14 Aug 2008Premier League officials watching attendances

Football Clubs News | Football Finance News

Premier League officials will be keeping a closer eye on attendance levels this season to monitor any possible signs that the credit crunch is hitting fans.

Wigan, Blackburn and Middlesbrough will be under special attention as the league attempts to keep attendances above 95 per cent.

A spokesperson for the league said that pricing levels could be discussed if data reveals that attendances are dropping.

"Pricing is a matter for the individual clubs but we encourage them to offer a broad range of tickets," the spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph.

"Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have unrequited demand while Wigan, Blackburn Rovers and, to an extent, Middlesbrough are in areas where they have to work very hard to get people through the turnstiles because of economic issues," he added.

The league monitors attendances as the clubs file their gate returns for each game.

A recent survey in Scotland found that Scottish Premier League (SPL) clubs were feeling the effect of the economic climate.

© Copyright