This week’s attendance facts: The regular MLS season has ended, and it has been a good one. Attendances have gone up with 5.6% to an average of 18,807 per match. This is how the MLS compares to the European leagues. Most of the clubs saw increases in attendances, though a [...]
This week’s attendance facts include: After eight playing rounds, we can conclude that both the average attendance of the Serie A and the Primera División have hardly moved in comparison with last season. The Premier League records a higher average though, while that of the Bundesliga has gone down. This [...]
This week’s attendance facts: there were a few clásicos around Europe last weekend, but while the one in Camp Nou predictably sold out, AC Milan was not able to fill San Siro for the derby with Inter. Despite a last sales push, the attendance of [...]
This week’s attendances facts: The Sevillanos (at least the ones supporting Sevilla) got a lot more excited about last weekend’s visit of Barcelona than they got when Madrid came to town a few weeks ago. They completely packed Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán last Saturday, while almost 15,000 seats were left [...]
This week’s attendance facts come a little later than normal to include the mid-week fixtures: We witnessed some surprisingly low attendances in the Bundesliga mid-week fixtures. Both Augsburg’s (25,211) and Stuttgart’s (41,720) attendance were their lowest in more than a year, and Schalke (59,116) and Hannover (36,200) only had one [...]
The week’s attendances facts: Reading, Southampton, and West Ham replaced Blackburn, Bolton, and Wolves in the Premier League this year, and the result is a steep increase of the PL’s occupancy rate. The three new teams all (close to) sell out their home matches, with the consequence that now 95% [...]
This week’s attendances facts: The first two playing rounds of the Bundesliga suggest that the league’s attendances won’t be breaking any records this year. The average is down 4,000, though this is more due to the new entrants than the remaining teams. Things should pick up though once Fortuna Düsseldorf [...]
All of Europe’s major leagues have now kicked off, with the Bundesliga and Serie A being the last of the pack: Little can be made yet of the first Bundesliga attendances. Newcomer Greuther Fürth started with a sell-out, but then every club does when Bayern comes to visit. The other [...]
Last weekend saw the Premier League and Primera División kick off. We all know the scores, but how about the attendances? Last season, the Premier League clubs sold almost 92% of all tickets. With Blackburn and Bolton gone one expects this to improve, and if the first round is any [...]
This weekend saw the French Ligue 1 and Dutch Eredivisie kick off the 2012/13 season: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s league debut could not fill the Parc des Princes though. A total of 38,102 Parisiens found their way to the stadium, far below last season‘s average. Of course, many French are still celebrating [...]
Last week, we started with our series of random attendance facts. Here is the second round of attendance facts that relate to last weekend: The US Major League Soccer is rather egalitarian if it comes to attendances. However, one club jumps out with an average almost twice the level of [...]
It is the end of July, and it won’t take long before Europe’s major leagues will kick off. In the meantime, some smaller leagues have already done so, and other leagues across the globe are already well under way. This season, we will again meticulously keep track of the [...]
Maracanã reopens with first test match
The legendary Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro has reopened with a first test match after three years of building works. Before hosting another test match on the 15th of May, it will then officially open on the 2nd of June with a friendly between the Brazilian and [...]
Sampdoria take step closer to seafront stadium
Sampdoria have taken another step closer to realising a new seaside home after presenting their plans to a special committee of the city of Genoa. Sampdoria hope to build a new 30,000 all-seater in the place of the present Palasport indoor arena and [...]
West Ham receive 99-year lease for Olympic Stadium
West Ham have agreed a contract to move into the London Olympic Stadium from the start of the 2016-17 season. On Friday, the club finally received confirmation of the deal that follows on a long and torturous process and saw an earlier deal collapse.
Anji opens redeveloped Anji Arena
FC Anji Makhachkala have found a new home in the redeveloped Anji Arena, but while the Anji Arena has the look of a modern stadium, the rich Russian club of billionaire Kerimov and star player Eto’o hope that their stay at the new arena will only be a temporary one. [...]
Manchester City contemplate Etihad expansion
Manchester City appears to be considering expanding the Etihad Stadium with an extra tier to the Family and South Stand. This has become clear from a survey the club has sent out to its fans. The survey, which was sent by email, starts like [...]
Opening Grêmio Arena marks a new dawn in Brazilian football
The 2012 Brazilian Séria A season has just finished, but when the new season starts in May 2013, much will have changed. The reason for this is that the largest country of South America will be swept by a series of stadium openings in the next [...]
Real Madrid showcases four proposals for redeveloped Bernabéu
At the end of last Sunday’s member’s assembly, Real Madrid chairman Florentina Pérez had a little surprise for the socios. These were four models of four different proposals for the redevelopment of Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. The models had been vigorously kept secret [...]
While it is not uncommon for shiny new stadiums to get built in places where you would not expect them, there is something even more special going on in Iraq right now: an actual stadium boom. The Arab country, still recovering from the war, has decided to put some of its oil money in a massive overhaul of [...]
Oh, how times can change. Let me give the word to Peter Storrie, ex-chairman of Portsmouth FC: Portsmouth is moving into a new dawn with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak and these are very exciting times for the club both on and off the field. The new [...]
2012 review – the world of football stadiums
It is the end of December, which means that it is tradition to look back at the year we are about the finish. In our case, it means looking back at what happened in the fascinating world of football stadiums. The year 2012 came off the back of a prolific 2011 in terms of [...]
