Sunderland's home attendance figures compared to Premier League rivals ahead of Brighton visit
Sunderland have pulled impressive crowds during their first season back in the Premier League.
Sunderland’s 1-0 defeat to Port Vale in the FA Cup was a huge disappointment, but it’ll still do well to taint what has been a fantastic first season back in the Premier League.
The Black Cats beat Leeds United 1-0 at Elland Road last week to hit the hallowed 40-point mark with nine games to spare. Regis Le Bris’ men are 12 points clear of the relegation zone, so now, the aim is to finish as high as possible and maybe even sneak a surprise qualification for European football. With that in mind, it’s little surprise to see Sunderland’s average attendance up to 46,382 per week in the Premier League - which is the highest since the 2001/02 Premier League campaign (46,745) and the fourth-highest in club history. But how does that compare to the rest of the Premier League?
Sunderland’s average attendance compared to Premier League rivals
1. Manchester Utd - 73,960 2. West Ham United - 62,454 3. Tottenham Hotspur - 60,900 4. Liverpool - 60,376 5. Arsenal - 60,219 6. Manchester City - 52,198 7. Everton - 52,110 8. Newcastle United - 52,093 9. Sunderland - 46,382 10. Aston Villa - 41,822 11. Chelsea - 39,596 12. Leeds United - 36,722 13. Brighton - 31,343 14. Nottingham Forest - 30,471 15. Wolves - 29,851 16. Fulham - 27,123 17. Crystal Palace - 24,966 18. Burnley - 21,064 19. Brentford - 17,103 20. Bournemouth - 11,167
Sunderland’s attendance this season is enough to leave them ninth in the Premier League, just behind Everton and arch-rivals Newcastle United on 52,110 and 52,093, respectively. That said, the Black Cats would surely match those figures if the Stadium of Light were expanded.
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Nevertheless, Sunderland are still ahead of some considerable top-flight forces, not least Aston Villa and Chelsea directly below them on 41,882 and 39,596, respectively. Both clubs are looking to expand their stadiums or move entirely in the near future, so Sunderland could face competition here.
As usual, Manchester United top the attendance charts, with Old Trafford boasting an average crowd of 73,960 - more than 11,000 ahead of second-place West Ham, who pull 62,454 fans at their unpopular but vast London Stadium. Tottenham Hotspur are third, still pulling 60,900 per week, despite sitting 16th in the table and in the thick of a shock relegation battle. This weekend’s opponents, Brighton, are 13th in the attendance table on 31,343 ahead of their visit to the Stadium of Light.