Just made Top 30

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jjljks
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Just made Top 30

Post by jjljks » Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:00 pm

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NON LEAGUETop 100 Average Attendances in Non League of 2021/22
In this article we take a look at the top 100 average attendances in Non League of 2021/22 now that it has finally been completed.

Football fans watching the lower levels of English football is thankfully on the up for a numbers of reasons.

No only are we seeing more and more bigger clubs dropping down into the National League system, but supporters of Premier League or EFL teams being priced out, while the love for non league level is increasing and more affordable.



Top 100 Average Attendances in Non League of 2021/22
1) Wrexham – 8644
2) Stockport County – 6974
3) Notts County – 6800
4) Chesterfield – 6278
5) Southend United – 5749
6) Grimsby Town – 5704
7) Macclesfield – 3390
8) York City – 3018
9) Dulwich Hamlet – 2680
10) Woking – 2678
11) Torquay United – 2576
12) Eastleigh – 2467
13) Yeovil Town – 2378
14) Maidstone United – 2181
15) South Shields – 2131
16) FC Halifax Town – 2130
17) Kidderminster Harriers – 2127
18) Altrincham – 2119
19) Bromley – 1962
20) Hereford – 1810
21) Aldershot Town – 1796
22) FC United of Manchester – 1795
23) Solihull Moors – 1779
24) Chester – 1692
25) Dagenham & Redbridge – 1689
26) Boston United – 1629
27) FC Isle of Man – 1612
28) Barnet – 1570
29) Darlington – 1505
30) Spennymoor Town – 1423

Like to see us move up but this won't happen unless we move out of BM & put a string of wins together.

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Lawman3
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Lawman3 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:17 pm

Wrexham are proving that, despite having wealthy investors and very healthy attendances, it's no guarantee of league football.

Some surprises in there too - Dulwich Hamlet are a mid table NLS team but are putting some League clubs to shame. Gateshead, despite a very successful season don't make the top 30, and are in the shadow of their neighbours South Shields when it comes to crowds.
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don'tbuythesun
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by don'tbuythesun » Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:58 pm

Fans banter showed our superb support at Gateshead. I'd love to see where we stand in an away fans table!

QUAKERMAN2
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by QUAKERMAN2 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:05 pm

don'tbuythesun wrote:Fans banter showed our superb support at Gateshead. I'd love to see where we stand in an away fans table!
I would imagine second behind York in our league.

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:22 pm

Is now a good time to point out that Spennymoor’s figures might be somewhat inflated. :o
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AndyPark
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by AndyPark » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:39 pm

don'tbuythesun wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:58 pm
Fans banter showed our superb support at Gateshead. I'd love to see where we stand in an away fans table!
Seen this one another forum.
TheFootballForum wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:58 pm
York 368
Darlington 259
Kidderminster 216
Chester 215
Hereford 189
Gateshead 135
Kettering 110
Boston 108
Chorley 96
Spennymoor 87
Southport 85
Guiseley 83
Telford 76
Fylde 73
Blyth 65
Gloucester 59
Brackley 52
Alfreton 50
Bradford 46
Leamington 37
Farsley 35
Curzon 24

Overall average 112
Very healthy numbers considering the distance we travel.

tdk1
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by tdk1 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:47 pm

I get the feeling there's probably a bit more of a "darlo diaspora" than you get with other clubs. I'd guess quite a few of the clubs with fewer travelling fans in our league tend to draw a lot of their home attendances from people who live nearby, and who don't tend to go long distances to watch their team, whereas we supplement a pretty solid travelling support with exiles around the country.

Disclaimer: I have no evidence for this, it's a pure hunch.

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:05 pm

Fylde 73.

Chuckle………..
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shildonlad
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by shildonlad » Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:42 pm

Some of the away crowds in the national league north were matched by shildon last season who could get a couple of dozen on a trip to south yorkshire in winter but as games at there level are often not segregated it hard to put away followings in a table
I may not live in the north east anymore but i still support the north east teams

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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Ghost_Of_1883 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:44 pm

Those top few average attendances are absolutely eye popping. Well done to those clubs.

Even Macclesfield 3,300...

South Shields well ahead of us and Spennymoor now not far behind - though cheap and free tickets helps there.

Most clubs seem to have had a good uplift in attendances after the covid stoppage - apart from us, only slightly up. It might just be me, but our average attendance is now poor when looked at in context.

We're now officially a small part time club and anyone thinking we have a realistic chance of getting into the league or even have a rightful place there, needs to accept the new reality. We'd literally be a minnow in the National League now. A bit different to when we won the Conference in 89/90 with average gates over 3,500. Funnily enough Macclesfield who I mentioned in this post, were one of our main challengers that season, and in those days they used to play to about 800.

darloed19
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by darloed19 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:54 pm

Back in 2007/2008 season we had about 4k fans turning up every week....

QUAKERMAN2
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by QUAKERMAN2 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:56 pm

theoriginalfatcat wrote:Fylde 73.

Chuckle………..
Pathetic when you take into account their location.Tinpot club.

