The EFL enjoyed a remarkable opening weekend with an aggregate attendance of 449,870 across all three divisions.
That is the best in 13 years and was up a staggering 17 per cent on last year. Newly-promoted Sunderland got 40,851 fans at the Stadium of Light for their 1-1 draw with Coventry and already beats last year’s highest attendance in the Championship.
It means the Championship could be on course to be the third most watched league again in the whole of Europe. UEFA did a study in 2018 - the last year before attendances were impacted by the pandemic - that only the Premier League and Bundesliga enjoyed bigger crowds.
The Championship got 11,086,368, Bundesliga 12,703,896 and the Premier League was top with 13,607,420. Sunderland’s attendance helped make a total of 220,087 in the Sky Bet Championship, which is an average of 18,341 – up 13 per cent on last year’s opening weekend.
Three League One fixtures got over 25,000 with Derby County v Oxford United pulling in 31,053, Sheffield Wednesday v Portsmouth got 26,901 and Ipswich Town v Bolton Wanderers had an attendance of 26,688.
In Sky Bet League One, average attendance increased 11 per cent to 12,407, with a total of 148,878 match-going spectators, while Sky Bet League Two saw the largest average rise of 53 per cent (6,742) compared to 2021/22, registering a total attendance of 80,905. It is a staggering success for the EFL and its sponsors Sky Bet while the TV coverage was also back on terrestrial as highlights were on ITV.
The top attendances by division from the opening weekend
Sky Bet Championship
Sunderland AFC v Coventry City – 40,851
Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion – 26,567
Huddersfield Town v Burnley – 20,206
Sky Bet League One
Derby County v Oxford United – 31,053
Sheffield Wednesday v Portsmouth – 26,901
Ipswich Town v Bolton Wanderers – 26,688
Sky Bet League Two
Bradford City v Doncaster Rovers – 19,368
Stockport County v Barrow – 10,011
Leyton Orient v Grimsby Town – 8,557
