Scottish football tops European attendance per capita table ahead of second-placed Netherlands

Scottish football attendances are some distance ahead of the rest of Europe on a population basis; Scotland is 65 per cent clear of second-placed Netherlands; Over four million fans went to matches across the top four divisions last season

By Alison Conroy, Digital Sports Journalist @AlisonGConroy

Image: More fans went to matches in Scotland's top four divisions compared to any other league across Europe

The Scottish Professional Football League continues to top the match attendance per capita table across Europe.

New figures show the SPFL had 21.3 attendees per 1,000 people at matches across its top four divisions, and a weekly average support of 117,700 fans.

That is 65 per cent higher than second-placed country the Netherlands, which has 12.9 attendees per 1000 people.

The transfermarkt summary has Denmark in third with 12.2 attendees per 1,000 people, followed by Iceland with 12.0 attendees and England & Wales with 11.4 attendees.

Last season, over four million fans turned out to watch matches across the Scottish Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two.

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Image: Neil Doncaster says the figures are "a vote of confidence" for Scottish football

Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said: "The incredible passion of Scottish football fans is well documented, and it's absolutely fantastic to see our game has once again, by some margin, the highest attendance per capita in European football. It's an enormous vote of confidence for our game and a credit to the fans and the clubs throughout all four divisions.

"Attendances in Scotland have significantly outperformed other countries of a similar size for some time now, and the financial importance of gate receipts to our clubs was starkly underscored during the pandemic, when matches were played behind closed doors.

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Image: More than four million fans attended SPFL matches last season

"To see fans returning in such numbers is just brilliant for our game, as it's their passion and energy which plays such a vital role in making the SPFL such a compelling spectacle.

"We have gripping stories across all four of our divisions, and we're expecting a really exciting end to the season for fans across the country."

Confirmed Scottish Premiership fixtures live on Sky Sports

Sunday February 19: Motherwell vs Hearts, kick-off 12pm

Sunday March 5: St Mirren vs Celtic, kick-off 12pm

Saturday March 18: Motherwell vs Rangers, kick-off 12.30pm

Sunday April 2: Ross County vs Celtic, kick-off 12pm

Saturday April 8: Celtic vs Rangers, kick-off 12.30pm

Sunday April 9: Dundee United vs Hibernian, kick-off 12pm

Scottish Premiership & SWPL on Sky Sports

Image: Sky Sports will broadcast the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Women's Premier League

Sky Sports - This season up to 48 cinch Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports' flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership will be live on Sky Sports, in addition to the SWPL.

Sky Sports News - Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News' (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.

Sky Sports Digital - Follow all the latest from Scottish football across skysports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.

Sky Sports Social - Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports' main social media channels, the bespoke Twitter channel @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.

Highlights show - Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.

To download the Sky Sports app click here, to visit Sky Sports website click here.

Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with more than 400 games per season across the SPFL, SWPL, Premier League, WSL, and EFL.

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