Poor performances and increased ticket prices have seen some fans turn away from Cardiff City Stadium
THE average attendance and turnout for Cardiff City is among the worst in the Championship as the Bluebirds struggle to fill their 33,000-seater stadium.
So far this season, Cardiff has an average attendance of 19,078 per match, putting them in the bottom 10 Championship clubs for attendance.
However, turnout numbers tell a far more revealing story.
Turnout, which measures average attendance against stadium capacity, has Cardiff City averaging a woeful 57.3%, the second worst in the Championship.
By comparison, Derby County, whose stadium is closest in size to Cardiff’s, and sit one point behind Cardiff in the table, has an average turnout of 86%, with an average attendance of 28,905.
The only team with a poorer turnout than Cardiff is Blackburn Rovers, who average 52.1%.
It represents a 5.9% drop for Cardiff, who last season averaged 63.2% turnout, with an average attendance of 21,020.
Cardiff’s attendance had been increasing year on year since the pandemic, but this season has seen fans start to turn their backs on the Bluebirds.
The move comes as Cardiff endure one of their worst seasons in years, hovering just above the drop zone with a tricky run of fixtures left to play.
“There’s no fight within the players. The performances recently haven’t been good enough, there’s just nothing on the pitch that really excites people,” said Jacob Knight, 26, a lifelong Cardiff City fan who has been going to games since 2006.
“The performances don’t make me excited to go. I don’t mind paying to watch them lose 5-0, as long as they’ve given everything, but it’s when you’re going down to watch them lose 1-0 and there’s no fight that puts me off.
“I’m very lucky to have experienced the time when Cardiff City had really special players. I saw Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd, proper legends that played for City, and now you look at the squad, and apart from a couple of players, there’s nothing to get excited about.”
While attendances may be dropping, ticket prices at Cardiff City Stadium are increasing.
Last season, a season ticket in the Canton Stand cost £279, while this season the price has jumped to £309, a 10% increase.
Standalone ticket prices aren’t cheap either, with an adult ticket in the Canton Stand costing £30 a game.
The rising costs and poor product on the pitch is proving too much for some fans, with the low point coming against Preston North End on December 11, 2024, where Cardiff drew a season-low crowd of 15,006, losing 2-0.
“I don’t have a season ticket anymore, so when I look on the website, and it’s £30 a game, I do think is it worth it? Do I spend £30 to go watch City, or do I save it and not bother?” said Jacob.
“The cost-of-living crisis has been massive for fans. Cardiff isn’t a wealthy city, so when the ground was jumping, it was an amazing atmosphere, and it would uplift people. Now that’s gone, it’s a dark time for Cardiff City fans.”
