Club breaks silence on real attendance figures

A recent freedom of information request by ClaretandHugh has revealed the number of supporters coming through the turnstiles at the London Stadium in November and early December is far less than those published.

The number supporters recorded through the electronic turnstiles for the West Ham v Stoke City game in November was 48,391 compared with 56,970 tickets sold and published as the official attendance.

The number supporters recorded through the electronic turnstiles in the West Ham v Arsenal game in December was 51,122 compared with 56,980 tickets sold and published as the official attendance.

A Club spokesman told ClaretandHugh in response to new figures: “In line with other Premier League clubs, the attendance figure we announce at home matches reflects the number of tickets sold. We understand that there are always a number of Season Ticket Holders who are unable to attend specific matches for various reasons and we are working hard to ensure we fill as many empty seats as possible via our Ticket Exchange facility. West Ham United encourage all Season Ticket Holders who are unable to attend matches to offer their tickets for resale on the Ticket Exchange, enabling their fellow supporters who wish to purchase tickets for matches to be able to do so.”

ClaretandHugh understand on occasion there have been issues with data matching from electronic turnstiles which the club is working hard to remedy to get accurate figures.