Attendance totals at highest level since 1970

Crowd levels in England's four professional divisions hit a 37-year high this season, with almost 29.6 million attending matches, according to figures released yesterday.

The Football League - the Championship, League One and League Two - recorded its highest figures in the modern era, with 16.47m people going through the turnstiles. That represents a rise of 1.6 per cent on last season, and higher than at any time since 1959-60. Championship gates alone (10.06m) have broken the 10m barrier for the first time since 1950-51.

Equally as remarkable, given a season of dire warnings about a decline in interest in the Premiership that led to some promises of price cuts next season, the top flight attracted almost 13.1m people through the gates, a rise of 1.7 per cent on 2005-06. Premiership clubs were running at 92.4 per cent capacity on average.

When the Football League's figures for 2006-07 are added to the Premiership's total, 29,566,686 watched England's 92 Premiership and Football League clubs, more than any year since the 1969-70 season.

The rude health of English football is highlighted when considering average gates in individual divisions in major leagues across Europe. Germany's top division remains ahead in that respect, with 38,602 people per game in the Bundesliga, but the Premiership is second (with 34,455 per game) and the Championship (with 18,221) is in fifth place, ahead of Italy's Serie A (averaging 18,094 this season) in sixth.

Average gates in La Liga in Spain are running at 28,486, putting them third, while those in France's Ligue 1 are 21,463, putting them fourth.

Attendances in England's League One totalled 4.14m (average 7,492) and in League Two the figure was 2.29m (average 4,131). Those are substantially bigger than in third- and fourth-tier divisions anywhere else in Europe.

"I am particularly pleased to report that more than 300,000 young supporters took advantage of ticket offers provided under The League's Fans of the Future initiative," Lord Mawhinney, the Football League's chairman, said. "Our challenge now is to find ways to move past the 17 million mark."

The Premiership can also hope for a continued rise. Sunderland, Birmingham and either West Bromwich Albion or Derby are forecast to sell at least 400,000 more seats combined next season than relegated Watford, Charlton and Sheffield United did this season.