ATTENDANCES, UNCERTAINTY OF OUTCOME AND POLICY IN SCOTTISH LEAGUE FOOTBALL*
| Date | 01 June 1984 |
| Author | NICHOLAS JENNETT |
| Published date | 01 June 1984 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9485.1984.tb00472.x |
Scotrish
Journal ofpolifical Economy,
Vol.
31,
No.
1,
February
1984
0
1984
Scottish
Economic
Society
ATTENDANCES, UNCERTAINTY
OF
OUTCOME AND
POLICY
IN
SCOTTISH
LEAGUE FOOTBALL*
NICHOLAS
JENNETT
The Polytechnic, Wolverharnpton
INTRODUCTION
In recent months the examination of the future of the football industry in
Britain has attained a significance in media and other comment that
previously would have been regarded as remarkable. The explanation is that
the relative decline of the industry throughout the post-war period has become
particularly marked of late. “Crisis” meetings
of
club chairmen both in
England and Scotland and the transfer of professional clubs into receivership
have reinforced the view that the present form
of
league football is not
sustainable. It is argued that caiises of the malaise are varied, with high transfer
fees and player salaries frequently suggested to be major problems. However,
underlying this is the downward trend in league attendances
in
both Scotland
and England over a number of years.
Attendances at Football League games reached a post-war record of
41,271,414 (an average per game attendance
of
over 22,300!) in the season
1948-49. From this point the trend in attendances has been generally
downwards, as Figure 1 below illustrates, despite the levelling
off
in the mid
and late sixties in the wake of England’s World Cup success.
in Scotland the picture has been similar. In an attempt to stem the post-war
slide in attendances, league organisation was changed from season 1975-76.
Ten teams were
to
comprise a new Premier Division with
14
in the first and
second divisions, but with the exception
of
1977-78,
attendances have
continued to fall. However, in contrast to experience in the English First
Division, the fall in attendances in the Premier Division in Scotland (around
30 per cent 1975-76 to 1981-82) has been considerably worse than that in the
other two divisions (under 10 per cent), probably because in the latter,
attendances are already close to their minimum level.
It is certainly no coincidence that as league football reaches what is
apparently a “crisis point” economists have developed an increasing interest in
*The author gratefully acknowledges most helpful comments
on
earlier drafts
of
this paper by
Professor
P.
J.
Sloane of Paisley College, Alistair Dawson of The Polytechnic, Wolverhampton
and
an
anonymous referee.
Date
of
receipt
of
final manuscript
:
22
June
1983.
116
ATTENDANCES IN SCOTTISH LEAGUE FOOTBALL
177
Season
Figure
1.
Football League attendances 194849
to
1981-82.
Source:
Rothmans Football Yearbook
Season
Figure 2. Scottish Football League attendances
1975-76
to 1981-82.
Source:
Scottish Football League.
To continue reading
Request your trial