Europe's Top 50 Leagues Compared

[THFC6061]

Statistical analysis of Europe's Top 50 Football Leagues by total attendance figures.

Includes figues on UEFA Rankings, Major European Titles won, Average Goals per Game, Home & Away win percentages, Average player's ages, percentage of Foreign Players, Average & Total Attendances, Matchday Population percentage and Stadium capacities and more.

Did you know that as a percentage of the population, over twice as many Scots regularly attend SPL matches than the English attend Premier League games?

European Football League Statistics (http://www.myfootballfacts.com/European_Football_Leagues_Statistics.html)

[Part/Time Supporter]

The stat that surprises me there is that Scottish clubs have won more European trophies (3) than French clubs (2).

[THFC6061]

The stat that surprises me there is that Scottish clubs have won more European trophies (3) than French clubs (2).

Tottenham Hotspur have won more major European trophies than all the French clubs combined.

:wink:

[HiBremian]

Statistical analysis of Europe's Top 50 Football Leagues by total attendance figures.

Includes figues on UEFA Rankings, Major European Titles won, Average Goals per Game, Home & Away win percentages, Average player's ages, percentage of Foreign Players, Average & Total Attendances, Matchday Population percentage and Stadium capacities and more.

Did you know that as a percentage of the population, over twice as many Scots regularly attend SPL matches than the English attend Premier League games?

European Football League Statistics (http://www.myfootballfacts.com/European_Football_Leagues_Statistics.html)

In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it looks like our attendance, as a % of the population, is the highest in Europe..

[ScottB]

Just look at the percentages of foreign players and you quickly see why England are far behind the likes of Spain as a national team...

These stats put our game into perspective, for our size, we clearly have punched well above our weight over the years, and despite falling crowds, things have to be considered relatively healthy based on those stats.

[Frogga]

In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it looks like our attendance, as a % of the population, is the highest in Europe..

Yeah that is true. It's on Wikipedia under the SPL page.

[GreenPJ]

Just look at the percentages of foreign players and you quickly see why England are far behind the likes of Spain as a national team...

These stats put our game into perspective, for our size, we clearly have punched well above our weight over the years, and despite falling crowds, things have to be considered relatively healthy based on those stats.

It doesn't have a technical capability measure or a debt measure.

[Twa Cairpets]

In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it looks like our attendance, as a % of the population, is the highest in Europe..

It's an impressive fact on face value, but its essentially meaningless as only one element of the calculation is relevant to football - i.e. national population is a variable outwith the control of the SFA.

Although we have a higher % attendance, the fact that we are dividing the attendance for ten teams into 4.5 million population compared to 20 teams into 50 million for the EPL makes us look better than we are.

Most interesting obscure stat for me is that Romania have an average gate of 1200, half the Irn Bru div 1. That seems to be a country punching above their weight!

[Part/Time Supporter]

It's an impressive fact on face value, but its essentially meaningless as only one element of the calculation is relevant to football - i.e. national population is a variable outwith the control of the SFA.

Although we have a higher % attendance, the fact that we are dividing the attendance for ten teams into 4.5 million population compared to 20 teams into 50 million for the EPL makes us look better than we are.

Most interesting obscure stat for me is that Romania have an average gate of 1200, half the Irn Bru div 1. That seems to be a country punching above their weight!

I think you've misunderstood how they've calculated it. It's the aggregate attendance divided by the population, rather than the average league attendance divided by the population. Therefore the fact there is only 12 teams in the SPL and 20 teams in the EPL makes no real difference.

If your point is only considering the EPL ignores the strength in depth of English football, you can add on the Championship figure. That gives 1.1% of the English population watching either EPL (0.7%) or Championship (0.4%), whereas 1.6% of the Scottish population watches the SPL.

It shows the level of interest in Scotland and also shows a vulnerability, ie if attendance of top division football in Scotland falls to a more normal level, the attendances would be a small fraction of what they are now.

[PatHead]

Tottenham Hotspur have won more major European trophies than all the French clubs combined.

:wink:

Aberdeen have won as many trophies as all the French clubs combined!

[PatHead]

It shows the level of interest in Scotland and also shows a vulnerability, ie if attendance of top division football in Scotland falls to a more normal level, the attendances would be a small fraction of what they are now.[/QUOTE]

Much as I would like to see it. If the Old Firm left SPL we would be up a creek without a paddle and stats would be far from impressive. Finally are these stats counted as bums on seats or Old Firm and Hertz mentality of think of a number, double it etc

[Twa Cairpets]

I think you've misunderstood how they've calculated it. It's the aggregate attendance divided by the population, rather than the average league attendance divided by the population. Therefore the fact there is only 12 teams in the SPL and 20 teams in the EPL makes no real difference.

If your point is only considering the EPL ignores the strength in depth of English football, you can add on the Championship figure. That gives 1.1% of the English population watching either EPL (0.7%) or Championship (0.4%), whereas 1.6% of the Scottish population watches the SPL.

It shows the level of interest in Scotland and also shows a vulnerability, ie if attendance of top division football in Scotland falls to a more normal level, the attendances would be a small fraction of what they are now.

No, I get that, I just think it is a wrong figure to trumpet about and potentially masks a host of issues.

For it to be a meaningful comparison you would need to allow (or at least have access relating to the data) of number of clubs per league, nuber of games etc. For exaple, if we suddenly leapt from 12 to a 16 team league, our average attendance would drop, but our % of population attending games Premier League games would rise. Add to that the issues of capacity v demand (would Man Utd have bigger crowds if they had a stadium the size of Barecelona's for example? - that could add half a million on to total attendances for England.

We also have a league that creates the biggest crowds at least three and usually four times with the split - Im guessing most leagues dont have this. Would Wigan v Man U twice have bigger crowds than that game played once and say Wigan v Fulham.

[Andy74]

There can't be many countries though where one stadium each week has more people in it than probably all the games in the other leagues combined.

If we have 4.5 million people in Scotland over 1% of them are in an Old Firm stadium each week.

[R'Albin]

Aberdeen have won as many trophies as all the French clubs combined!

Do they count Super cups on that website though? :nerd::wink: