Football League World
·17. November 2024
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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·17. November 2024
FLW takes a deep dive into the attendance figures at Ashton Gate.
Bristol City supporters have seen their team finish between eighth and 19th in the Championship every season since 2015, but the lack of drama has not stopped them maintaining a respectable average attendance at Ashton Gate.
Since the Robins returned to the second tier almost ten years ago, the average attendance at Ashton Gate has not dropped below the 15,000 mark, and it has been above 20,000 for both of the last two seasons.
In that time, the closest they have come to reaching the top six was when they finished eighth at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, another season in which the average turnout at the Gate was more than 20,000.
Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End are the only other Championship clubs that have been in the division for as long as Bristol City, so the fans will surely be hopeful that they can mount a promotion push to give them something to get excited about at the business end of the season.
The club's chances of success will be greater if there is a good level of support at home matches, so let's take a look at how the average attendance at Ashton Gate so far this season compares to the previous campaign.
Bristol City finished 11th in the Championship last season, with 11 points separating them from the play-off places, as they recorded another mid-table finish in the second tier.
There was an average of 21,716 supporters inside Ashton Gate over the course of the campaign, with the capacity of the stadium being 27,000.
The Robins have hosted seven games in the Championship so far this season, including a memorable 4-3 victory over Millwall, and there has been a slight increase to the average attendance compared to the 2023/24 campaign.
An average of 21,996 supporters have been in attendance at Ashton Gate so far this term, ranking the club 11th in the second tier when it comes to the highest number of fans at home games.
While there has been a small increase already compared to last season, if Bristol City can continue to get more supporters into the ground, then they could have a better chance of closing the gap to the top six and giving themselves a real chance of promotion.
There is no doubt that the fan base should be commended, with an average attendance of more than 20,000 being very respectable for a Championship club.
Bristol City have made a solid start to the 2024/25 season, finding themselves 10th during the current international break, and they could be higher up the table if they had turned a couple of their home draws into wins.
Given the fact that there are regularly more than 20,000 fans at Ashton Gate at the moment, it would be no surprise to see them get closer to filling the ground if they managed to get in and around the top six during the remainder of the season.
The Robins are a club with plenty of potential, as has been shown by the level of support during the last few seasons, and they will hope that the team can continue to progress alongside the attendances.