Arsenal's misleading attendances

[Andy Mac]

Arsenal have confirmed the suspicions of many visitors to the Emirates Stadium this season, admitting that the club routinely declares misleading attendance figures for home games.

 

Regular visitors to the new stadium, including season ticket holders and reporters, have noted that, while attendance figures give the impression that it is at or close to its 60,500 capacity, the reality is that at times numerous seats have been empty. Sunday's game against Wigan Athletic was a case in point, with the official figure of 60,049 at odds with the large number of empty seats.

 

The club confirmed yesterday that the figure announced was for tickets sold rather than actual attendance and that on average as many as 3% of ticket holders - more than 1,800 people - did not take up their seats. The number of no-shows reflects the increase in corporate season ticket holders at the stadium and the club will trial a buy-back system later this year that will allow fans to purchase seats that season ticket holders are not going to take up. Arsenal have decided to run the system in-house rather than use a ticket agency.

 

--------------

[matty]

Ever-creeping into the game. Arsenal have taken the corporate dosh and are now paying the consequences - not in cash terms perhaps, but certainly in terms of goodwill of their own fans.

 

A lesson here for Liverpool FC.

 

Give the corporates their boxes, but not the seats in the stadium.

[Maldini]

This has been happening for years, we announce the amount of people who come through the turnstiles, but most other clubs announce the tickets sold.

[Guest ritchie_50]

Typical hoorah henry. Pay over a grand fora season ticket and leave the seat empty apart from the games against United, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool. They could at least give their ticket to someone who actually wants to go and support the team for that game.

[Paul B]

Typical hoorah henry. Pay over a grand fora season ticket and leave the seat empty apart from the games against United, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool. They could at least give their ticket to someone who actually wants to go and support the team for that game.

 

 

What if it goes to an oik though? Or a working clars cockerney?