Burnley FC's average attendance at Turf Moor compared to last season, it is worse so far | OneFootball

Burnley's attendance figures have taken a drop from last season's Premier League campaign

For a small mill town in East Lancashire, it's fair to say Burnley are a well-supported club, but their attendances do fluctuate based on which division they're in.

This is the fourth successive season in which Burnley have alternated between the Premier League and Championship, and that yo-yoing certainly affects the numbers coming through the turnstiles.

Naturally, the higher the division Burnley play in, the higher their attendances tend to be, although their last Premier League relegation campaign in 2021/22 was an anomaly to that sentiment, as their average Championship attendance the season after was higher.

After their latest relegation, it hasn't quite been the same for the Clarets, who, despite residing in the play-off positions in the Championship, have found the going slightly tougher, struggling against a lot of sides they'd have swept away under Vincent Kompany.

Those struggles have certainly played into this season's attendance figures, and here's how they compare to last season's in their unsuccessful battle to beat the Premier League drop.

Burnley have seen an attendance drop-off from last season

While it would seem obvious there would be a drop-off in attendance figures after relegation, the fact this wasn't the case from 2021/22 to 2022/23 for Burnley shows that this isn't always the case, and a number of factors can prevent it from happening.

In 2022/23, Burnley had just appointed Vincent Kompany, which naturally brought with it some hysteria and optimism that a Premier League Hall of Famer was taking charge, while a new era of young, exciting players was enough to get people through the turnstiles.

In 2021/22, Burnleyaveraged 18,300 in the top-flight, as opposed to 19,776 the following season in the Championship, so the excitement factor certainly did help.

However, this time around, things have been very different, so it's not really a surprise to see a notable drop-off in attendance figures, with an average attendance of 21,153 last season compared with 19,825 this season.

The Kompany era is well and truly over, most of his players have departed for pastures new, and his exciting brand of football has been replaced by Scott Parker's more methodical and industrious approach, which unfortunately isn't as entertaining.

That's a fact encapsulated perfectly by the fact Burnley haven't scored from open play at home since mid-September, so as far as entertainment goes, it's certainly been in short supply at Turf Moor this season.

Burnley owner Alan Pace will be alarmed by the drop-off

For Burnley's American chairman, Alan Pace, the lack of bums on seats will be a huge concern to him, as he has previously voiced his concerns in Burnley's fly on the wall documentary about how empty the ground has looked at time.

For Pace, an attendance drop-off means less people spending on the concourse, less people buying club merchandise, less eyes on sponsors' advertisements, which ultimately leads to a drop in revenue.

So, for him, the attendance figures will be a huge concern, but if things carry on the way they are doing on the pitch, then things will only get worse in the stands, and that could ultimately be a deciding factor in Scott Parker's future if fans continue to voice their discontent.

Burnley fans have become an expectant bunch after spending the majority of the last decade in the Premier League, so to see their side struggling the way they are doing on the pitch, it's little surprise some are already reigning in how much they're attending.

There has been plenty of empty seats at Turf Moor this season, so the true attendance figure could be even lower depending on Burnley account, their attendances based on the amount of tickets sold or the amount of tickets used on matchdays.