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don'tbuythesun
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by don'tbuythesun » Mon Jun 13, 2022 4:22 pm

Thanks Andy. I think tdk is right, lots of exiles and far away fools like us still keeping the faith!

lo36789
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by lo36789 » Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:03 pm

darloed19 wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:54 pm
Back in 2007/2008 season we had about 4k fans turning up every week....
Yep and we couldn't sustain the cost of that squad with those attendances.

Suggests we have an inelastic quality / demand curve compared to other clubs. The cost of improving quality outweighs the extra fans (and revenue) that the improved standard brings in.

Having high away travel numbers as a proportion of home fans us really just indicative that we are getting close to our 'minimum' fan base. It's only the clubs we visit who get any benefit from it.

Old Git
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Old Git » Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:54 pm

Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:44 pm
Those top few average attendances are absolutely eye popping. Well done to those clubs.

Even Macclesfield 3,300...

South Shields well ahead of us and Spennymoor now not far behind - though cheap and free tickets helps there.

Most clubs seem to have had a good uplift in attendances after the covid stoppage - apart from us, only slightly up. It might just be me, but our average attendance is now poor when looked at in context.

We're now officially a small part time club and anyone thinking we have a realistic chance of getting into the league or even have a rightful place there, needs to accept the new reality. We'd literally be a minnow in the National League now. A bit different to when we won the Conference in 89/90 with average gates over 3,500. Funnily enough Macclesfield who I mentioned in this post, were one of our main challengers that season, and in those days they used to play to about 800.
Things can and do change in football. Of course you are correct that our current attendances are not good enough to sustain an EFL team, but you fail to make any allowances for the momentum that could follow a promotion campaign. My guess would be that a sustained spell at or near the top of the NLN could result in crowds increasing to 1800/2000.
Similarly, success in the NL with the possibility of promotion to the EFL would see further increases in attendances. In addition if a move to a new more supporter friendly stadium becomes a reality that could also play a part in boosting support for the club.
Lots of ifs and buts about future attendances, but still some reasons to be hopeful moving forward.

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Mon Jun 13, 2022 7:38 pm

I think you’re right Oldgit. Things do change in football but once we get out of our present lull, word will get round and crowds will pick up.
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jjljks
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by jjljks » Tue Jun 14, 2022 5:08 am

theoriginalfatcat wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 7:38 pm
I think you’re right Oldgit. Things do change in football but once we get out of our present lull, word will get round and crowds will pick up.
Absolutely right. Bit of a chicken & egg situation with building a stadium and a squad capable of winning in style. I feel BM is now a limiting factor to the success of the club as it doesn't give us chance to generate enough income to enable us to go full time. AA has done quite well in bringing on young players or spotting talent & selling on, but this model requires a backroom staff & training facility which have to be funded. DJ has put us in a better financial situation with developing sponsors & the commercial side with club shop etc. Fans helping by covering gaps with BTB, 500 club, season tickets and volunteering, however we are now on a plateau and need to change up a gear to get to the next level.

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TKOA
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by TKOA » Tue Jun 14, 2022 8:56 am

It’s a sad sight seeing our attendance like it is now but if we get a new ground and a winning team in the future it will grow again. Wrexham’s average attendance is massive but they have thrown millions into their budget and have two very famous actors as owners!
It is their highest average attendance for 42 years.

http://european-football-statistics.co. ... e/wrex.htm

I’d be interested to see Stockport and Grimsby figures too. South Shields used to get around 50 fans when they played in Peterlee. A winning football team will always guarantee bigger crowds.

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TKOA
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by TKOA » Tue Jun 14, 2022 8:59 am

Our figures for the last 100 years if anyone is interested:

http://european-football-statistics.co. ... e/darl.htm

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Spyman
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Spyman » Tue Jun 14, 2022 10:41 am

Lawman3 wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:17 pm
Wrexham are proving that, despite having wealthy investors and very healthy attendances, it's no guarantee of league football.

Some surprises in there too - Dulwich Hamlet are a mid table NLS team but are putting some League clubs to shame. Gateshead, despite a very successful season don't make the top 30, and are in the shadow of their neighbours South Shields when it comes to crowds.
I went to a Dulwich Hamlets match a couple of years ago, just before Covid. It was packed and they do really well tapping into the casual football supporter market for their audience.

They make it very welcoming for non-Dulwich fans, ie people like me who live in London, support another club but want to watch a match and have an afternoon out with mates who are in a similar situation. I'd guess that a huge proportion of their crowds are casual match-goers who don't support Dulwich, they just want to go to a match with a few mates and not feel like outsiders. They do it well, they have a large captive audience of that sort of demographic as Dulwich is becoming quite gentrified with swathes of young professionals and young families living in the area.

The club are also very progressive with different groups of society, they have a big focus on LGBTQ stuff and making people feel welcome who might not feel so welcomed at a lot of football clubs.
On Sunday April 29, 2012 at 10:25 pm, Darlo Cockney wrote:Sadly some people have nothing better to do that invent rumours.

