The Sky Bet EFL has achieved the distinction of being the highest attended league body in Europe, after welcoming more than 21.5 million fans through the turnstiles in 2023/24.
The cumulative attendance figure is the most since the 1951/52 season, representing an 11 per cent increase on the previous season and sees the League finish ahead of Germany’s Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
Contributing to that is the Sky Bet Championship breaking the record for total attendance, with 12,723,678 fans (22 per cent increase on previous season) representing the highest-ever cumulative attendance for the second-tier competition since records began in 1892.
The Championship has also beaten the likes of the Bundesliga (12.1 million attendees), Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A to be the second most attended league division in Europe. This is an increase from fifth position after the 2022/23 season.
The Championship play-off final had a higher attendance (85,862) than this year’s FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United (84,814).
Sky Bet League One (ninth) and League Two (13th) also finished in the top 15 European leagues for the 2023/24 season.
Fans in League Two also helped set a new benchmark with the cumulative audience of 3,458,968 being the highest fourth tier attendance since the 1964/65 season and representing an increase of eight per cent on last season.
Sky Bet League One attendances remained steady, with more than 5.3 million through the turnstiles. Derby County’s average attendance (27,278) was higher than that of six Premier League clubs this season.
The EFL’s cup competitions remain appealing midweek fixtures for fans across the country, with 1.8 million fans taking in a live Carabao Cup or Bristol Street Motors Trophy fixture. The 88,868 fans from Chelsea and Liverpool that attended the Carabao Cup final made it the highest attended final since 2014/15.
In total, more than 23.7 million supporters passed through the turnstiles of an EFL competition in 2023/24.
On TV, fans of EFL clubs consumed their team in large volumes during the regular season and Sky Bet EFL play-offs.
The average Sky Bet EFL UK live audience (309,000) was up 46 per cent versus May 2023 and the average Sky Bet Championship UK live audience (333,000) up 51 per cent against the same time last season.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “The 2023/24 numbers – not just in stadiums, but inside homes all around the world – are tangible proof that our competitions now rank among some of the most exciting and popular in European football. To be the highest attended league body in Europe is testament to our League and clubs.
“It really is a remarkable feat when you consider the quality of players and football on show across the continent. These numbers are not only a result of the strength and depth of the EFL, but also highlight the importance of the football pyramid and the reasons why we need to protect it.”