Declining football attendance: Inside the numbers in the ACC

Plenty has been written in recent years about declining live attendance around college football. While the numbers aren’t entirely grim, they do paint a picture of a sport that isn’t attracting live spectators quite as well as in recent past. Across the entire ACC, there was an average of 48,110 live spectators per home game in 2017. In 2016, the average was 50,022 fans per game. This marks a decline of approximately 3.9 percent year-over-year.

Of the 14 ACC football schools, all but three – Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Wake Forest – saw drops in attendance year-over-year. Boston College and Virginia Tech both hosted Notre Dame, while Wake Forest enjoyed a resurgent season that resulted in an 8-5 finish and bowl victory.

Most of the reductions around the league were minor. In the cases of Clemson, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Virginia, the difference was less than a thousand fans per game. UNC, however, only hosted 33,000 fans for a home game against Virginia Tech in 2016, which was played in the remnants of a hurricane. The Tar Heels’ continued drop in average home attendance in 2017, despite this 2016 outlier, played a role in the school’s decision to eliminate the ubiquitous aluminum bleachers throughout Kenan Stadium, and to minimize the stadium’s capacity by approximately 12,000.

Although Clemson had at least 80,000 fans at all seven home games in 2017, the Tigers’ average attendance per game trickled down slightly, from 80,970 during the national championship 2016 season, to 80,773 this past season. Clemson’s thrilling night game against Louisville in 2016, which drew out an overflowing crowd of 83,362, mostly made up the difference. Clemson attributed the drop this past season to lower student attendance at home games. Surprisingly, however, the Tigers’ average home game attendance is down by approximately 1,300 fans per game since 2013.

 

Attendance drops

Syracuse and Duke’s drops were a little more notable, as the Orange and Blue Devils each hosted approximately three thousand fewer fans in the Carrier Dome and Wallace Wade Stadium from 2016 to 2017.

Three other ACC schools saw much more prominent attendance drops. Louisville went from a school record 54,000 fans per game in 2016, to just over 46,000 this past fall. This despite returning the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson, in 2017.

Florida State’s struggles resulted in an average of nearly 6,000 fewer fans at Doak Campbell Stadium – from nearly 77,000 fans in 2016 to less than 71,000 in 2017. One of the biggest factors in the decline was the abysmal turnout for the Louisiana-Monroe game, following Jimbo Fisher’s departure to Texas A&M.

Attendance dips are nothing new in Tallahassee, as FSU had an 11 percent drop in live spectators in 2015, coming off a national championship in 2013, and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2014. Although the Seminoles had a healthy attendance improvement in 2016, the 2017 attendance totals at FSU lag behind the school’s 2014 average attendance by more than 11,000 per game.

Pittsburgh had the biggest drop, dipping from over 46,000 per game in 2016 to just over 36,000 per game this past season. The big difference in the equation for the Panthers was the fact that they hosted Penn State in Heinz Field in 2016, whereas they traveled to Happy Valley this past season. While the Panthers ranked tenth in the ACC in average home attendance in 2017, they ranked fourth in road attendance, due almost entirely to the 109,000 spectators in Beaver Stadium for the matchup with the Nittany Lions.

Pitt’s road attendance figures are indicative of the entire league. Those ACC schools who played prominent non-conference road games are all among the leaders. Syracuse, who led the ACC with an average road attendance of nearly 63,000 fans per game, traveled to LSU. Clemson, ranking second with just under 61,000 per game, visited in-state nemesis South Carolina in Columbia. Florida State, ranking third at 56,758 per road game, visited arch rival Florida in Gainesville. Wake Forest and NC State, who rank fifth and sixth, respectively, each played at Notre Dame.

The top five ACC schools in terms of average home attendance – Clemson (No. 1), Florida State (No. 2), Virginia Tech (No. 3), Miami (No. 4), and NC State (No. 5) – all remain the same year-over-year. The bottom four also remained the same, although Duke supplanted Wake Forest at the bottom this past fall, and Boston College trickled ahead of Syracuse from 12th in average home attendance in 2016, to 11th in 2017. Virginia slid ahead of Pittsburgh, from tenth in 2016 to ninth in 2017, while Louisville slid from sixth in 2016 to eighth in 2017.

