The average audience is the first in Asia! Half of the Chinese Super League, the fans are the hottest
Reporter Han Bing reported that in the first half of the 2023 Chinese Super League, although the market value of Chinese Super League teams fell to the bottom and generally suffered a financial crisis, it still could not stop the enthusiasm of fans. In the first half, the average audience exceeded 20,000 people per game, surpassing the Japan-Korea league and the splurgical Saudi league, ranking first in Asia. Moreover, the efforts of the fans of the Chinese Super League teams to create the atmosphere of the stadium have also increased the popularity of the Chinese Super League market this season. Although the Chinese Super League has fallen into a trough, the enthusiasm of the fans has made people see the hope of Chinese football picking up.
In the first 15 rounds of the Chinese Super League, as many as 2.417 million fans attended the match, averaging more than 20,100 people per game. The average number of spectators of the seven clubs exceeded 20,000, and under the premise of only opening 75% of the capacity (51,000), Beijing Guoan ranked first with an average audience of 43,200. The maximum number of spectators in a single session exceeded 50,000, and the actual attendance rate reached 98.7%! In the first half, the number of spectators in a single game of the eight home games never fell below 32,000, and the number of players in the six games exceeded 44,000. Chengdu Phoenix Mountain has an average audience of 39,600 per game, second only to Xingongti, creating a new miracle in the ball market.
Of the 16 clubs in the Chinese Super League, only Shenzhen, Cangzhou Lions and Zhejiang have an average audience of less than 10,000 per game, and the lowest Zhejiang team also has 7,800 people, far exceeding the average upper and lower seats per game in the Japan-Korea League. The Zhejiang team moved its home stadium to Huzhou for the Hangzhou Asian Games, resulting in an average attendance of less than 10,000. In the first half, the lowest number of spectators was Zhejiang (4,858), which also exceeded the J-League and was 3 times the minimum number of spectators in a single game of the K-League.
Many stadium flow control also limited the popularity of the box office in the first half of the Chinese Super League, with the new body only opening 75% of the capacity, and the Pudong Stadium in Shanghai Port (36,000), only opening 50% for the debut of the Chinese Super League, and then up to 80%. Shanghai Stadium in Shenhua, Shanghai (72,000), only 30,000 seats open in the first half. Chengdu, Dalian and other teams also have certain restrictions on their home stadiums, otherwise the number of spectators in the first half of the Chinese Super League will inevitably increase even more. Although there is still a slight gap compared with 2019 (23,300) before the epidemic, considering the appeal and stadium capacity limitations of the Chinese Super League today, the average audience exceeded 20,000 per game to prove that the enthusiasm of fans is still there. You must know that in 2016, the "money-burning era" of the Chinese Super League, the highest average audience record was only 24,100.
By comparison, as of the 19th round of the J-League, 2.974 million fans were watching, averaging nearly 17,500 per game. Compared with 2019, the highest before the epidemic (20,800), the average is 3,200 fewer per game. The maximum number of spectators per event is 56,000 (FC Tokyo and Kashima Antlers), and the matches are played at the 80,000-person Tokyo National Stadium, with an attendance rate of only 70%. There were 7 companies with an average audience of more than 20,000 people per game, with FC Tokyo (29,600 people) reaching the highest. Six teams had a minimum audience of less than 10,000 per game, and the lowest Yokohama FC had only 3,400 people, with attendance as low as 22%. Yokohama Mariners (71,800) and Urawa Red Diamonds (62,000) have the largest home capacity, with the former surpassing 33,000 spectators on just two of its nine home games. Urawa Red Diamonds had the highest audience of 45,600 and the highest attendance of 73.5%. Kobe Victory with Iniesta has a maximum attendance of 95.3%, followed by Nagoya Whales (93.3%) and Osaka Sakura (92%), making it the only 3 teams out of 18 to exceed 90% highest attendance.
The average audience of the Korean K-League is only 10,300, only half that of the Chinese Super League. The maximum audience in a single game was 45,000 (FC Seoul 3-0 Daegu FC), FC Seoul averaged 24,000 spectators per game, and the attendance rate was less than 36%. The highest average attendance per game was Daegu FC, but 86%. Of the 12 K-League teams, FC Seoul averaged more than 20,000 viewers per game, 6 had an average audience of less than 10,000 per game, and the lowest Gwangju FC had only 4,400 people, with an average attendance rate of 13.5%. Ulsan Hyundai's Manjushri Stadium (44,000) has only exceeded 20,000 spectators on 4 of its 10 home stadiums, with a maximum of 28,000 and a minimum of 5,300, with an attendance rate of 11.9%. The minimum number of spectators in a single game of the league is only 1605 (Suwon FC), and the attendance rate is 13.6%.
The splurging Saudi League, even with the hot effect of Ronaldo's joining last season, Riyadh Victory doubled the average audience per game, the average number of viewers per game in the league was only 09,300, only 4 of the 16 teams averaged more than 10,000 viewers per game, and Ronaldo's Riyadh Victory averaged only 17,600 viewers per game, ranking only 8th in the Chinese Super League.
In the second half, some teams in the Chinese Super League also had to change their home stadiums, and Dalian people just moved to Barracuda Bay, and the number of spectators reached 33,600, a record for home stadiums. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers will switch to TEDA Stadium in the second half, while Chengdu Rongcheng and Shenzhen will also place part of their home stadiums in Leshan Olympic Sports and Shenzhen Bao'an Stadium respectively. With the further relaxation of stadium restrictions, the number of Chinese Super League spectators will continue to climb in the second half.
In addition to the overall number of spectators remaining at a high level of 20,000 per game, Chinese Super League fans have also reached new heights in creating a home atmosphere. The super large TIFO that Dalian people debuted at Barracuda Bay Stadium is divided into 7 parts to tell the century-old history of the rise and fall of Dalian football, which is a first-class level in world football. The chorus and mobile phone light show of the fans of Chengdu Phoenix Mountain Stadium, as well as the light show of Xingong Ti and Shanghai Shenhua, are all wonderful. Previously, the official poster PK of the Chinese Super League club has become the "inner roll" of the PK visual light show and the large TIFO banner in the stands of each club.
The use of 7 professional stadiums has shortened the spatial distance between fans and the stadium, greatly improved the viewing experience, and mobilized the enthusiasm of fans. The overwhelming flags and mobile phone lights on the stands, the uniform crowd waves, the stadium music and light show, the giant TIFO banners, and the simulated fireworks visual effects are all very impactful, and the local cultural characteristics represented by Sichuan Facebook fully show the traditional personality of the team's location, allowing Chinese Super League fans to feel the stadium atmosphere that can only be felt in the past only in the top leagues in Europe and the United States.
Although the foreign aid stars of the Chinese Super League are far inferior to the money-burning era, the simple enthusiasm of fans is gradually warming up the ice age of the Chinese Super League. If there is the biggest highlight of the first half of the Chinese Super League, it is undoubtedly the hot atmosphere created by millions of fans. It is this hot atmosphere that is the basis for the bottoming out rebound of Chinese football.