As is now the case with National League clubs, fans flocked to watch their heroes in the fifth tier of English football. However, which clubs attracted the most fans at home games over the National League campaign? Here are the top ten attended grounds and clubs in the fifth tier in season 2022/23:
Wrexham (Racecourse Ground, 229,385 fans over the season)
Unsurprisingly, eventual National League champions Wrexham attracted the most spectators over the season, a whopping. 229,385 fans attended the Racecourse Ground to watch Phil Parkinson’s team earn promotion back to the Football League after a 15-year absence.
Wrexham’s average home attendance was a respectable 9,973. The Dragons’ highest attendance of the National League campaign came in March in a game against York City, as 10,161 fans attended the famous old stadium.
Notts County (Meadow Lane, 184.545 fans over the season)
There is quite a drop in attendance from Wrexham to our second club on the list Notts County. The Magpies competed with the Welsh team throughout the campaign for automatic promotion. Eventually, they went up via the play-offs beating Chesterfield in the play-off final after a 2-2 draw in normal and extra-time.
Despite being second on this list for fans over the season at Meadow Lane, Notts County broke a National League attendance record in November in a goalless draw with Yeovil Town, with a crowd of 16,511 attending the game.
County also set a club record for the most spectators to attend Meadow Lane in a season since 1993/94. Their average attendance of 8,024 is also their highest since losing their top-flight status.
Chesterfield (Proact Stadium, 158, 984 fans over the season)
The Spireites narrowly missed out on promotion after that play-off final defeat to Notts County after finishing third place in the National League table. However, Paul Cook’s team finished 23 points behind the Magpies in the 46-game campaign.
Chesterfield’s average attendance at the 10,504-capacity Proact Stadium was 6,912. However, their biggest attendance at a home game in the National League regular season came on the campaign’s final day in a 4-0 home victory over Maidstone Town, with a crowd of 9,105 fans attending the game in preparation for the play-offs.
Oldham Athletic (Boundary Park, 157,031 fans over the season)
The Latics endured a disappointing campaign and eventually finished 12th place in the National League table. However, the perceived poor campaign didn’t deter the fans from attending games at Boundary Park, as a respectable 157,031 visited the famous old ground for league matches. The club’s average attendance over the campaign in the National League was 6,827.
Athletic’s highest attendance of the National League season was 9,494 when they faced eventual champions Wrexham on the 1st of October 2022, when a late Paul Mullin goal secured a 2-1 win for the Welsh team.
Southend United (Roots Hall, 138, 914 fans over the season)
The Shrimpers finished eighth place in the National League table, attracting 138,914 spectators to Roots Hall during the campaign.
Their biggest attendance of the National League campaign came in a 2-1 win over Wealdstone on 29th April 2023, with 8,434 spectators attending the game. United’s average attendance was 6,057.
York City (York Community Stadium, 111,029 fans over the season)
The Yorkshire club attracted 111,029 fans over the season, despite finishing a lowly 19th place in the National League standings. Their average attendance was 4,827 at the York Community Stadium.
The biggest home crowd of the season at York came on December 3rd 2022, as City held Wrexham to a 1-1 draw with 7,145 supporters watching on.
Scunthorpe United (Glanford Park, 74,955 fans over the season)
It was a miserable campaign for the Iron in the National League, as they finished 23rd place in the table and suffered relegation. Despite their struggles, they still attracted an aggregate crowd of 74,955 fans over the course of the 2022/23 season.
United’s biggest season attendance came on Friday, 3rd February 2023, as they suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Barnet. Considering the team’s struggles in the campaign, an average crowd of 3,259 was respectable.
Woking (Kingfield Stadium, 62,871 fans over the season)
During the campaign, the Surrey outfit’s promotion push attracted 62,871 spectators to Kingfield Stadium. Unfortunately for their supporters, after finishing fourth place in the standings, Woking exited the promotion play-offs at the elimination stage.
The club’s average attendance was 2,829. Their biggest attendance of the National League season came on New Year’s Day 2023, as 5,297 people attended a 4-1 victory over Aldershot Town.
Yeovil Town (Huish Park, 62.782 fans over the season)
Town suffered relegation to the sixth tier of English football, finishing 22nd place in the National League standings. Yeovil’s biggest attendance of the campaign came on the last day of the 2022/23 season, as 4,016 spectators suffered a 3-0 home defeat by Oldham Athletic.
Yeovil’s average attendance at Huish Park in the National League was 2,730 spectators.
Torquay United (Plainmoor, 60,737 fans over the season)
The Gulls finished 21st place in the National League, just a place above the relegation zone, although they were eight points clear of the drop zone by the end of the season.
United’s Plainmoor attracted 60,737 fans over the season, with their average attendance being 2,730 in the campaign. However, their biggest attendance of the season came on the final day of the season, as 4,908 fans attended Plainmoor to watch Torquay draw 1-1 with champions Wrexham.