 

2017/2016 ACC football attendance figures

BOSTON COLLEGE 2017

Wake Forest H 38,082
Notre Dame H 44,500
Central Michigan H 27,036
Virginia Tech H 32,057
Florida State H 40,629
NC State H 33,242

Total Home Attendance: 215,546
Per Game: 35,924

Northern Illinois A 16,421
Clemson A 80,525
Louisville A 44,679
Virginia A 39,216
Syracuse A 30,202

Total Home Attendance: 211,043
Per Game: 42,208

UConn N 20,133
Iowa N 37,667

Total Neutral Attendance: 57,800
Per Game: 28,500

BOSTON COLLEGE 2016

Wagner H 22,728
Buffalo H 24,203
Clemson H 44,500
Syracuse H 34,637
Louisville H 30,644
UConn H 36,220

Total Home Attendance: 192,932
Per Game: 32,155

Virginia Tech A 60,054
NC State A 56,433
Florida State A 73,917
Wake Forest A 24,866

Total Road Attendance: 215,270
Per Game: 53,818

Georgia Tech N 40,562
UMass N 25,112
Maryland N 19,117

Total Neutral Attendance: 84,791
Per Game: 28,264

CLEMSON 2017

Kent State H 80,121
Auburn H 81,799
Boston College H 80,525
Wake Forest H 80,567
Georgia Tech H 80,346
Florida State H 81,436
The Citadel H 80,618

Total Home Attendance: 565,412
Per Game: 80,773

Louisville A 55,588
Virginia Tech A 65,632
Syracuse A 42,475
NC State A 57,600
South Carolina A 82,908

Total Away Attendance: 304,203
Per Game: 60,841

Miami (ACCCG) N 74,372
Alabama (CFP Semi) N 72,360

Total Neutral Attendance: 146,732
Per Game: 73,366

CLEMSON 2016

Troy H 78,532
S.C. State H 79,590
Louisville H 83,362
NC State H 82,104
Syracuse H 80,609
Pittsburgh H 81,048
South Carolina H 81,542

Total Home Attendance: 566,787
Per Game: 80,970

Auburn A 87,451
Georgia Tech A 53,932
Boston College A 44,500
Florida State A 78,025
Wake Forest A 31,512

Total Road Attendance: 295,420
Per Game: 59,084

Virginia Tech (ACCCG) N 50,628
Ohio State (CFP Semi) N 71,279
Alabama (CFP FInal) N 74,512

Total Neutral Attendance: 196,419
Per Game: 65,473

DUKE 2017

N.C. Central H 30,477
Northwestern H 20,241
Baylor H 26,714
Miami H 36,314
Florida State H 31,703
Pittsburgh H 22,621
Georgia Tech H 20,141

Total Home Attendance: 188,211
Average Home Attendance: 26,887

North Carolina A 59,000
Virginia A 36,314
Virginia Tech A 60,914
Army A 38,851
Wake Forest A 27,016

Total Road Attendance: 222,095
Average Road Attendance: 44,419

Northern Illinois N 20,211

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 20,211

DUKE 2016

N.C. Central H 35,049
Wake Forest H 21,077
Virginia H 25,201
Army H 20,613
Virginia Tech H 38,217
North Carolina H 39,212

Total Home Attendance: 179,369
Average Road Attendance: 29,894

Northwestern A 34,464
Notre Dame A 80,795
Louisville A 55,121
Georgia Tech A 43,886
Pittsburgh A 35,425
Miami A 57,396

Total Road Attendance: 307,087
Average Road Attendance: 51,181

FLORIDA STATE 2017

NC State H 73,541
Miami H 78,169
Louisville H 72,764
Syracuse H 71,805
Delaware State H 70,599
ULM H 58,780

