January 13 – Premier League attendances remained strong across matchweeks 19 to 21, although the figures show a clear and expected easing once the calendar moved out of the festive period.
Matchweek 19, played around 30 December, stands out as the high point. Stadiums were filled to an average of 98.469%, well above the season-wide average of 97.63%. Just under 6,000 seats went unused across all ten fixtures, from a total capacity of more than 443,000.
Several clubs were effectively at capacity, including West Ham United (99.91%), Manchester United (99.51%), Brentford (99.34%) and Arsenal (99.29%). Even the lowest figures that week, from Burnley and Sunderland, were still comfortably above 95%, underlining the drawing power of holiday fixtures.
The picture changed in matchweek 20 – average occupancy fell to 97.385%, with just over 10,000 empty seats across the round. Clubs such as Newcastle United (99.47%), Bournemouth (99.41%) and Everton (99.07%) continued to operate close to full, but several grounds showed a noticeable drop-off.
Fulham filled 93.09% of Craven Cottage, Wolves recorded 93.21%, and Tottenham Hotspur left nearly 2,000 seats unused despite a crowd in excess of 60,000. The midweek scheduling appears to have had a clear impact.
Matchweek 21 saw a modest rebound. The average rose to 97.721%, with 7,300 unfilled seats across 387,207 available. West Ham (99.89%) and Newcastle (99.84%) again topped the table, followed closely by Arsenal (99.27%) and Bournemouth (99.16%). At the other end, Fulham recorded the lowest figure of the three rounds at 91.22%, while Manchester City also dipped below 97%.
Overall, the data points to a familiar pattern. Attendances remain consistently high and comfortably above or around the league’s season average, highlighting the Premier League’s continued strength at the gate.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]
