Portsmouth’s last visit to Upton Park attracted 33,465. That was in September 2011 and represents a very healthy crowd for a Championship match. It is still, however, nearly 20,000 shy of the 53,369 who set a record attendance for the first round of the League Cup against the same opponents. Granted, that figure was swelled by 9,000 Pompey fans. For further perspective, the last time we played in the first round, a hardy 19,879 turned up to watch us lose to Aldershot. No one really wants to relive that night but the turning point was the sending-off of debutant Callum McNaughton, who was my Inside the Academy co-author and provides unique insight into simultaneously fulfilling a dream and experiencing a career-changing nightmare.
Shattering All-Time Attendance Records
The London Stadium crowd beat the previous League Cup first-round record, set by Leeds in August 2023, by more than 18,000. At least as far as attendances go, we’re in for a record-breaking season. The 62,264 who then watched us fluff our lines against Charlton bettered the previous Championship best (52,301 for Newcastle versus Leeds in 2016/17) by nearly 10,000. And as long as a record number of season-ticket holders don’t lose patience, we’re on course to smash the division’s average attendance record.
Life Outside the Premier League Hierarchy
And here’s a reminder, as if Charlton hadn’t already provided it, that the Championship is not a farmer’s league. It regularly ranks below only Europe’s traditional top five (the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1) for attendances and, in addition to the aforementioned Newcastle and Leeds, has also been home to Manchester City and Aston Villa in the not-too-distant past. Moreover, with Manchester United and Tottenham both playing away (and being humbled by the less fashionable Hull City and Brentford) for the Premier League’s opening round of fixtures, West Ham versus Charlton was that weekend’s most watched match in any UK stadium. In short, we may no longer be a Premier League club, but we’re still massive.
The London Stadium Experience in the Second Tier
Now, it’s easy to hide behind the capacity stats but even the most sanguine supporter would have to admit that the move to a bigger stadium’s not exactly gone to plan; setting record attendances in the Championship was not the “next level” that any of us had in mind!
On the other hand, I recall rival sets of supporters goading us with the suggestion of a half-empty bowl if and when we got relegated; the latter has come to pass but the London Stadium faithful can take some pleasure throwing the former back into the faces of “smaller” fanbases of established Premier League clubs. Similarly, it’s routinely described as the worst away experience, yet away fans are expected to flock there this season because by Championship standards, West Ham is a big club with a destination stadium. And even half empty, the LS almost matches a sell-out Boleyn for numbers, if not for atmosphere. If we could make it feel more like home and provide winning football that people are excited to watch then it could begin to feel markedly different. As I argued when we first took on the Olympic legacy, it’s up to the club to create its own Super Saturdays.
Boardroom Realities and Investor Appeal
This might be stretching optimism beyond credibility, but the size of support when the chips are down arguably proves to potential investors just how massive we could be. And the London Stadium, for all its faults, has a significant role to play there. The current Staveley–Kretinsky stand-off, with Sullivan still lingering in the background, is not the healthiest ownership scenario. Still, when Landsbanski collapsed, GBS was about the best we could hope for. Somehow or other, nearly two decades on, we’re a more attractive investment for billionaires and consortiums to fight over. That doesn’t necessarily mean the future’s bright but as long as we remain massive in the eyes of fans, that’s probably the best insurance or guardrail one can hope for these days.
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