Crowds at matches in the Coca-Cola Football League have topped 16 million for the fifth successive season.

More than 16.35 million supporters attended the 1,657 matches played during 2008-09, an increase of 1% on the previous season.

League gates are currently at their highest level for 50 years and have more than doubled since the mid-Eighties, 7.5 million in 1985-86.

The League, quite rightly, blows its trumpet at the success story ... but for Barnet the trend is not so bright.

Crowds in League 2 averaged 4,175, which, in fact, was 3.9% down on the previous season.

Barnet averaged 2,137 in what was admittedly a disappointing season that ended with a 17th place finish ... the third year running that the total stabilised at 2,100 ...but the statistic that stands out is an average home attendance of 1,619. It doesn't help achieve a level playing field.

When Barnet won promotion from the Conference and returned to The Football League in 2006 the average attendance was 2,582.


Dennis Signy