Attendance at Football Matches Up 36% Since World Cup

08/19/2014 - 08h47

The World Cup has increased attendance at Brazilian football matches.

Thanks in part also to extensive exposure across the media, fans have been keen to experience the comfort of the new "FIFA Standard" stadiums.

The attendance in the six rounds of matches in the Brazilian Série A post-World Cup has been on average 36% higher than in the nine rounds of matches leading up to the tournament.

On average, the first 90 league matches this year were watched by a little more than 12,000 fans. In contrast, for the 60 matches since July, the average rises to nearly 17,000.

Moreover, the weekend's matches had a total attendance of 188,033, the second highest this season so far.

Before the World Cup, the eighth round of matches brought in only 84,706 fans, though this is because several of the bigger teams had given their stadiums over to FIFA for the tournament and were unable to play at home.

"More modern, better structured stadiums make the loyal fan feel more respected, more willing to go to matches," says Amir Somoggi, a sporting management consultant.

"Meanwhile, fans who attend less often like what they see and are likely to go more frequently."

Indeed, five of the six stadiums with the highest average attendance in the recent Série A matches are those that were built or renovated for the World Cup.

The exception is the Morumbi stadium of São Paulo FC, which is enjoying increased attendance thanks to cheap tickets (from as little as US $2.20), and the return of Kaká to his boyhood club.

"Stars increase attendance", says Somoggi, pointing out that Santos have also re-signed Robinho from A.C Milan. Just like Kaká with São Paulo, Robinho began his career at Santos.

For Pedro Trengrouse, project coordinator at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, "with the World Cup, there has been an increasing interest in football, reflected in the increase in average attendance."

"Still, we're a long way from fulfilling our potential. Just look at what happens in the USA, a country with much less of a footballing tradition. The Seattle Sounders draw crowds of 40,000 every match," he says.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

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	Apu Gomes/Folhapress
	The World Cup has increased attendance at Brazilian football matches, thanks in part to extensive exposure across the media