The European football pyramid is in rude health. That is, at least, the broad conclusion of a report from Uefa that charts the club game’s structural and demographic progress over the past 12 months. It shows that more supporters of men’s and women’s football are passing through the continent’s turnstiles than ever, and that lower-tier crowds are underpinning a 7% surge in uptake.
There is plenty to admire about the findings of Uefa’s club talent and competition landscape report. It makes clear, from its analysis of the 2023-24 season, that the bounceback from Covid-19 lockdowns is complete. Nobody would suggest, after a look at the data, that football’s appeal is waning and that modern attention spans cannot survive 90 minutes, or in most cases a significant degree longer, inside a stadium. The sport has a captive audience that far exceeds most other forms of entertainment and keeps on coming back.
