Burnley have been named Britain’s most football-mad town, narrowly beating Sunderland for average home league crowds relative to adult population.
Research by BetVictor compared 2025/26 Premier League and EFL average home league crowds with official adult populations for the settlements hosting each ground. Places with fewer than 50,000 total residents were excluded.
Burnley top the ranking on 332.8 spectators per 1,000 adults. Turf Moor averaged 20,990 in home league games, against the town’s 63,077 adult residents.
Sunderland come second on 325.6. The Stadium of Light averaged 46,729 spectators, more than twice Burnley‘s typical crowd, against 143,521 adults.
Liverpool rank third in England and Wales at 262.8. Liverpool and Everton’s separate home league averages total 112,500 against 428,033 adults.
Ipswich take fourth on 239.5. Portman Road averaged 28,303 spectators, against 118,179 adult residents in the town.
Middlesbrough complete the top five on 220.9, with 27,230 in an average Riverside Stadium league crowd against 123,268 local adults.
Preston come sixth on 215.3 spectators per 1,000 adults, followed by Newcastle upon Tyne (211.6), Barnsley (191.1), Watford (176.8) and Wolverhampton (158.5).
Preston also make the England and Wales top ten in sixth on 215.3, with Blackburn 12th on 153.9. Burnley‘s score is more than twice Blackburn‘s.
The ten most football-mad towns and cities in England and Wales:
|
Rank |
Town / city |
Average home crowd |
Adults aged 18+ |
Crowds per 1,000 adults |
|
1. |
Burnley |
20,990 |
63,077 |
332.8 |
|
2. |
Sunderland |
46,729 |
143,521 |
325.6 |
|
3. |
Liverpool |
112,500 |
428,033 |
262.8 |
|
4. |
Ipswich |
28,303 |
118,179 |
239.5 |
|
5. |
Middlesbrough |
27,230 |
123,268 |
220.9 |
|
6. |
Preston |
16,813 |
78,097 |
215.3 |
|
7. |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
52,103 |
246,181 |
211.6 |
|
8. |
Barnsley |
11,144 |
58,313 |
191.1 |
|
9. |
Watford |
18,613 |
105,298 |
176.8 |
|
10. |
Wolverhampton |
29,898 |
188,664 |
158.5 |
