I´ve analysed statistically the attendance data of Finnish football leagues and especially one club, Mikkelin Palloilijat (MP Mikkeli).
The number of people attending a football match varies a lot depending on the importance of the match, success of the club, weather, opposing team etc. Statistical analysis can give only a vague idea of which of the numerous variables have significant effect on attendance. However, by plotting some basic graphs one can see general aspects reflecting the behaviour of the crowds.
My interest is in the highest and the second highest level of Finnish football. Formerly, premier division or league, if you like, was called mestaruussarja. Today we know it as Veikkausliiga.Suomensarja was the second highest level (played in regional groups).Ykkönen, the First Division (originally named in Finland as 1. divisioona), was formed in 1973. The third level is at present called kakkonen.
The “Big Picture” of the crowds in Finnish football matches from 1966 to 2007 can be seen on the Leagues site. The yearly averages are shown in the figure 1. The downward direction of the curve in early 70´s was due to one club, namely HJK Helsinki who lost several thousands of spectators in just a few years (figure 2)
The First division (Ykkönen) attendances of the years 2004-2007 are in the table. After each team there are total attendances and averages for those years. Below, the total attendances are first summed together and then there are overall averages and medians. Also, the lowest and the highest crowd numbers are shown.
I have analysed a period from the year 1966 to 2006.
You can see the historical positions of Mikkelin Palloilijat here.
Notice that after the season 1998 Mikkelin Palloilijat merged with Mikkelin Kissat (MiKi Mikkeli) to form FC Mikkeli. The merger, however, was split in 2001. After that both clubs continued as before.
Whole Data (Koko aineisto). Here you can see the time-series of attendance in the Mikkelin Palloilijat home matches (figure 1). Figure 2 highlights the descending trend of attendance with yearly averages (keskiarvot), 5-year moving averages (liukuvat keskiarvot) and linear regression. The third figure shows the frequencies of attendance. The all-time record is a crowd of 6 678 (in 1993) and the lowest number is 144 (in 1999).
Central
Tendency (Keskiluvut). I have
plotted attendance averages
(keskiarvo) and medians during the
period.
Monthly
Averages (Kuukausikeskiarvot). This site shows
attendance averages in different months of the season. Huhti-touko =
april-may, kesä = june, heinä = july, elo
=
august, syys-loka =
september-october. Kaikki = whole data, Pääsarja = Premier league.
Medians and Position (Mediaanit ja sarjasijoitus). I have calculated correlation between the position of the club at the end of the season and the attendance median. The first figure shows the years when Mikkelin Palloilijat have played in the league (pääsarja). The lower figure is about the years in the first division (ykkönen).
The correlation is strong in both cases and especially in the first division.
This is link to the official site of Mikkelin Palloilijat.
More information on Mikkeli here.
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