Bostik League attendances rise again

By Ian Townsend

The statistics for November are in!

Bostik League statistician Mike Wilson has crunched the numbers, and once more we are pleased to announce an increase in attendances across our three divisions. It's a smaller rise this month, just over six percent up on November of last season, but we're up by almost fifteen percent overall from August to November so everything is moving in an extremely positive direction.

In the Premier Division, Dulwich Hamlet's ten league matches have so far seen more than 15000 people pass through the turnstiles at Champion Hill, giving them the best average figures in the league with 1503- up more than 15% on last season. Billericay Town are in second place on this list, with an average of 1350- but in the interests of balance it must be pointed out that the Blues have played three fewer home matches than Hamlet and that their average has increased by 139%! Margate are third best with an average of 518, Tonbridge Angels in fourth with 431, and Worthing remarkably in fifth with 415 despite having to play a number of their home matches at Bognor Regis Town due to pitch problems.

In the North Division attendances are up by a whopping 43% across the season, with the highest attended match so far coming last month as Canvey Island defeated Grays Athletic 3-0 in front of 394 fans. Canvey and Bury Town are the joint best supported clubs so far, both averaging 272, but the chief success story of the division this season is undoubtedly the club in third place- Aveley, averaging 259- which is two hundred and one percent higher than this time last season!

Notable rises have also come at Haringey Borough, whose crowds have risen by 169%, and Heybridge Swifts, up by 87.5%- although the Swifts figures are slightly tempered by the fact that, due to their exceptional cup successes, they've played only four home league matches!

Two of our top five attendances in the South Division so far this season came last month- the 546 who watched Lewes come back from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw with Thamesmead Town sit in third place, whilst the 368 who watched Ashford United lose to Hastings United put that fixture in fourth.

Guernsey still have the highest average attendance in the division, with 651- here's hoping the departure of record breaking striker Ross Allen to New Zealand won't harm that too much- whilst league leaders Lewes sit in second place in this table with an average of 425. Hastings United are third with 333.

The success story of the season is still at Walton Casuals, for whom having a new ground has been a positive boon, their average increasing by 146.5%.

Look back here for more statistics soon- probably on New Years Day!

Image of Hamlet fans courtesy of Mike Urban

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