Sunderland have recorded a higher average attendance at home fixtures than European giants Juventus this season. With an average of 37,926 at the Stadium of Light, Black Cats fans have shown tremendous support for their club on its return to the EFL Championship.
Serie A juggernauts Juventus have so far only averaged 37,634 through the turnstiles at the Allianz Stadium, which puts Sunderland’s fantastic support into perspective among Europe’s elite. Compared to other English teams, they rank 11th overall, above a host of Premier League sides including Leeds United and 2016 champions Leicester City.
Sunderland’s impressive figures also dwarf their closest EFL rivals, with over 10,000 more fans on average than Sheffield United (27,899), Norwich City (27,543) and Derby County (27,109).
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Manchester United topped the English attendance figures, averaging 74,570 at Old Trafford so far this campaign. This sees them take fourth place across Europe as a whole, with Barcelona recording 83,383 fans at Camp Nou, the highest of any team.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich took second and third spot, with 80,783 and 75,000 averages respectively, while AC Milan completed Europe’s top five with 72,169.
Elsewhere in England, West Ham and Tottenham were the second and third highest averages, with 62,447 and 61,485 respectively. League One outfits Derby (27,109), Sheffield Wednesday (24,651) and Ipswich Town (24,236) all averaged tremendous support, each surpassing the lowest three clubs in the Premier League.
Brentford (17,019) and Bournemouth (10,179) each had worse turnouts than a host of lower league clubs, including League Two Bradford City, who averaged 17,192 at Valley Parade. Meanwhile, the lowest three attendances in the EFL were Harrogate Town (1,590), Salford City (2,427), and Accrington Stanley (2,400).
National League side Wrexham, backed by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, boasted an impressive figure for a club in the fifth tier, with an average of 9,874 Dragons fans at the Racecourse Ground this year. This figure is only slightly surpassed by Premier League outfit Bournemouth, whose modest crowd of 10,179 means they rank 50th for average attendance in the EFL, despite their top flight status.
Bournemouth aren’t the only European top flight club matched in support by Wrexham; 2004 Champions League finalists AS Monaco recorded a meagre 6,936 supporters this term, less than most teams in League One.
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