The club that achieved the highest average League One attendance of 2009-10 was decided on the final day as a sold-out Elland Road helped Leeds United take the top spot.

Pos Team Total Average % of capacity
1 Leeds United 570806 24818 61.7%
2 Norwich City 569435 24758 95.0%
3 Southampton 482594 20982 64.1%
4 Charlton 404949 17606 64.9%

The above stats show just how close it was between Leeds United and Norwich, and had it not been for the final day sell-out, Norwich would have not only beaten us in the league, but they’d have also embarrassed League One’s Premier League club by averaging a higher attendance.

Football365, who compiled the above table, also did a table showing the percentage of capacity used. Here, Norwich lead the way by miles with 95%, whilst Leeds sink down to seventh, as a consequence of having a 40,000 capacity stadium with a total usage capacity of 61.7%.

Whilst an average attendance of almost 25,000 can’t be sniffed at, the fact that Norwich City can pull in similar figures says a lot about our current pricing structure and the mentality of some Leeds United fans.

Clearly, there are some put off by the extortionate ticket prices which rival that of some Premier League clubs, but I suspect we’re also a victim of previous success. When Leeds came up against Tottenham and Liverpool, the tickets sold-out with ease, but for the visit of Oldham on a cold Tuesday night, it’s hard to draw up the same enthusiasm and it’s no surprise we managed less than 18,000.

For fans that are used to seeing Leeds United take on the giants of the Premier League and Europe, League One was one hell of a wake-up call. Those that stuck around beside me and sang your hearts out regardless, I applaud. Those that didn’t, I hold no hard feelings towards either. There’s been plenty of occasions midway to Elland Road or on a 4-500 mile round trip to some place I’d barely heard of that I’d questioned my own sanity. Many times I felt like throwing the towel in, and in truth, it’s only through the persistent nagging of a friend I renewed my season ticket.

Whilst we topped the attendance charts, this is by no means an achievement for a club of our stature. Ultimately, it should be a nailed on certainty, but as with promotion, it all came down to the last day as some of our support drifted away from the club we all love, disillusioned with pricing or how things were going.

With the 2010-11 season promising a few local derbys, some old Premier League adversaries and another pop at some former League One rivals, 25,000 average attendances should be a thing of the past. Leeds United are on the rise again – let’s hope our attendances follow.