October 1 – Matchweek 6 of the Premier League season brought a clear bounce back in attendance, with the average crowd climbing to 97.95% of stadium capacity, up from the 97.07% figure last time out.
Three clubs hit the 99% mark – Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Newcastle United – all familiar names in the capacity tracker’s top bracket.
Forest fans continue to pack the City Ground despite their side’s struggles. Already on to a new manager after Nuno Espírito Santo’s fallout with owner Evangelos Marinakis, Forest have taken just five points from six games and sit a point above the relegation zone.
A 0-1 home defeat to newly promoted Sunderland has done little to ease concerns on Trentside, with a daunting trip to St James’ Park looming on Sunday.
There they will meet Newcastle United, who, for their part, remain near-perfect hosts. Just 59 empty seats were recorded as Eddie Howe’s team fell to title-chasing Arsenal in cruel fashion, Gabriel’s last-minute strike denying the Magpies a share of the points.
At the other end of the scale, Aston Villa registered the lowest turnout of the week. A season-low 94.63% crowd reflected Villa’s stuttering start, with only one league goal to their name before kick-off. Yet fans went home with something to cheer as Unai Emery’s side quadrupled that tally in a 3-1 victory over Fulham, their first win of the campaign which felt long overdue.
Tottenham posted the highest attendance at 60,537, though with over 2,000 empty seats their percentage dipped to 96.32%. Spurs were held 1-1 by Wolves, salvaged by in-form midfielder João Palhinha’s late equaliser.
Overall, the weekend marked a return to stronger stadium capacity figures, with league-wide occupancy close to last season’s 97.9% average.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]