Total Home Attendance: 425,658
Average Home Attendance: 70,943

Wake Forest A 41,588
Duke A 31,073
Boston College A 40,629
Clemson A 81,436
Florida A 89,066

Total Road Attendance: 283,792
Average Road Attendance: 56,758

Alabama N 76,330
Southern Miss N 33,601

Total Neutral Attendance: 109,931
Average Neutral Attendance: 54,966

FLORIDA STATE 2016

Charleston Southern H 75,831
North Carolina H 77,584
Wake Forest H 77,102
Clemson H 78,025
Boston College H 73,917
Florida H 78,342

Total Home Attendance: 460,801
Average Home Attendance: 76,800

Louisville A 55,632
South Florida A 61,665
Miami A 65,685
NC State A 57,789
Syracuse A 32,340

Total Road Attendance: 273,111
Average Road Attendance: 54,622

Ole Miss N 63,042
Michigan (Orange) N 67,432

Total Neutral Attendance: 130,474
Average Neutral Attendance: 65,237

GEORGIA TECH 2017

Jacksonville State H 50,161
Pittsburgh H 40,211
North Carolina H 42,805
Wake Forest H 45,224
Virginia Tech H 47,909
Georgia H 55,000

Total Home Attendance: 281,310
Average Home Attendance: 46,885

Miami A 55,799
Clemson A 80,346
Virginia A 38,448
Duke A 20,141

Total Road Attendance: 194,734
Average Road Attendance: 48,684

Tennessee N 75,107

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 75,107

GEORGIA TECH 2016

Mercer H 49,992
Vanderbilt H 41,916
Clemson H 53,932
Miami H 53,047
Georgia Southern H 47,609
Duke H 43,886
Virginia H 42,136

Total Home Attendance: 332,518
Total Road Attendance: 47,503

Pittsburgh A 47,425
North Carolina A 58,000
Virginia Tech A 65,632
Georgia A 92,476

Total Road Attendance: 263,533
Average Road Attendance: 65,883

Boston College N 40,562
Kentucky N 43,102

LOUISVILLE 2017

Clemson H 55,588
Kent State H 47,812
Murray State H 47,826
Boston College H 44,679
Virginia H 46,787
Syracuse H 34,265

Total Home Attendance: 276,957
Average Home Attendance: 46,160

Purdue A 42,647
North Carolina A 47,000
NC State A 56,107
Florida State A 72,764
Wake Forest A 29,593
Kentucky A 56,186

Total Road Attendance: 304,297
Average Road Attendance: 50,716

Mississippi State N 41,310

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 41,310

LOUISVILLE 2016

Charlotte H 53,197
Florida State H 55,642
Duke H 55,121
NC State H 55,218
Wake Forest H 51,218
Kentucky H 54,075

Total Home Attendance: 324,471
Average Home Attendance: 54,079

Syracuse A 32,184
Marshall A 40,592
Clemson A 83,362
Virginia A 34,824
Boston College A 30,644
Houston A 42,822

Total Road Attendance: 264,428
Average Road Attendance: 44,071

LSU N 46,063

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 46,063

MIAMI 2017

Bethune-Cookman H 50,454
Toledo H 49,361
Georgia Tech H 55,799
Syracuse H 56,158
Virginia Tech H 63,932
Notre Dame H 65,303
Virginia H 63,415

Total Home Attendance: 404,422
Average Home Attendance: 57,775

Duke A 36,314
Florida State A 78,169
North Carolina A 45,000
Pittsburgh A 35,978

Total Road Attendance: 195,461
Average Road Attendance: 48,865

Clemson (ACCCG) N 74,372
Wisconsin (Orange) N 65,032

Total Neutral Attendance: 139,404
Average Neutral Attendance: 69,702

MIAMI 2016

Florida A&M H 60,703
FAU H 57,123
Florida State H 65,685
North Carolina H 58,731
Pittsburgh H 51,796
Duke H 57,396

