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Average Attendances 40 Years Ago
The Prince-e-Paul
Posts: 6,706
Interesting how low the gates were at some of the big clubs then and now. How Wrexham have risen from a tiny crowd!
Leeds and Spurs etc seem so low too.
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Interesting.
This year, we have an average attendance of 20974 , against Millwalls 16434 (4th lowest)0 -
Grounds were generally shitholes and falling to bits, violence was rife, disposable income in certain parts of the country was limited.
Football in England was at it's lowest ebb, and we were playing at Selhurst, albeit on the way to Division 1.
The season before these numbers, we had Valley Parade and Heysel within a couple of weeks of each other. A few years down the line we would have Hillsborough.
It only really started to turn around with Italia 90 and then, whether we like it or not, Sky and the Premier League.
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Over 35 of those teams now playing at new stadiums4
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I suspect that with the lack of safety measure at that time crowds weren't properly counted either. Imagine there's a possibility of undercounts.4
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Amazing figures. I actually tried to find a club that had gone down in that time. Even the ones that now play non-League football are up, including Bury. Oxford United only scraped in with a rise of 200 and Sheffield Wednesday haven't moved much. But it's interesting stuff. What did people used to do on Saturday afternoon?0
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People used to hop in back then bur crowds were generally poor. The facilities were crap and crowd trouble was always on the horizoncantersaddick said:I suspect that with the lack of safety measure at that time crowds weren't properly counted either. Imagine there's a possibility of undercounts.1 -
Cash paid at turnstiles, nudge,nudge.cantersaddick said:I suspect that with the lack of safety measure at that time crowds weren't properly counted either. Imagine there's a possibility of undercounts.2 -
I think those old turnstiles needed more than a nudge sometimes. Shove, shove.Zulu said:
Cash paid at turnstiles, nudge,nudge.cantersaddick said:I suspect that with the lack of safety measure at that time crowds weren't properly counted either. Imagine there's a possibility of undercounts.1 -
As much as stadiums are far better now in terms of comfort and safety I do miss many of the old places. Maybe it's just rose tinted glasses?shirty5 said:Over 35 of those teams now playing at new stadiums
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Torquay, who are bottom of the whole list, have bigger crowds now in the National League South.thai malaysia addick said:Amazing figures. I actually tried to find a club that had gone down in that time. Even the ones that now play non-League football are up, including Bury. Oxford United only scraped in with a rise of 200 and Sheffield Wednesday haven't moved much. But it's interesting stuff. What did people used to do on Saturday afternoon?3 -
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And those are the averages, which if you think those are shit, imagine how low some gates were if those clubs were getting much bigger turnouts for some games.1
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You have to go all the way down to Darlington to find a club averaging less now2
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It’s hardly a surprise. In the early to mid eighties it was poisonous going to football . I knew no better , as it’s when I first started going , so being caged in at away grounds and being attacked by home fans on the way to the ground when leaving the coach was the norm . It was exciting for a 13 year old .In hindsight I totally see why people stopped going . If that happened again now I’d do exactly the same .3
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Football was dying on its arse back then. Looking back I enjoyed football then but it wasn't great times. Theres a few clubs in that list like Swindon who must think nothing has changed much in the way of attendances. As much as I dislike what has become to much of the game now I think this country is the best place to watch it. When I go to our home games now I do like the fact there are so many Europeans that pop over to take a game in, us being in London and playing at a reasonable must make us an attractive place to visit.3
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Football is probably as well attended now as it was in the heyday of the 1930s - 50’s which is amazing really as so many people can and do watch it all on a dodgy stick1
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Work - industries still worked Saturdaysthai malaysia addick said:Amazing figures. I actually tried to find a club that had gone down in that time. Even the ones that now play non-League football are up, including Bury. Oxford United only scraped in with a rise of 200 and Sheffield Wednesday haven't moved much. But it's interesting stuff. What did people used to do on Saturday afternoon?
Go shopping - no online shops those days0 -
1985 - 2025.
Better Stadiums, worse entertainment.
Think I'd rather stand on the terraces & watch a 4-3 than sit in a nice stadium watching tippy- tappy sideways no shots football7 -
I miss standing behind the old covered end , drinking beer in the bar behind.Afternoon Delight said:
As much as stadiums are far better now in terms of comfort and safety I do miss many of the old places. Maybe it's just rose tinted glasses?shirty5 said:Over 35 of those teams now playing at new stadiums
These and many other memories seem like a lifetime ago.6 -
golfaddick said:
Work - industries still worked Saturdaysthai malaysia addick said:Amazing figures. I actually tried to find a club that had gone down in that time. Even the ones that now play non-League football are up, including Bury. Oxford United only scraped in with a rise of 200 and Sheffield Wednesday haven't moved much. But it's interesting stuff. What did people used to do on Saturday afternoon?
