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Capacity for more: rivals look to lure more fans as figures show half-empty crowds
SHEFFIELD Wednesday and Barnsley will be aiming to fill more seats next season after latest Championships statistics confirmed their grounds were half-empty in the last campaign.
On average, Oakwell was filling just 49.3 per cent of the club's 23,186 places - the worst average home attendance in terms of percentage of stadium capacity of all 24 Championship clubs.
Hillsborough was only one place better, with 53.7 per cent of the ground's capacity being filled for an average Owls fixture this season.
Yet the four largest crowds at Championship matches this season involved Yorkshire clubs.
Wednesday gained the Championship's highest attendance (and second highest outside the Premier League) when 36,208 watched them secure Championship survival by beating Norwich 4-1 on the final day of the season.
And the highest attendance at Hillsborough since the Sheffield derby in 2001 was trumped only by the 38,256 fans who saw Leeds beat Gilling-ham in League One on May 3.
Southampton's end-of-season 3-2 victory over the Blades was watched by 31,975 and Wednesday's crucial 3-1 victory away at Leicester the previous weekend witnessed the Championship's third highest gate at 31,892.
What could be done to increase crowds at our local grounds? Cheaper ticket prices? Better standard of football? More welcoming atmosphere? Tell us what you think. Post your comments below.
Last month's Sheffield derby at Bramall Lane came in fourth, with an attendance of 31,760 - the ground's largest all season.
Blades fans recorded the highest average attendance in the Championship, being the only club to top 25,000.
They averaged 25,631, ahead of Norwich with 24,555 and relegated Leicester on 23,509.
Wednesday's average was 21,410 - eighth best in the division - while Barnsley averaged 11,452 which ranked them 21st.
CLUBS' CROWD STATS:
SHEFFIELD UNITED
CHAMPIONSHIP
Total: 589,508
Highest: 31,760 (v Sheffield Wednesday, April 8, drew 2-2)
Lowest: 23,161 (v Watford, Jan 29, drew 1-1)
Average: 25,631
Ground capacity: 32,609
Average percentage filled: 78.6. (7/24)
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
CHAMPIONSHIP
Total: 492,438
Highest: 36,208 (v Norwich, May 4, won 4-1)
Lowest: 17,559 (v Bristol City, Sept 1, lost 1-0)
Average: 21,410 (8/24)
Ground capacity: 39,814
Average percentage filled: 53.7 (23/24)
BARNSLEY
CHAMPIONSHIP
Total: 263,389.
Highest: 18,257 (v Sheffield Wed, March 1, drew 0-0)
Lowest: 8,531 (v Blackpool, Nov 5, won 2-1)
Average: 11,452 (21/24)
Ground capacity: 23,186.
Average percentage filled: 49.3 (24/24)
DONCASTER ROVERS
LEAGUE ONE
Total: 183,504.
Highest: 15,001 (v Leeds United, Apr 1, lost 1-0)
Lowest: 5,967 (v Yeovil Town, Dec 16, lost 2-1)
Average: 7,978 (7/24).
Ground capacity: 15,231
Average percentage filled: 52.3 (14/24)
ROTHERHAM UNITED
LEAGUE TWO
Total: 96,529
Highest: 6,709 (v Wycombe, Jan 19, drew 1-1)
Lowest: 2,979 (v Brentford, Apr 5, lost 2-1)
Average: 4,197 (10/24)
Capacity: 8,300
Average percentage filled: 50.5 (4/24)
CHESTERFIELD
LEAGUE TWO
Total: 91,041
Highest: 6,300 (v Mansfield Town, Dec 12, won 2-0)
Lowest: 3,274 (v Hereford United, Jan 21, Won 4-0, and v Accrington, Mar 22, won 4-2)
Average: 3,958 (13/24)
Capacity: 8,504
Average percentage filled: 46.5 (6/24)
SHEFFIELD FC
UNIBOND LEAGUE DIVISION ONE SOUTH
Total: 6,951
Highest: 647 (v Goole AFC, Nov 17, drew 0-0)
Lowest: 201 (v Spalding United, Apr 23, won 7-2)
Average: 331
Ground capacity: 1,500
Average percentage filled: 22.1
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Friday 10 February 2012
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