Comparing ISL match attendance with EPL, La Liga and other top leagues

Supporters of Indian Super League side NorthEast United FC.

One of the biggest concerns when the idea of a league such as the Indian Super League was brought into attention was that: will the league be attractive enough to bring a good number of supporters to the stadium in a country where cricket is touted as the numero-uno sport?

However, a month later now, we are witnessing, if not the greatest start, an assuring start for the tournament that proves that there is ultimately hope for Indian football after all. The stadiums are usually packed, and at times sold-out. But, where does it stand in comparison to the top European leagues when it comes to average attendees? Let’s find out.

With the help of statistics from WorldFootball.net, we compare the average match attendance in the Indian Super League with that of the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga.

League	Season	Total	Matches	Average
Bundesliga	2014/15	3, 941, 311	91	43311
EPL	2014/15	3, 605, 012	100	36050
La Liga	2014/15	2, 782, 228	100	27822
ISL	2014/14	5,44,740	23	23654
Serie A	2013/14	8, 886, 213	380	23385
Ligue 1	2014/15	2, 616, 129	120	21801

The ISL averages more supporters on a match day than that in Italy or France, but you would have to agree that this is just an early study of a league that is still in its inception period and only has eight teams playing in it.