Chelsea FC Operate Closest To Stadium Capacity, Supports Expansion Plans
Sky Sports have just released a study that is bound to please owner Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea FC brass. Stamford Bridge is the football ground that operates closest to full capacity in the whole of the English Football League.
The West London ground, with a capacity of 41,623, has filled out on average 99.82% of its seats over the course of last season, making it the best attended stadium (percentage-wise) in the top four tiers of English football.
Chelsea’s ability to reign supreme over 91 other clubs in such a statistic shows that the demand is there should more seats be available, and thus highlights how Mr Abramovich is losing out on money in the current situation.
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Undoubtedly this fact will now be paraded by the Blues bigwigs as they try to convince any opposition that expanding Stamford Bridge is less a luxury, but more a necessity.
The top 10 in the study did all turn out to be 2014/15 Premier League clubs with 2nd and 3rd spot being filled by Swansea City and Arsenal respectively. Both clubs broke the 99% mark.
The largest English club ground comes next, with Manchester United being able to fill out 99.88% of their 76,100-capacity home despite an awful showing over the last couple of years. If anything, this exemplifies the power of a large fan-base.
Chelsea’s favourite neighbour Tottenham Hotspur didn’t do too badly either, operating at 98.5% while the lowest ranked Premier League side is Aston Villa, who could only sell 79.78% of their tickets.
Finally, becuase we should shame them, Carlisle United come 92nd. The Lague Two outfit could only attract an average of 4,376 to Brunton Park, filling out a shocking 24% of their stadium.
This was a great little study by Sky Sports which is bound to be used as ammunition in petty football arguments across the country. More importantly, though, it does help justify Stamford Bridge expansion plans. Commercialism in sport is rife but why should Chelsea be missing out on extra revenue when they can ethically obtain it?
Expanding a stadium isn’t the same as increasing ticket prices or the cost of your half-time pie. This is a necessary move that will help to secure the future of the club post-Roman Abramovich. The haters and the nostalgics will just have to live with it.
Are you surprised by the findings? Has this helped convince some of you that the Stamford Bridge expansion is acceptable? Get involved and sound off in the comments below!
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