The notion of connecting a large stadium to a more passionate fan base has always seemed incomplete. It doesn’t feel right. Yes, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have huge stadiums that are almost always full of fans but attendance figures show that many clubs struggle to fill 90% of their stadium throughout the year.
There are some clubs – both big and small – who regularly beat that figure and have an almost full stadium through the year. The notion that they’re more passionate could prove to be more convincing in the grand scheme of things. So, which are these 10 clubs – across Europe – that have fans waiting to flock in irrespective of situation or table-position?
Also read: Barcelona third in UEFA Club Coefficients, only one Premier League club in top 10
We look at Europe’s ten highest attendance figures – percentage wise – for football clubs. Some will surprise you and some will confuse the living daylights out of you:
#10 Stoke City – English Premier League
Mark Hughes’ Stoke City are having one of their finest Premier League seasons this time around. Currently 9th in the Premier League table, the Potters continue to draw a relatively solid crowd everytime they take to the field in either the league, the Emirates FA Cup or the EFL Cup.
Out of the 27,932 fans who can fit into the Bet365 stadium, the club draws an average of 27,400 fans every match – meaning they fill up 98.1% of their stadium every weekend. It’s because of figures like these – from a club like Stoke City who don’t have the most international exposure – that makes the Premier League a money-minting juggernaut.
#9 Crystal Palace – English Premier League
Sam Allardyce may have botched his chance at becoming a legendary England manager but the former West Ham, Bolton, and Blackburn boss still has quite the reputation in his country having never suffered the agony of managing a side that was relegated from the Premier League.
Crystal Palace were seemingly heading for the second tier until Big Sam arrived and turned things around – they’re now four points clear of relegation. And it’s because of this fightback that fans are pouring in every other week to witness their side’s fight to stay in the top tier.
Selhurst Park can hold 25,456 fans and manages to regularly average 25,080 – a 98.52% fill rate – exceptional figures for a club that continues to flirt with danger.
#8 FC Everton – English Premier League
Currently in 7th – level on points with Arsenal – and only six points behind arch-rivals Liverpool and a UEFA Champions League slot, Everton are a new machine under Dutch manager Ronald Koeman.
The Toffees are impressing on the field and with someone like Romelu Lukaku – the league’s highest goal-scorer with 21 goals – tucking the chances away, it’s no wonder fans don’t want to miss a minute of action.
Goodison Park has the capacity to hold 39,571 fans and regularly pulls 39,032 passionate supporters meaning the stadium averages 98.64% attendance completion rate in the Premier League – and other domestic competitions. Incredible.
#7 FC Koln – Bundesliga
FC Koln are having the season of their lives and sit right up there in 6th in the Bundesliga table. Peter Stoger’s men have defied the odds week in and week out. With the likes of Anthony Modeste playing in ‘God mode’ almost every week, it’s no wonder fans are waiting to pour in.
Koln’s RheinEnergie Stadium can host 50,000 fans and has averaged 49,483 fans every weekend meaning they have 98.97% of their seats warm every time their team takes to the field. German teams have quite the reputation for hosting some of the most passionate fans and it’s figures like these that back those claims up.
#6 Leicester City – English Premier League
Perhaps winning the Premier League and then going on to qualify for the latter rounds of the UEFA Champions League had something to do with Leicester City’s incredible rise in power – both on the field and in terms of regular attendance figures.
While they aren’t having the best time of their lives in the domestic league this time around, they still continue to attract their fans on a weekly basis. And at a really high rate, too.
The King Power stadium can host 32,273 fans and regularly manages to bring in 31,948. That’s 98.99% of the stadium covered every match day. There’s something about that city that continues to inspire the sport.
#5 Manchester United – English Premier League
Following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and the subsequent train wreck in David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, the club are seemingly back on track with the appointment of former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho.
‘The Special One’ might not be that special anymore but he still manages to galvanise one of Europe’s biggest fan bases to pour in week in and week out. The Theatre of Dreams is England’s largest club stadium and can host 75,643 fans at any given instant.
And this season, it draws 75,288 fans on an average meaning 99.53% of their stadium is full every match day. The club is a true global superpower and these numbers only prove the same.
#4 Arsenal FC – English Premier League
Shocked to see this club here, aren’t you? Arsenal are going through a bit of rough patch: protesting fans, depressed players and a manager who continues to survive despite all the hatred, the disrespect and the pressure.
And them being this high up on a table like this only goes to prove that a majority of Arsenal fans are still behind the Frenchman and this team. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium can hold a maximum of 60,260 fans at any given time and still manages to pull in 59,988 fans every week – despite having the most expensive season ticket in the country.
Those figures mean Arsenal regularly manage to cover 99.55% of their seats – a massive figure for a club currently under fire.
#3 FC Chelsea – English Premier League
Antonio Conte and N’Golo Kante have been so instrumental in Chelsea’s campaign this season that their fans seemed to have forgotten their epic roller-coaster of a season they suffered last year.
Ultimately finishing in 10th, the club sacked two managers, witnessed a divide in the dressing room but still survived. And their fans are behind them now more than ever. The current Chelsea side is arguably one of the greatest Premier League sides of all time and Stamford Bridge knows that.
With a capacity of 41,631 seats, the West London stadium pulls 41,528 people on an average every match day: a whopping 99.75% attendance figure. Should they go on to win the title this year – and it seems highly likely they’ll do so – expect that figure to go up next time around.
#2 SC Freiburg – Bundesliga
SC Freiburg are also having an incredible domestic season having suffered in recent seasons. Currently 8th in the Bundesliga and set to remain in Germany’s top tier for another year at least, the Freiburg im Breisgau club has some incredibly passionate football fans.
Christian Streich’s team have performed excellently against the top teams in the league this season, and thanks to such results, they are able to pull in fans and push the stadium to its brim every match day.
The Schwarzwald-Stadion can hold a maximum of 24,000 fans and regularly manages to pull in 23,942 fans meaning only 58 fans – on an average – fail to make it to the stadium. That’s a ridiculous 99.76% attendance rate.
#1 Bayern Munich – Bundesliga
Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munich may not have looked like a kind of side capable of fighting for the title earlier in the season but the way they’ve turned things around – and the way they dismantled Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League – has had a huge effect on their pulling power.
It also helps that they are a top footballing side with the lowest season ticket price with fans having the chance to spend less than €130 for an entire season.
The Allianz Arena can hold a maximum of 75,000 fans at every given time and always – always– fills up the stadium to its very limit. Bayern Munich are the only side in world football to regularly boast an attendance figure of 100%. Phew.
