Football attendance over the centuries

Attendance patterns at professional football matches in England and Wales over three centuries are analysed, with particular attention paid to the loyalty, or persistence, of spectators or fans at different football clubs over different periods of time. We find that about half of an attendance can be attributed to loyalty, and that patterns of loyalty have evolved considerably over time, and vary across regions within England and Wales, although there is little significant team-by-team difference. We also find that fans are not necessarily concerned about how balanced matches are expected to be, and that they are motivated by their own team's quality, and the geographic proximity of the visiting team.