Premier League clubs are among the most powerful in the world at this current moment in time thanks to their enormous financial strength compared to the rest of Europe. Bournemouth, who by all accounts are on the smaller end of that scale, signing Evanilson from Porto for a reported £41 million including add-ons this summer demonstrates that perfectly.
As a result, many of England's elite teams have a massive following worldwide, but which clubs have the most season ticket holders? Let's find out…
The Premier League clubs with the most season ticket holders
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Naturally, the clubs with the most season ticket holders by sheer numbers are mostly comprised of the biggest sides in the league with the biggest stadiums. It goes without saying that, unless something drastic happens in the future, we will never see Bournemouth boasting more season ticket holders than a team like Manchester United for example – that is just the reality of the sport.
But, it is worth noting that all Premier League clubs bar Brentford sold out their respective season ticket allocation for the 2024/25 campaign, showing a strong indication of passionate support for each club, irrespective of stadium size.
Even Brentford, who are currently the only side without a waiting list for their season tickets, sold 97% of their season tickets ahead of the season. But, who actually sells the most season tickets, let's take a look at the top five by numbers.
3. Manchester City, Arsenal, West Ham
Flexi-Gold Season Tickets are now sold out. A limited number were available to qualifying Cityzens Matchday and Junior Members.
— Man City Fan Support (@ManCityHelp) May 10, 2024
Surprisingly, there is technically no fifth spot on this list as there are three separate teams all boasting an impressive 40,000 season ticket holders. The surprise inclusion is of course West Ham, breaking into this list ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool. But with the Hammers' London Stadium having a capacity of 62,500, it isn't quite as unexpected as you may think.
Manchester City being on par with Arsenal in regard to this metric is a testament to the club's rapidly growing support, as too is the fact that their percentage of season ticket holders within the overall capacity of the Etihad is 74%, suggesting the presence of a reliable and passionate core of supporters at the club.
2. Tottenham Hotspur
Coming in second is another North London side, this time the white half of the region, in the form of Tottenham. Thanks to their recent move to a brand-new stadium, Spurs' home ground now has a capacity of over 62,000, allowing them to sell 45,000 season tickets every season.
In May 2023, it was reported that the waiting list for a season ticket at the club was over 90,000 people long, so don't expect the team's unwavering support to disappear anytime soon.
1. Manchester United
Who would've guessed it, Manchester United boast more Premier League season ticket holders than other clubs in the division. Jokes aside, the 13-time Premier League champions were always going to come out on top in this list, not only do they possess the largest club stadium in the entire country, but also the largest fanbase.
Their season ticket holder figure is approximate;y 52,000, and have one of the longest waiting lists in the league.
This becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact that the team has been relatively unsuccessful on the pitch for over a decade by their own astonishing standards.
Other key talking points
Liverpool way off the pace
A surprise exclusion from this list to some, especially given their stadium capacity of over 61,000, is Liverpool, who only allocate 27,000 of those seats to season ticket holders. However, this isn't because they can't sell more season tickets, in fact, they comfortably have at least the second-largest fanbase in the league.
Instead, it is likely due to financial reasons. Fewer season tickets mean the Reds can sell more general admission tickets, which are more expensive for fans over the course of the season and, therefore, raise more capital.
Everton exceeding expectations
The first game of our last season at Goodison…
COYB!!!! 🔵 #EVEBHA pic.twitter.com/AxD72zarQ4
— Everton (@Everton) August 17, 2024
Everton, on the other hand, not only have more seats for season ticket holders at Goodison Park than Liverpool do at Anfield but also a higher percentage of seats too,
More surprisingly, during the 2023/24 season, and likely the 2024/25 campaign too, the Toffees actually have a higher percentage of season ticket seats in their stadium than anyone else, with a whopping 79% of the ground reserved for such supporters.
With the club's relocation to Bramley-Moore Dock expected at the end of the season, this figure will likely see a sharp decrease, but for the time being, Everton hold top spot in this metric when looking at percentages.