Total Home Attendance: 351,434
Average Home Attendance: 58,572

Appalachian State A 34,658
Georgia Tech A 53,047
Virginia Tech A 63,507
Notre Dame A 80,795
Virginia A 39,867
NC State A 56,263

Total Road Attendance: 328,137
Average Road Attendance: 54,690

West Virginia N 48,625

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 48,625

NORTH CAROLINA 2017

California H 49,500
Louisville H 47,000
Duke H 59,000
Notre Dame H 57,000
Virginia H 50,000
Miami H 45,000
Western Carolina H 43,000

Total Home Attendance: 350,500
Average Home Attendance: 50,071

Old Dominion A 20,118
Georgia Tech A 42,805
Virginia Tech A 65,632
Pittsburgh A 34,056
NC State A 57,600

Total Road Attendance: 220,211
Average Road Attendance: 44,042

NORTH CAROLINA 2016

James Madison H 56,000
Pittsburgh H 54,500
Virginia Tech H 33,000
Georgia Tech H 58,000
The Citadel H 41,000
NC State H 59,000

Total Home Attendance: 301,500
Average Home Attendance: 50,250

Illinois A 60,670
Florida State A 77,584
Miami A 58,731
Virginia A 40,882
Duke A 39,212

Total Road Attendance: 277,079
Average Road Attendance: 55,416

Georgia N 75,405
Stanford N 42,166

 

NC STATE 2017

Marshall H 57,430
Furman H 56,166
Syracuse H 56,197
Louisville H 56,107
Clemson H 57,600
NC State H 57,600

Total Home Attendance 341,100
Average Home Attendance 56,850

Florida State A 73,541
Pittsburgh A 41,124
Notre Dame A 77,622
Boston College A 33,242
Wake Forest A 31,803

Road Attendance 257,332
Average Road Attendance 51,466

South Carolina N 50,367
Arizona State N 39,897

Total Neutral Attendance: 91,264
Average Neutral Attendance: 45,632

 

NC STATE 2016

William & Mary H 57,774
Old Dominion H 57,810
Wake Forest H 58,200
Notre Dame H 58,200
Boston College H 56,443
Florida State H 57,789
Miami H 56,263

Total Home Attendance 402,479
Average Home Attendance 57,497

East Carolina A 50,719
Clemson A 82,104
Louisville A 55,218
Syracuse A 34,842
North Carolina A 59,000

Total Road Attendance 281,883
Average Road Attendance 56,377

Arizona State N 39,897

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 39,897

PITTSBURGH 2017

Youngstown State H 40,012
Oklahoma State H 38,952
Rice H 33,051
NC State H 41,124
Virginia H 30,889
North Carolina H 34,056
Miami H 35,978

Total Home Attendance: 254,062
Average Home Attendance: 36,295

Penn State A 109,898
Georgia Tech A 40,211
Syracuse A 33,290
Duke A 22,621
Virginia Tech A 58,948

Total Road Attendance: 264,968
Average Road Attendance: 52,994

 

PITTSBURGH 2016

Villanova H 50,149
Penn State H 69,983
Marshall H 45,246
Georgia Tech H 47,425
Virginia Tech H 40,254
Duke H 35,425
Syracuse H 34,049

Total Home Attendance: 322,531
Average Home Attendance: 46,076

Oklahoma State A 53,914
North Carolina A 54,500
Virginia A 39,522
Miami A 51,796
Clemson A 81,048

Total Road Attendance: 280,780
Average Road Attendance: 56,156

Northwestern N 37,918

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 37,918

SYRACUSE 2017

Central Conn. State H 30,273
Middle Tennesseee H 29,721
Central Michigan H 33,004
Pittsburgh H 33,290
Clemson H 42,475
Wake Forest H 38,539
Boston College H 30,202

Total Home Attendance: 237,504
Average Home Attendance: 33,929

LSU A 96,044
NC State A 56,197
Miami A 56,158
Florida State A 71,805
Louisville A 34,265

