Landmark figure fast approaching
The Barclays Premier League is preparing to welcome the 250 millionth fan through the turnstiles.
Just over 20 years after the world’s most popular league launched on Saturday 15 August 1992, Barclays are looking to reward Albion fans with the ‘ultimate matchday experience’.
The quarter-billion fan mark is expected to be reached on Tuesday, November 27, as Sunderland host Queens Park Rangers at The Stadium of Light and Aston Villa take on Reading at Villa Park.
Since its formation, the Barclays Premier League has been growing in popularity with average attendance figures increasing from 21,125 in 1992-93 compared to 34,646 during the 2011/12 season.
Over the last 20 years stadium capacities have grown across the country allowing an extra four million fans a season to watch their favourite teams.
More fans have watched the Barclays Premier League at Old Trafford than any other club ground with the 12-times Champions Manchester United accounting for nearly a tenth of the total number of fans to have watched the League live (24,322,356).
On average, 25,513 fans have packed into The Hawthorns during the club’s Premier League history, with a total of 3,087,085 supporters attending during the Premier League era.
To mark the occasion Barclays, title sponsor of the Barclays Premier League, is launching a ‘Find the Fan’ competition to reward a supporter and three friends from each of the 20 clubs with a VIP trip to see their team in a Barclays Premier League match, including hospitality and first class travel and accommodation.
Barclays’ photographers will be at all 20 Barclays Premier League fixtures on November 24 & 25, and 27 & 28, and will be taking exclusive pictures of both home and away fans on the matchdays to find a fan from each club to represent the 250 million fans.
The images will be uploaded onto the Barclays Football Facebook site facebook.com/BarclaysFootball where fans will be asked to identify themselves to be eligible for the VIP prize draw.
Barclays are also taking a look back at the past 21 seasons by sharing some of the best images of those action packed years across their social media channels and inviting fans to post their memories of these historic moments.
Fans should go to facebook.com/BarclaysFootball for more details.