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The Premier League stands as the undisputed king of domestic football, a juggernaut that has only grown in stature since its 1992 launch.
The league’s magnetic pull has consistently attracted the world’s elite players for over 30 years, leading to bulging attendances and ever-expanding stadiums.
But even a titan like the Premier League has seen its quieter days. Below, we count down five of the smallest crowds in the competition’s history.
Of course, there’s one thing to keep in mind. During the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, 437 Premier League matches were played without fans because of the Covid pandemic.
Another 35 were held with limited attendance as supporters slowly returned. So, we’ve kept those games out of consideration. Here are five of the lowest attendances in the English Premier League.
9,982 – Oldham v Southampton, February 5, 1994
Oldham Athletic spent two seasons in the Premier League during its early years, but a difficult 1993–94 campaign saw them relegated alongside Swindon Town and Sheffield United.
Despite reaching the so-called “safety mark” of 40 points, Athletic endured a season-long struggle—particularly at Boundary Park, where they managed just five home wins.
As results declined, so did attendances. They averaged just over 12,500 fans per home match that season, with their lowest crowd turning out for this clash with Southampton. Still, those in attendance were treated to a rare highlight: a 2–1 victory for the Latics.
9,526 – Coventry v Ipswich, October 10, 1994
Coventry spent almost 10 years in the Premier League following its inception but despite hanging around in mid-table for several seasons, crowds weren’t always as big as expected at Highfield Road.
A 23,489 all-seater stadium by the time it closed in 2005, Coventry’s home rarely saw a full house for a top-flight match.
Things improved as time went on but the 1994-95 season was a particular struggle with league attendances weighing in at an average of 15,980.
A high of just over 25,000 welcomed Tottenham to the Midlands on New Year’s Eve but a low point was reached when just 9,526 strolled up for the visit of Ipswich.
Those who did turn up were handsomely rewarded with a 2-0 victory for the home side courtesy of a Paul Cook strike and a John Wark own goal.
9,028 – Southampton v Ipswich, December 8, 1993
The Dell was renowned for being a small ground with a capacity of around 15,200 when Southampton’s old home was closed for the final time in May 2001.
Saints regularly struggled to fill their south coast home unless one of the big boys were in town and as they were often battling in the lower depths of the top flight, attendances dwindled accordingly and averaged just under the 15,000 mark.
A particular low point came in 1993 when Ipswich pitched up at Southampton to nick a 1-0 win, although there were several gates that season around the 9-10,000 mark.
8,923 – Chelsea v Coventry, May 4, 1994
Chelsea haven’t always been one of the superpowers of European football and before the Abramovich era, times were quite hard at Stamford Bridge in the early days of the Premier League.
With a capacity of around 36,000, the west London venue wasn’t the smallest in the English top flight but the Blues regularly struggled to fill the ground.
An average attendance of 18,787 in the 1992-93 season was an improvement at the time when the club was often stuck in the old second division.
Things improved with the start of the Premier League but a lack of success in the 1993-94 campaign saw just under 9,000 people turn up to watch Chelsea lose 2-1 at home to Coventry with the season drawing to a close.
Not long after, the cash was being splashed by the Blues’ new billionaire owner to see Chelsea grow into the European giant they are today.
3,039 – Wimbledon v Everton, January 26, 1993
There were plenty of empty seats at Selhurst Park on a chilly January evening, as Wimbledon faced Everton in a forgettable match best remembered for the sparse crowd in south London.
Having vacated their Plough Lane home—deemed unsuitable under the post-Taylor Report safety regulations—Wimbledon had relocated to Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park to stage their home games.
There were just over 3,000 people there to watch the Toffees run off with a 3-1 win, although the highlight of the match was an 18-man dust-up late in the game.
Reports suggest there were as many Everton fans there as there were for the home side with Wimbledon only managing to flog more tickets when the really big teams rolled into town.
Attendances over the course of the campaign averaged around the 8-9,000 people mark and Neil Ardley, now the manager of AFC Wimbledon, remembers the match fondly.
Ardley, who was 21 at the time, said: “I remember looking at the opposite side of the pitch to the dugouts, it was literally one man and his dog.
“We used to laugh because the only times we sold out Selhurst Park was when we played the big clubs. There would be 8,000 Wimbledon fans and 18,000 supporting Man United.”
Wimbledon dominate this list having seen the 10 lowest crowds in the Premier League but other clubs have run them close over the years.
