TV Killing Football?

From Channel 4.co.uk
There is some bad news for Serie B clubs today with attendances drastically down on last year.

Statistics just released reveal that gates in the Second Division have dropped by a third on last season, with some clubs losing more than 50 per cent of their home support.

Worried fans draped flags from the stands this weekend to draw attention to the rapid decline in tifosi numbers. "Serie B is dying," read one banner at Ternana.

The first half of the season has seen average attendance of just 6,303 - which is 34 per cent less than 2003-04.

Poorly equipped stadiums, pay TV, high ticket prices and midweek games have all been blamed.

The problem of falling crowd figures is a phenomenon which has struck nearly every League in Europe this season, but the decline has been so rapid in Serie B that there is talk of a crisis.

The teams who played in Serie A last year are amongst those particularly feeling the pinch.

Perugia have lost 44 per cent of spectators this season, Modena 51.6, and Empoli a staggering 53.6.

But even those clubs who were promoted to Serie B this year have not enjoyed a relative rise in gates.

Arezzo’s attendances have gone up by 11.9 per cent, whilst Crotone, Catanzaro and Cesena have recorded an increase of around just 7 per cent.

There have been some success stories though. Piacenza’s run of form has seen their gates rise by a third, and big clubs like Genoa and Torino are also enjoying healthy crowds.

So is it really hitting home now that TV is killing football? Is everyone getting so much football now that they are becoming sick of it?