Total Road Attendance: 314,469
Average Road Attendance: 62,894

 

SYRACUSE 2016

Colgate H 31,336
Louisville H 32,184
USF H 32,288
Notre Dame H 62,794
Virginia Tech H 33,838
NC State H 34,842
Florida State H 32,340

Total Home Attendance: 259,622
Average Home Attendance: 37,089

Connecticut A 31,899
Wake Forest A 25,162
Boston College A 34,647
Clemson A 80,609
Pittsburgh A 34,049

Total Road Attendance: 206,366
Average Road Attendance: 41,273

VIRGINIA 2017

William & Mary H 38,828
Indiana H 38,993
Connecticut H 33,056
Duke H 38,638
Boston College H 39,216
Georgia Tech H 38,448
Virginia Tech H 48,609

Total Home Attendance: 275,788
Average Home Attendance: 39,398

Boise State A 33,947
North Carolina A 50,000
Pittsburgh A 30,889
Louisville A 46,787
Miami A 63,415

Total Road Attendance: 225,038
Average Road Attendance: 45,008

Navy N 35,921

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 35,921

 

VIRGINIA 2016

Richmond H 49,270
Central Michigan H 35,211
Pittsburgh H 39,522
North Carolina H 40,882
Louisville H 34,824
Miami H 39,867

Total Home Attendance: 239,576
Average Home Attendance: 39,929

Oregon A 53,774
Connecticut A 31,036
Duke A 25,201
Wake Forest A 25,334
Georgia Tech A 42,136
Virginia Tech A 63,120

Total Road Attendance: 240,601
Average Road Attendance: 40,100

VIRGINIA TECH 2017

Delaware H 62,526
Old Dominion H 65,632
Clemson H 65,632
North Carolina H 65,632
Duke H 60,914
Pittsburgh H 58,948

Total Home Attendance: 379,284
Average Home Attendance: 63,214

East Carolina A 43,776
Boston College A 32,057
Miami A 63,932
Georgia Tech A 47,909
Virginia A 48,609

Total Road Attendance: 236,283
Average Road Attendance: 47,257

West Virginia N 67,489
Oklahoma State N 39,610

Total Neutral Attendance: 107,099
Average Neutral Attendanec: 53,550

VIRGINIA TECH 2016

Liberty H 62,234
Boston College H 60,054
East Carolina H 63,712
Miami H 63,507
Georgia Tech H 65,632
Virginia H 63,120

Total Home Attendance: 378,259
Average Home Attendance: 63,043

North Carolina A 33,000
Syracuse A 33,838
Pittsburgh A 40,254
Duke A 38,217
Notre Dame A 80,795

Total Road Attendance: 226,104
Average Road Attendance: 45,220

Tennessee N 156,990
Clemson (ACCCG) N 50,628
Arkansas N 46,902

Total Neutral Attendance: 254,520
Average Neutral Attendance: 84,840

WAKE FOREST 2017

Presbyterian H 22,643
Utah State H 27,971
Florida State H 31,588
Louisville H 29,593
NC State H 31,803
Duke H 27,016

Total Home Attendance 170,614
Average Home Attendance 28,436

Boston College A 38,082
Appalachian State A 35,126
Clemson A 81,500
Georgia Tech A 45,224
Notre Dame A 77,622
Syracuse A 38,539

Total Road Attendance 316,093
Average Road Attendance 52,682

Texas A&M N 32,784

Total/Average Neutral Attendance: 32,784

WAKE FOREST 2016

Tulane H 24,398
Delaware H 25,972
Syracuse H 25,162
Army H 27,948
Virginia H 25,334
Clemson H 31,512
Boston College H 24,866

Total Home Attendance: 185,192
Average Home Attendance: 26,456

Duke A 21,077
Indiana A 45,519
NC State A 58,200
Florida State A 77,102
Louisville A 51,218

Total Road Attendance: 253,116
Average Road Attendance: 50,623

Temple N 26,656

Total/Average Neutral Attednance: 26,656