| Saturday the worst day for attendances |
| Monday 10 May 2010 |
 FIGURES from last season confirm that Saturday is clearly the worst day for Welsh Premier fixtures to attract attendances. Last season, attendances in the domestic league dropped by 4.5%, but an analysis by league statistician Mel Thomas of Soccerfile Wales shows that the average at Saturday afternoon matches was 258, well below the overall average attendance figure of 276. Friday night matches averaged 372 per game, while Sunday games proved the most popular hitting an average of 387. "Clearly playing on Saturdays when literally thousands in Wales are involved in playing, watching, administering and officiating at levels below the Welsh Premier League has a detrimental effect," says Thomas. "It will be interesting to see how the new 12-club format performs on the crowd front next season but it obviously benefits clubs to play as many matches as possible on Fridays and Sundays." However, one factor that might skew the Friday night attendances in particular is that these games tend to be local derbies. And at least one club, Carmarthen Town, has said it prefers Saturday afternoon fixtures despite lower attendance figures, because they are able to attract lucrative match sponsors who would not be as interested in the alternative days. Thomas also notes that the postponements of many of the traditional Boxing Day and New Year's Day fixtures dented the count this season. |