For the third year the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) have issued the findings of their Away Fans Survey, which around 4000 fans took part in.
The Away Fans Survey asked supporters to rate out of 10 the ground they visited on things like transport links, turnstiles, stadium layout, food and drink, sightlines, safety and security. The survey also looked at the reasons why supporters choose to attend certain away matches.
What will come as a surprise to many is how few fans chose an away game because they thought their team would win – only 4% cited “likelihood of victory” as an important factor when deciding which games to attend.
Unsurprisingly, price of a match ticket was deemed “important” by 45% of respondents, as was day/time of kick off (53%) and distance of travel (52%). One in every three supporters (29%) considered whether friends/family were going as a significant pull factor.
Below is the Premier League clubs ranked in order of best away fan experience. The average score out of 10 for a Premier League team was 6.03, unfortunately Aston Villa scored below that mark with 5.69.
It’s interesting to see how yet again Villa Park ranks low as an away day experience considering it’s surely one of the best stadiums in the country. Maybe more effort is needed by the club to welcome away fans and to cater to them once they’re in the ground. Although, it’s a fine line to making them feel too welcome, you only have to look at what West Brom fans did in the away end during the FA Cup quarter-final.
Premier League Best Away Grounds
1. Hull City 7.79
2. Southampton 7.23
3. Stoke City 6.94
4. Sunderland 6.93
5. Leicester City 6.84
6. Arsenal 6.84
7. Swansea City 6.72
8. Newcastle United 6.68
9. WBA 6.63
10. Manchester City 6.53
11. Spurs 6.11
12. Everton 5.80
13. Burnley 5.76
14. Aston Villa 5.69
15. West Ham United 5.58
16. Chelsea 5.52
17. Manchester United 5.40
18. Liverpool 5.32
19. Crystal Palace 4.94
20. QPR 3.58
Click ‘Next’ to see combined Premier League and Championship table and more stats
