EFL attendances at a 70-year high after bumper season

Attendances in League Two this season totalled 3,191,719, making English football’s fourth tier Europe’s 14th best-attended division.

More than 21.7 million supporters passed through the turnstiles of an EFL competition in 2022-23, with the highest cumulative attendances recorded for league matches since 1953-54. 

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A 15 per cent rise in season-ticket sales from 2020-21 has contributed to the growth in EFL attendances and represents the highest number of season tickets sold from any EFL season, this century. 

Colchester’s crowds this season were up on their average home attendance, for the previous campaign.

The U’s average home crowd for the 2021-22 season was 2,813, ranking them 19th in the League Two attendance table.

Colchester’s average attendance for the 2022-23 campaign was 3,586.

That ranks them 18th in the list of League Two’s average crowds, this season.

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The club in the fourth tier with the highest average attendance this season was Bradford City, with 17,967.

Second was Stockport County (9,068), with Swindon Town (9,064) third while in fourth was champions Leyton Orient (7,844).

The club with the lowest average attendance this season in League Two was Harrogate Town, with 2,296.

The second lowest in the division was Salford City (2,876), with National League-bound Rochdale third lowest (3,029).

EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said: “To welcome nearly 22 million supporters to an EFL competition in 2022/23 is quite remarkable.

“These numbers don’t happen by accident.

“They are testament to the efforts of the 72 clubs to create such quality football and matchday experiences that encourages fans to attend matches in person even when there are so many other ways to consume football, and particularly when so many people are facing a squeeze on their finances.

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“The continued rise in season ticket sales, and particularly junior season ticket sales, is really encouraging. 

“Quite simply, these fans are the future of our game which is why it is so heartening to see so many young supporters attending fixtures regularly and developing a love of football that they will hopefully take with them throughout their lives.”