For Day 93 in my series of free articles counting down the 100 days to the centenary of Maine Road’s first game I want to do a bit of an attendance feature. Maybe this will put a few myths to bed!
The Blues have, generation after generation, been one of the English game’s top attractions and Maine Road was an incredible and poweful venue over the years. The Etihad has seen City establish new record average attendances but no English club venue can match what Maine Road achieved in terms of record crowds and it still, all these years on, holds the record for the highest crowd on an English club ground and the record attendance for an English League game – a record City set in 1935 which is currently held by a game featuring United and Arsenal at Maine Road.
The record attendance on a club ground was first set by City in 1924 – 99 years ago! – and was eclipsed by a figure of 84,569 in 1934 – almost 90 years ago. City know how to establish and keep records for decades!
Like all – and I do mean all – English clubs there have been some average attendance lows at Maine Road over the years, but when the entire history of Manchester City at the old stadium is reviewed and the club’s average figures are compared with the national average it is clear that the Blues have consistently been one of football’s most attractive draws. Take a look at the following:
- Since the beginning of the Football League in 1888 only nine sides have topped the table for average attendances. In chronological order of their first appearance at the top of the average table they are: Everton (1888-9), Villa (1898-99), Newcastle (1904-05), Chelsea (1907-08), Tottenham (1909-10), City (1910-11), Liverpool (1922-23), Arsenal (1929-30), & Manchester United (1956-57). City were not based at Maine Road back in 1910 (which makes that even more remarkable) and they were the best supported club again before moving to Maine Road. The first time Maine Road attracted the highest national average was in 1925-26 – which means that City are the ONLY team to have topped the attendance charts at two different venues!
- Regularly amongst the best supported sides throughout the inter war period, City’s average exceeded 37,000 for the first time in 1927-28 when the club established a record average crowd for the Second Division. This was also the entire League’s highest.
- In 1947-48 City’s average crowd exceeded 42,000 for the first time. Prior to that season only Chelsea (1919-20 & 1946-7), Arsenal (1934-5, 1936-7,1937-8, & 1946-7) , Newcastle (1946-7), Liverpool (1946-7), United (1946-7), and Wolves (1946-7) had exceeded that figure.
- From 1975 to relegation in 1983 City were always one of the top 4 best supported sides. Yes, even in a relegation season they were better than all but 3 teams and those 3 teams all finished in the top 4 (one won the League, one the FA Cup and the other finished 4th after winning the FA Cup in the previous two seasons).
- Since the 1980s whenever City have played outside of the top division, they have tended to be the best supported side in that division.
In general many people believe success increases support, and while that is undoubtedly true to some extent, for City at Maine Road it was often periods of adversity that proved the loyalty of the Club’s fans. For example, in 1925-26 when City were the best supported side in Division One and had established a new record average, the Blues were actually relegated. This coupled with significant poverty and hardship in Manchester at the time should have reduced support but loyalty increased! In my book “Manchester A Football History” I explore the relationship between attendances and Manchester’s major sides and it is fair to say that City fans can feel immensely proud of their loyalty throughout the history of the game. Something that cannot be said by all of the League’s biggest names.
In fact, it is worth highlighting that City have never been the worst supported side in their division at Maine Road (or anywhere else for that matter!) but, of today’s perceived giants, Arsenal (1912-13 – average = 9,100) and Manchester United (1930-31 – average = 11,685) have. City’s worst average at Maine Road came in the desperate 1964-65 season and was 14,753 (half the average of 1960-61 and a 3rd of City’s 1957-8 figure). However it is significant that for every League season the club’s average has always been above the divisional average and, apart from 17 seasons, has always been in the top 11 nationally. Again, few of today’s giants can say that – United’s 20th Century low stands at 4,650 and Chelsea averaged 15,731 as recently as 1988-89.
For fans average attendances are often used as an indicator of size of club and so a number of people over the years have tried to produce a definitive ‘all-time’ attendance table. A few years ago analysis by a member of the Association of Football Statisticians (It wasn’t my research – though I was a life member of this organisation) claimed that if stadium capacity was not an issue for any club City would be the fourth biggest side in terms of attendance. That analysis compared postwar attendance detail with performance on the pitch.
Figures can be manipulated in many different ways, but City fans should feel proud that the Blues have many attendance firsts that can never be matched by today’s perceived biggest clubs.
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