Success on the pitch clearly boosts attendances, as does bringing in a star player, most recently illustrated by the case of Edgar Davids at Barnet. But are football attendances a stronger influence on success than the other way round?
The evidence seems to suggest that a large fanbase is a prerequisite for long-term success in England. Data from the National Football Archive website suggests that there is a remarkably close correlation between a table that ranks clubs by their success since 1888 and one that ranks attendances.
Success on the pitch clearly boosts attendances, as does bringing in a star player, most recently illustrated by the case of Edgar Davids at Barnet. But are football attendances a stronger influence on success than the other way round?
The evidence seems to suggest that a large fanbase is a prerequisite for long-term success in England. Data from the National Football Archive website suggests that there is a remarkably close correlation between a table that ranks clubs by their success since 1888 and one that ranks attendances.
The top ten clubs in order are Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leeds United, Everton, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Newcastle United. Manchester City are currently in 15th place but are very close to the clubs just above them and could be in the top ten within two years.
Nine of the top ten clubs have recorded the highest nine average league attendances since the First World War and the other club, Leeds, are only one place outside the top ten (pipped by Sunderland). The top three for attendances are exactly the top three for results with United first on an average of 43,748.