For a club, stadium attendance is not just tickets. Full stands drive the atmosphere, the broadcast picture, food and merch revenue, and what sponsors are willing to pay. A half-empty stadium is visible to everyone on TV. Here is why fans stop coming and what clubs do about it.
Why fans stay away
- Results. The main factor, one marketing barely affects
- Inconvenient kick-off times. Late weekday games, reschedules for TV
- Travel and entry. A distant stadium, traffic, security queues
- Complicated ticketing. Registration, fan ID, extra steps
- Home is more comfortable. The broadcast is free or cheaper, the view is better, it is warm
- Nothing to do but the match. Arrive five minutes before kick-off, leave at the final whistle
The first points change slowly or not at all. The last one is entirely in the club’s hands, and that is what matchday is for.
What clubs do
- Prices and season tickets. Family tickets, student discounts, dynamic pricing for weaker fixtures
- A matchday programme. A pre-match fan zone, kids’ areas, food, player meet-and-greets
- A pre-match show. A reason to arrive an hour early rather than at kick-off
- CRM. Newsletters, loyalty programmes, personal offers to lapsed fans
- Atmosphere. Supporting the ultras sections, shared chants, choreographies
More on how matchday works and its KPIs in the article on sports marketing.
Stadium atmosphere made by every stand
Atmosphere is usually created by the ultras section while the other stands watch. We run a show the whole stadium takes part in. A QR code on the screen, fans raise their phones, and flashlights across all stands flash to the music and light up in club colours. No internet needed: the signal travels via ultrasound through the stadium sound.
Such a show gives fans a reason to come early and a video they film and post themselves. For the club it means free social reach and a great broadcast picture. We have run shows at Krylia Sovetov matches, including the Russian Cup semi-final against CSKA with 27,000 spectators.
How to measure engagement
Tickets sold show how many people came, not how engaged they were. The show provides that number: how many spectators scanned the QR code and joined. At the Krylya Sovetov vs Lokomotiv match it was 1,493 of 9,000, or 16.6% of the stadium. 362 of them went on to the sponsor promo. Full numbers in the engagement breakdown.
Both the club and sponsors need this data: it shows the fans in the stands are not just sitting there but reacting.
FAQ
Will a show raise attendance on its own? A single show will not. A regular show at every home game becomes part of matchday and a reason to come early, especially for families and young people.
How much does it cost? The price depends on the number of spectators: for example, a match with 10,000 spectators costs 212,000 ₽. Part or all of it can be covered by a sponsor who gets the post-show promo.
All formats for clubs on the stadium show page. How to prepare a show, in how to organise a pre-match show.