Swansea City average just over a thousand away fans per game in a league which has many ( if not the majority ) of clubs with far shorter distances to travel. That’s to be expected with Blackburn, Preston, Blackpool, Sheffield United, Barnsley and Huddersfield all within a very close proximity to each other. The swans figure is down three hundred on the last time travelling support was allowed.

Good rail links also help, and then there are the ‘midlands’ clubs like Stoke, West Bromwich Albion, Coventry, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Derby County again very close to each other. London as well with Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Fulham and you can include Luton here and Reading within forty miles of the capital. It would be interesting to see the support the swans would get with such advantageous locations.

Peterborough United had the lowest average away attendance of 792, with the club finishing 22nd place. But that’s commendable. Barnsley had an average of 860, understandable due to their league performances and Derby in a tumultuous season around 1,800. Middlesbrough had an average away attendance of 2,260, with the club finishing 7th place in the 2021/22 Championship league table, they top the away charts and prove maybe to some extent distance isn’t always key.

When you look at some of the distances Swansea City fans had to travel in midweek it makes the clubs following even more impressive, a series of midweek games isn’t uncommon in the championship. Where as the fans of northern clubs can easily finish work and get to a game - the Jack army is in no position to do so. That is those fans travelling from the city itself. It would have been two seasons ago that the club estimated around eighty percent of the clubs following comes from the city itself.

Sheffield United came closest to Middlesbrough with 2,250 averaging their away support. Forest next with 2,230. all pretty centrally located bar Boro, a club with a massive support in their own local area. That makes their fan base even more impressive. Middlesbrough fans would need to spend twenty four per cent of their weekly pay packet to enjoy a “full match day experience” at the Riverside Stadium, according Ticket Gum. Cardiff City and Bristol City both averaged around 1,200. It isn’t at all surprising to see Preston and Luton with the same figures more or less. Blackpool and Fulham are on 1,300 or so, as are Bournemouth with Stoke on 1,400. QPR and Huddersfield come in with a bit more, the R’s on 1,400 and the terriers on the same figure. Blackburn feature on 1,530 and Coventry just under 2,000.

Finally, Birmingham City and WBA are almost level pegging on 2,100. It’s an expensive time to follow your club, in Swansea City’s case the journeys are longer than most, the trains more expensive and of course distances far greater. These are plain facts. For that reason we think the clubs following this season where we have seen far bigger than the average travel has been magnificent. They have been loud and extremely supportive. They have also seen some cracking games. That’s the championship season all wrapped up bar the play offs.

Full steam ahead to the end of July it is then.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

Swansea City Polls