We will be playing at the arena again next season - fact.

Quakerz - if you actually attended games and spoke to people you might actually find our facts, rather than spreading s*** on this board.

DC

lo36789
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by lo36789 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:16 am

Spyman wrote:
Tue Jun 14, 2022 10:41 am
Lawman3 wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:17 pm
Wrexham are proving that, despite having wealthy investors and very healthy attendances, it's no guarantee of league football.

Some surprises in there too - Dulwich Hamlet are a mid table NLS team but are putting some League clubs to shame. Gateshead, despite a very successful season don't make the top 30, and are in the shadow of their neighbours South Shields when it comes to crowds.
I went to a Dulwich Hamlets match a couple of years ago, just before Covid. It was packed and they do really well tapping into the casual football supporter market for their audience.

They make it very welcoming for non-Dulwich fans, ie people like me who live in London, support another club but want to watch a match and have an afternoon out with mates who are in a similar situation. I'd guess that a huge proportion of their crowds are casual match-goers who don't support Dulwich, they just want to go to a match with a few mates and not feel like outsiders. They do it well, they have a large captive audience of that sort of demographic as Dulwich is becoming quite gentrified with swathes of young professionals and young families living in the area.

The club are also very progressive with different groups of society, they have a big focus on LGBTQ stuff and making people feel welcome who might not feel so welcomed at a lot of football clubs.
Am I right in thinking they really tapped into that side of things when the were threatened with eviction as well?

I might have got timings the wrong way round but I thought their attendances had really picked up post that threat.

Really put the focus on how the club is a positive community asset not just a football club only concerned with winning football matches.

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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Fatty eats roadkill » Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:53 am

Dulwich Hamlet engage with Trade Unions who advertise them too.
Seems they really engage with every level of activists in every field.
I suppose with them being more “metropolitan” it’s easier than other areas in the country that make it harder to sell.
Waiting for Raj to shaft them!

lo36789
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by lo36789 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:41 pm

They definitely have the benefit of their location both in terms of connectivity and sheer size of the population who can get there easily.

They only have to galvanise a small portion of their local(ish) community to boost their attendances

Still, as with many of the above. Get your local community behind your club, make your club speak for your local community and they will support it - at some point you will not be able to get promoted anymore so how do you make your attendances resilient once you hit your ceiling.

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Spyman
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Spyman » Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:51 pm

Yes, to an extent, but they also have a lot of competition.

Crystal Palace, Millwall, Charlton and Wimbledon are all close by.

They just seem to have a completely different outlook on how to run a football club. I'd say they're less tribal, more accepting of the fact that the more people they can pull in as paying customers, the more success they can achieve on and off the pitch. They're run by three women, which I'm sure they'll say gives them a very different (and probably positive) perspective.
On Sunday April 29, 2012 at 10:25 pm, Darlo Cockney wrote:Sadly some people have nothing better to do that invent rumours.

We will be playing at the arena again next season - fact.

Quakerz - if you actually attended games and spoke to people you might actually find our facts, rather than spreading s*** on this board.

DC

lo36789
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by lo36789 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:00 pm

Spyman wrote:
Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:51 pm
They're run by three women, which I'm sure they'll say gives them a very different (and probably positive) perspective.
Different approach and to some extent a different outcome it would seem.

spen666
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by spen666 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:44 pm

Dulwich seemingly have problems of their own from evidence they gave to Tracey Crouches review

They are so reliant on alcohol sales that they possibly couldn't afford to take promotion to National Leaguep as they would not be able to have fans drinking during game....until or unless law is changed


https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/pete ... me-1349939


https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 5.html?amp

Ghost_Of_1883
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by Ghost_Of_1883 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:49 pm

If they can't afford promotion to the National League on average gates of 2,680 then they are paying their players too much, me thinks.

Or they need to do a Darlo style boost the budget, let the fans be their rich benefactor.

spen666
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by spen666 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:35 pm

Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:
Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:49 pm
If they can't afford promotion to the National League on average gates of 2,680 then they are paying their players too much, me thinks.

Or they need to do a Darlo style boost the budget, let the fans be their rich benefactor.
I have no idea why they would struggle on their gates, unless they have a ridiculous rent on the ground

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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by spen666 » Tue Jun 14, 2022 5:07 pm

Another interesting set up is Clapton CFC ( not to be confused with Clapton FC.

The Clapton Ultras had long been in dispute with the Clapton owner Vince Bean - rumoured to be a bit of a crook allegedly.

In the end, they set up their own club at very bottom of pyramid and eventually bought from the landlord, the Old Spotted Dog Ground that had been home to Clapton FC.

Clapton CFC are 100% fan owned and run. They have no employees at all and provide monthly accounts for every penny spent or received.

The transparency is incredible. it will be interesting to see how it continues as they rise through the leagues

https://www.claptoncfc.co.uk/

jjljks
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Re: Just made Top 30

Post by jjljks » Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:50 pm

Thanks everyone for your positive engagement & contributions. Some great links to interesting niche sites I wasn't aware of. :thumbup:

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