Go shopping - no online shops those daysThere were no online shops and industries still worked on a Saturday in the 30s and 40s yet attendances (certainly for us) were higher. Might be something to do with the level played!
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It was actually rare at our games, though I agree these were generally dark times. The press, government and wider media were quick to whip up anti football fan sentiments whatever the reality, so we were treated poorly as well.Bedsaddick said:It’s hardly a surprise. In the early to mid eighties it was poisonous going to football . I knew no better , as it’s when I first started going , so being caged in at away grounds and being attacked by home fans on the way to the ground when leaving the coach was the norm . It was exciting for a 13 year old .In hindsight I totally see why people stopped going . If that happened again now I’d do exactly the same .
1985/6 was a promotion season and would have cushioned us from even worse attendances with the move to selhurst (first game there v sunderland on 5th October 1985).
I was an impressionable teenager and was at every game that season. The scary ones were Middlesbrough away (though v v drunk helped a fair bit), and Carlisle away where we got promotion. And of course Hull away was bad for coach travellers. Precautions were necessary almost everywhere but it was still a lot of fun, helped by relatively cheap tickets, travel costs, and beer.3 -
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I went to Old Trafford in the 80's and they had around 35kSporadicAddick said:Grounds were generally shitholes and falling to bits, violence was rife, disposable income in certain parts of the country was limited.
Football in England was at it's lowest ebb, and we were playing at Selhurst, albeit on the way to Division 1.
The season before these numbers, we had Valley Parade and Heysel within a couple of weeks of each other. A few years down the line we would have Hillsborough.
It only really started to turn around with Italia 90 and then, whether we like it or not, Sky and the Premier League.
Liverpool played a European home game with under 13k if I'm not mistaken.
Agree with all of your post.0 -
People of that era still going now will often say they were the good old days. I'd agree.swords_alive said:
It was actually rare at our games, though I agree these were generally dark times. The press, government and wider media were quick to whip up anti football fan sentiments whatever the reality, so we were treated poorly as well.Bedsaddick said:It’s hardly a surprise. In the early to mid eighties it was poisonous going to football . I knew no better , as it’s when I first started going , so being caged in at away grounds and being attacked by home fans on the way to the ground when leaving the coach was the norm . It was exciting for a 13 year old .In hindsight I totally see why people stopped going . If that happened again now I’d do exactly the same .
1985/6 was a promotion season and would have cushioned us from even worse attendances with the move to selhurst (first game there v sunderland on 5th October 1985).
I was an impressionable teenager and was at every game that season. The scary ones were Middlesbrough away (though v v drunk helped a fair bit), and Carlisle away where we got promotion. And of course Hull away was bad for coach travellers. Precautions were necessary almost everywhere but it was still a lot of fun, helped by relatively cheap tickets, travel costs, and beer.1 -
You’d rather be at A Toby Carverygolfaddick said:1985 - 2025.
Better Stadiums, worse entertainment.
Think I'd rather stand on the terraces & watch a 4-3 than sit in a nice stadium watching tippy- tappy sideways no shots football1 -
I wonder what our average would have been that season at The Valley1
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Yep, totally agree with you on the old grounds.Afternoon Delight said:
As much as stadiums are far better now in terms of comfort and safety I do miss many of the old places. Maybe it's just rose tinted glasses?shirty5 said:Over 35 of those teams now playing at new stadiums0 -
I believe we played Palace at home a few weeks before we left The Valley and the attendance was 4,300 ish (not looked up).paulsturgess said:I wonder what our average would have been that season at The Valley0 -
This was the game where the leaflets were handed out telling us the news. Saturday, 7th Sept 1985. 3-1 win. Attendance 6,637 according to 11v11.comCovered End said:
I believe we played Palace at home a few weeks before we left The Valley and the attendance was 4,300 ish (not looked up).paulsturgess said:I wonder what our average would have been that season at The Valley3 -
Yes, thanks & 8,000 odd for Stoke where I left with tears in my eyes.swords_alive said:
This was the game where the leaflets were handed out telling us the news. Saturday, 7th Sept 1985. 3-1 win. Attendance 6,637 according to 11v11.comCovered End said:
I believe we played Palace at home a few weeks before we left The Valley and the attendance was 4,300 ish (not looked up).paulsturgess said:I wonder what our average would have been that season at The Valley1 -
Just out of interest, @The Prince-e-Paul what's the source for that?0
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Book called Through the Turnstiles.2
