All 24 EFL Championship clubs ranked by AI on how nice their fans are to away supporters | OneFootball

Football League World takes a deep dive into how nice - or how hostile - every Championship fanbase is to away supporters

Some of the most loyal, loud and passionate supporters in the land can be found across the Championship.

As is the case with football fans throughout the world, that passion can sometimes be accompanied by a sense of tribalism, which makes supporters fiercely protective over their own clubs and fanbases.

Each fanbase is, of course, a community of sorts, or even a family, and while supporters aplenty are tolerant of other clubs and their fans, it's not always the case. Particularly in the Championship, away supporters can often be treated to a rather hostile reception when arriving to the opposition's home ground on matchday, with fans of the hosts looking to assert their authority and make the trip as imposing as possible for those who are making it.

With that in mind, it had Football League World thinking about how nice each Championship fanbase is towards supporters. Therefore, we called upon the assistance of AI-based chatbot, ChatGPT, to rank every second-tier fanbase from most to least tolerant in terms of away supporters, and this is what it came back with.

Described as a home ground with "small, relaxed" crowds, a trip to Oxford United's Kassam Stadium is rarely feared for off-the-pitch reasons.

It's widely regarded among the more hospital home grounds in the Championship, with U's supporters rarely making much trouble — and AI's nomination of the club's fanbase as the nicest to away supporters throughout the entire division perhaps reflects as much.

The Kassam Stadium only has three stands, which certainly goes some way to preventing a strong and vociferous home atmosphere, with AI adding that away fans are "usually left in peace".

However, Oxford are currently battling against relegation back to League One under Gary Rowett, who would likely appreciate a stronger atmosphere at times to give his players an extra lift as they bid to beat the drop.

2 ? ? Preston North End

Preston North End have emerged as one of the Championship's leading surprise packages this season, with Paul Heckingbottom's side establishing themselves as potential promotion contenders.

Few had such success in mind for the Lilywhites, but what may be potentially less-surprising for those to have made the trip to Deepdale in recent times is that AI has labelled the Lancashire outfit as an "old-school club with a respectful, low-aggro atmosphere."

Deepdale is steeped in tradition and it can certainly be rocking on its day, but Preston's home support is hardly up there with the more aggressive, in-your-face fanbases across the Championship.

3 ? ? Bristol City

Described as "rarely hostile" with "plenty of neutral-feeling home matches", Bristol City supporters may feel incensed by AI's rather modest assessment of the Robins' home support.

City fans have prided themselves on the club's unofficial 'ultras' group Section 82, who can make Ashton Gate an intimidating place to visit with their array of flags steeped in ultras culture.

AI doesn't see it that way, however, and has downplayed the hostility on offer when travelling to the red side of Bristol.

4 ? ? Norwich City

Norwich City's Carrow Road is often well-attended, and travelling supporters are invariably quick to point out the family atmosphere when making the trip to Norfolk.

AI has described Carrow Road as having "family-orientated support", and for those who've ticked it off, that sentiment is hard to disgaree with.

The same can be said for AI's assessment of there being "little intimidation", with Norwich clearly representing an ideal away day for those looking to enjoy a peaceful family day out at the football.

5 ? ? Swansea City

The trip to Swansea City is a long one for almost every other fanbase in the Championship due to its location in West Wales, which places it roughly an hour-and-a-half from the nearest second-tier ground in Bristol City's Ashton Gate.

Supporters making the trip deep into Wales, then, could often find themselves rather exhausted by the time they arrive, and AI believes that the way in which "long journeys mellow things" reduces potential tensions on matchday.

Indeed, AI has described the "Jack Army" as "usually friendly" in both pre-match endeavours such as attending the pub beforehand and in the Swansea.com Stadium itself.

That's not always the case, of course, with an extra edge always in the air when Swansea play Bristol City and, most notably, bitter Welsh rivals Cardiff City, but with the Bluebirds currently in League One, the club's home support is often among the calmer to away fans in the division.

Hull City supporters have endeavoured to bolster the atmosphere within the MKM Stadium in recent years following Acun Ilicali's takeover of the club in 2022, which has largely renewed a general feel-good factor around the club, meaning they may not like to hear AI's verdict of it as a "calm crowd".

It's certainly been bouncing on occasions this season, with the Tigers steering away from predicted relegation trouble under Ilicali's latest managerial hire, Sergej Jakirovic, to plot an unexpected push for the play-offs.

But, despite the fact that Hull's most vocal home stand, the North Stand, is situated next to the away section, AI believes that there is "minimal antagonism towards visitors" when travelling to East Yorkshire.

7 ? ? QPR

At face value, Loftus Road — with its humble surroundings and traditional, tightly-packed stands close to the pitch — could represent one of the Championship's more intimidating grounds to visit.

But, while recognising that QPR's home is indeed a "tight ground", AI notes that the R's fanbase are "surprisingly tolerant unless it's a derby".

With fellow West London outfits such as Brentford, Chelsea and Fulham all competing strongly in the Premier League, QPR fans don't have a local derby to sink their teeth into right now and may just need promotion under Julien Stephan to truly kick the Loftus Road atmosphere back into gear.

Watford supporters may be dissatisfied with the constant managerial churn under the Pozzo's rather unique hiring-and-firing policy and a failure to stake any meaningful claim for promotion back to the Premier League since suffering relegation in 2022, but in AI's view, those frustrations are hardly boiling over and being taken out on away supporters.

Despite being an old-school ground, Vicarage Road has never really been regarded as a cauldron of noise and hostility, and AI notes that travelling supporters are "largely ignored rather than targeted" by Hornets.

9 ? ? Charlton Athletic

Charlton Athletic, on the other hand, boast a renowned and loyal home support, who have sat through years of hardship both on and off-the-pitch, particularly during Roland Duchatalet's ill-fated regime, before seeing their loyalty rewarded with a return to the Championship through the League One play-offs under Nathan Jones.

Just what the remainder of the campaign has in store for Charlton, who enjoyed an electric start by bursting into the early-season play-off places before falling down the table, only remains to be seen.

As AI notes, however, Charlton can call upon "passionate home support", and popular manager Jones will need the Valley to keep on rocking as he looks to consolidate the Addicks back in the second-tier.

Nonetheless, as per AI, the crowd at the Valley is "generally fair and sociable", and many Charlton supporters regard the fanbase as one with a strong sense of community and inclusivity.

Coventry City have not given their opponents an easy time on the pitch this season, particularly when they've been playing at home.

The Sky Blues have been in largely supreme form in the Championship this season and appear poised to finally return to English football's top-flight under Frank Lampard, which means that, as AI notes, there is a "strong backing" at the CBS Arena.

Travelling supporters may often see their sides trounced by Coventry, but at least they're given an easier time of it away from the pitch. Coventry's home crowd is loud and passionate, but AI describes that it's "rarely aggressive towards visitors."