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"Best Attendance in the Past 10 Years": Football Fans Return to Stadiums

As the international break ends, the Jupiler Pro League returns this weekend, and it’s clear that fan engagement is back. After a few challenging seasons, fans are once again finding their way to the stadiums in greater numbers, according to figures released by the Pro League.

Last season, a total of 3,250,920 fans attended matches in Belgium’s top football division, an increase of 200,000 compared to the 2022-2023 season. This meant an average of 10,410 fans per match, almost returning to pre-COVID levels when the 2019-2020 season saw an average of 10,732. Notably, that season didn’t include Play-off 2 in its traditional format, which usually lowers the attendance average.

However, after the pandemic hit, there was a sharp decline in attendance. The 2020-2021 season had no fans in the stadiums, and even in the following season, restrictions were still in place. Although these restrictions were lifted for the 2022-2023 season, the average attendance per match remained low, at just 9,258.

Competition Format

The downward trend was reversed last season, with an increase of 1,200 more fans per match compared to the previous year. This is a welcome development for the Pro League. “These are some of the best attendance numbers of the past decade,” said CEO Lorin Parys. He also noted that TV viewership increased by six percent on average per match. "We’ve seen this increase across all age groups, which shows that football remains the glue of our society."

Parys credited the league’s competition format for these promising numbers, even though it has been a subject of debate. “Despite all the discussions around the format, these figures show that our approach is working. A healthy debate is always welcome, but with the current structure, we’ve created a competitive environment where any team can beat any other, right up to the final matchday. Last season, for example, KV Kortrijk’s final Relegation play-off match sold out faster than their regular-season games against top clubs. That says something—excitement is the essence of the Jupiler Pro League.”

Safety

Despite these successes, Parys hopes to increase average attendance even further, with stadium safety as a top priority. “We are taking a clear and firm stance on this issue,” Parys said. “Those who misbehave must be removed. We are enforcing stricter rules, and over the past two seasons, we’ve handed out 500 years’ worth of stadium bans. What’s encouraging is that misbehaving fans are now being booed by others in the stands, signaling the start of a cultural shift.” The Pro League is also advocating for a stronger enforcement framework to ensure safety. “We want to take responsibility, but we need the right tools to do so.”

Additionally, the Pro League is working on identifying the “Fan of Tomorrow.” “We want to analyze each club’s fan base to understand who isn’t attending matches yet, so we can develop more targeted ticketing campaigns for the next season,” Parys concluded.

Source: Het Nieuwsblad