Coventry's biggest sports clubs will not reveal match attendances

[dutchman]

There can be a big difference between the official figures, and how many people are actually in the ground for the game



Coventry's two biggest sports clubs have refused to reveal the true number of fans attending matches.

It comes after an investigation by BBC Sport revealed the official attendance figures released by clubs are usually far higher than the real number of bums on seats.

Most teams choose to publicise the number of tickets sold for a game, rather than the actual number of people in the stadium.

And that number includes season ticket holders who don't attend every match, as well as complimentary tickets that are not used.

It's perfectly legitimate for clubs to use these figures, and they are not breaking any rules by doing so.

But they do also have to record the exact number of people watching for safety reasons, according to the Sports Ground Safety Authority, although they do not have to release these figures.

CoventryLive asked Coventry City Football Club and Wasps Rugby Club exactly how many people had been at their matches last season.

But Coventry City Football Club declined to reveal the figures, or comment on the situation.

Wasps would also not reveal the figures compiled for safety reasons.

A spokesman for Wasps said publishing the amount of tickets sold allowed a more "accurate" comparison.

They added: “We compile and share our attendance figures using a common approach that is adopted by most professional clubs in major spectator sports.

“It is those attendances figures – which are the number of tickets sold - that are published to allow for a more accurate comparison of attendances.”

[rebbonk]

I see no excuses for this at all. Who are they trying to fool?