Burnley has been named Britain’s most football-mad town in a study by BetVictor, edging Sunderland when average home league crowds are measured against the size of the local adult population.
Turf Moor averaged 20,990 spectators for home league games in 2025/26. Set against Burnley’s 63,077 adult residents, that works out at 332.8 spectators per 1,000 adults. Sunderland averaged 46,729 at the Stadium of Light, more than double Burnley’s crowd, but finished just behind on 325.6 per 1,000 adults.
That result will come as little surprise to anyone who saw the response in Burnley to Protests to Promotion, our Lower Block Edition of Clive Lawrence’s photographs from 1989 to 1992. The Edition proved especially popular with Burnley supporters in the town. The photographs go back more than three decades, and the appetite for them says plenty about how much that history still means locally.
Sunderland ahead of Newcastle, Liverpool and Everton put their city third
Newcastle United averaged 52,103 at St James’ Park, but Sunderland finished five places above their north-east rivals once the crowds were measured against each city’s adult population. Newcastle came seventh, with Middlesbrough fifth.
Liverpool came third with the biggest combined crowd in the top 10. Liverpool and Everton’s separate home league averages added up to 112,500. Ipswich took fourth, Preston came sixth and Barnsley eighth. Watford finished ninth, while London and Manchester were both absent from the top 10.
The 10 most football-mad towns and cities in England and Wales
| Rank | Town or city | Average home league crowd | Adult residents | Spectators per 1,000 adults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | 20,990 | 63,077 | 332.8 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 46,729 | 143,521 | 325.6 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 112,500 | 428,033 | 262.8 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 28,303 | 118,179 | 239.5 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 27,230 | 123,268 | 220.9 |
| 6 | Preston | 16,813 | 78,097 | 215.3 |
| 7 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 52,103 | 246,181 | 211.6 |
| 8 | Barnsley | 11,144 | 58,313 | 191.1 |
| 9 | Watford | 18,613 | 105,298 | 176.8 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton | 29,898 | 188,664 | 158.5 |
How they worked out the ranking
BetVictor used FootballRates’ average home league attendances for Premier League and EFL clubs in 2025/26. Grounds were assigned to ONS built-up areas, and attendances were added together where qualifying clubs shared a settlement. Only places with at least 50,000 residents were eligible. Adult population figures came from Nomis mid-2024 estimates.
The calculation was average home league attendance ÷ adult population × 1,000. Match crowds include away supporters and people travelling in from outside the area, so the figure measures crowd size relative to the local population. Use the population of all ages and Sunderland moves ahead of Burnley.
BetVictor separately assessed eligible Scottish towns using 2022 locality boundaries and conservative attendance estimates. That comparison supported Burnley’s claim to the British title on the adult-population measure. The published top 10 list covers England and Wales.
Research by BetVictor. Sources listed in the study include FootballRates, ONS/Nomis, Understanding Scottish Places and Transfermarkt.
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