remarked upon
For some West Ham fans, it's not been much fun at London Stadium recently - but at least when the attendances were announced last season many were able to manage a wry smile.
It's a moment replicated in football stadiums across the country as fans hear the attendance, look at the number of empty seats and ask: 'Really?'
Last season, Arsenal were under scrutiny as supporters appeared to stay away from Emirates Stadium during manager Arsene Wenger's final season. Even pundits jokedabout the club's official near-capacity attendance compared with the gaps clearly visible in the stadium.
But they aren't the only Premier League club where official attendances appeared inaccurate.
West Ham and Man City show discrepancies
BBC Sport sent Freedom of Information requests to the relevant police forces and local councils for all 20 Premier League teams, asking whether they had figures for the actual number of people in the stadium for each game last season.
Most said they did not hold that information, directing us to figures published by the club.
But we received eight responses, relating to seven clubs. At six of those clubs, police and/or council figures differed from the official published attendances.
Although the figures only covered games which the authorities attended, some of the results were revealing:
What we found - the headlines
Most teams in the Premier League choose to publicise the number of tickets sold for a game rather than the number of people actually in the stadium. That means they include season ticket holders who don't attend, and complimentary tickets that are not used.
They are not breaking any rules by choosing this method.
According to the Sports Ground Safety Authority, clubs are required by law to know the number of people attending each game for safety reasons and plan in advance for expected attendances. They do not need to release this information, however, and authorities broadly accept there is sometimes a difference between publicised attendance figures and those obtained by BBC Sport.
Football club attendances: Are fans getting the full picture?
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
3 hours ago
Arsenal's empty seats and near-capacity official figures have been frequently remarked upon
For some West Ham fans, it's not been much fun at London Stadium recently - but at least when the attendances were announced last season many were able to manage a wry smile.
It's a moment replicated in football stadiums across the country as fans hear the attendance, look at the number of empty seats and ask: 'Really?'
Last season, Arsenal were under scrutiny as supporters appeared to stay away from Emirates Stadium during manager Arsene Wenger's final season. Even pundits jokedabout the club's official near-capacity attendance compared with the gaps clearly visible in the stadium.
But they aren't the only Premier League club where official attendances appeared inaccurate.
West Ham and Man City show discrepancies
BBC Sport sent Freedom of Information requests to the relevant police forces and local councils for all 20 Premier League teams, asking whether they had figures for the actual number of people in the stadium for each game last season.
Most said they did not hold that information, directing us to figures published by the club.
But we received eight responses, relating to seven clubs. At six of those clubs, police and/or council figures differed from the official published attendances.
Although the figures only covered games which the authorities attended, some of the results were revealing:
What we found - the headlines
- West Ham: Newham council says the average attendance at West Ham was 42,779 based on the 12 games it attended - which is 12,530 fans fewer than the club's season average figure of 55,309.
- Manchester City: Greater Manchester Police's average figures were 7,482 lower than club figures, again based on 12 games.
- Southampton: Hampshire Police figures were an average of 4,246 fans lower than figures issued by the club.
- Tottenham: Brent Council says crowds at Wembley Stadium were on average 3,740 less than the club's stated numbers.
- Chelsea: Hammersmith and Fulham council says its average was 3,505 fans lower than club numbers, based on six games.
- Watford: Hertfordshire Police says its average was 2,602 fans fewer than club figures, based on four games.
- Manchester United: Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Police both said United's published attendance figures matched its own, based on 12 games.
Most teams in the Premier League choose to publicise the number of tickets sold for a game rather than the number of people actually in the stadium. That means they include season ticket holders who don't attend, and complimentary tickets that are not used.
They are not breaking any rules by choosing this method.
According to the Sports Ground Safety Authority, clubs are required by law to know the number of people attending each game for safety reasons and plan in advance for expected attendances. They do not need to release this information, however, and authorities broadly accept there is sometimes a difference between publicised attendance figures and those obtained by BBC Sport.