Championship Hits 50 Year High
The first season of the Coca-Cola Championship has attracted a level of attendance in the second tier of English football that hasn’t been seen for over 50 years.The first season of the Coca-Cola Championship has attracted a level of attendance in the second tier of English football that hasn’t been seen for over 50 years.
The aggregate of 9,608,340 is the highest figure since 1952-53 when a total of 9,686,654 spectators attended games in the old Second Division.
Although there is the obvious advantage of the second level being only a 42-game season up to 1987(compared to the current 46-game fixture list), the on-going increase in interest continues to impress.
The first 46-game season (1988/89) was witnessed by 5,887,805 while attendances have now gone up in every one of the last seven consecutive seasons. There has been an increase of over 2million since the 1998-99 season.
Compared with last season (Nationwide Football League Division One), the Championship has added another 837,151 to the total - a very healthy increase of 9.544%.
The club-by-club breakdown of the last two seasons is, as follows:
| 2004-05 | 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2003-04 | ||
| Average | Total | Average | Total | % + or - | |
| Brighton and Hove Albion | 6,426 | 147,809 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Burnley | 12,466 | 286,713 | 12,541 | 288,454 | -0.604 |
| Cardiff City | 12,975 | 298,424 | 15,569 | 358,091 | -16.663 |
| Coventry City | 16,048 | 369,095 | 14,816 | 340,769 | 8.312 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 7,403 | 170,273 | 7,741 | 178,048 | -4.367 |
| Derby County | 25,219 | 580,039 | 22,200 | 510,593 | 13.601 |
| Gillingham | 8,528 | 196,142 | 8,517 | 195,902 | 0.123 |
| Ipswich Town | 25,651 | 589,981 | 24,520 | 563,955 | 4.615 |
| Leeds United | 29,207 | 671,769 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Leicester City | 24,137 | 555,146 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Millwall | 11,656 | 268,087 | 10,497 | 241,420 | 11.046 |
| Nottingham Forest | 23,565 | 541,997 | 24,751 | 569,265 | -4.790 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 16,420 | 377,652 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Preston North End | 13,889 | 319,437 | 14,150 | 325,461 | -1.851 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 16,056 | 369,283 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Reading | 17,169 | 394,880 | 15,095 | 347,189 | 13.736 |
| Rotherham United | 6,272 | 144,262 | 7,138 | 164,170 | -12.126 |
| Sheffield United | 19,516 | 448,869 | 21,646 | 497,847 | -9.838 |
| Stoke City | 16,455 | 378,470 | 14,425 | 331,774 | 14.075 |
| Sunderland | 28,821 | 662,874 | 27,119 | 623,741 | 6.274 |
| Watford | 14,290 | 328,662 | 14,856 | 341,689 | -3.813 |
| West Ham United | 27,403 | 630,276 | 31,167 | 716,842 | -12.076 |
| Wigan Athletic | 11,563 | 265,941 | 9,531 | 219,211 | 21.317 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 26,620 | 612,259 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Bradford City | N/A | N/A | 11,377 | 261,681 | N/A |
| Crystal Palace | N/A | N/A | 17,344 | 398,917 | N/A |
| Norwich City | N/A | N/A | 18,987 | 436,700 | N/A |
| Walsall | N/A | N/A | 7,853 | 180,611 | N/A |
| West Bromwich Albion | N/A | N/A | 24,765 | 569,588 | N/A |
| Wimbledon / MK Dons | N/A | N/A | 4,751 | 109,271 | N/A |
| TOTALS | 17,406 | 9,608,340 | 15,890 | 8,771,189 | 9.544 |
The above photo shows the Sheffield United team who were champions of the Second Division in 1952-53:
Standing, left to right: G.Hutchinson, H. Brook, F.Furniss, E. Burgin, H. Latham, G. Shaw, J. Shaw, E. Jackson (trainer)
Seated, left to right: A. Ringstead, J. Hagan, L. Browning, S. McNab, D. Hawksworth
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