DAVID CUFFLEY Average league gates rose again at Carrow Road this season - despite City's fall from the Premiership and their failure to keep up with the promotion race.

DAVID CUFFLEY

Average league gates rose again at Carrow Road this season - despite City's fall from the Premiership and their failure to keep up with the promotion race.

Attendances for the Canaries' 23 Coca-Cola Championship home games in 2005-06 totalled 571,169, an average of 24,833.

That represents a two per cent rise on their average Premiership home gate of 24,350 in 2004-05.

The opening of the new Norwich Union Community Stand during the Premiership season increased capacity at Carrow Road and, with more than 20,000 season ticket-holders on board, City reaped the benefit.

With an additional four home games in the Championship, total home league gates were up by well over 100,000 on the Premiership figure of 462,653.

City's biggest home gate was 25,402 for the visit of Ipswich. The biggest gate home or away was 30,755 at Sheffield Wednesday on Easter Saturday.

Average league gates at Norwich have risen steadily over the past six seasons, and are now nearly 10,000 up on the figure of 15,540 in 1999-2000. The only season that didn't show a year-on-year increase was the Division One title-winning campaign of 2003-04, when capacity was restricted during the building of the Jarrold Stand.

But the Canaries narrowly missed out on finishing this season as the best supported club at home in the Championship.

Andrew Cullen, City's director of sales and marketing, said: “Sheffield Wednesday had a couple of 30,000 gates at the end of the season, so they just sneaked into top place.”

For the second season running, attendances for all City's matches topped the one million mark. Their 50 games in all competitions, home and away, were watched by a total of 1,057,827.

Current City season ticket-holders have until May 20 to renew their seats, with more than 2,000 fans yet to do so.

“We have had 17,755 renewals so far out of a total of 20,096 season tickets,” said Cullen. “The waiting list numbers 1,768, so there is a good chance that people on the waiting list will get their tickets.

“We are delighted with the number of renewals, which are pretty unprecedented for a club going into its second season outside the Premiership.”

Attendances 2005-06

(2004-05 in brackets)

Home total: 611,903 (481,311)

Home average: 24,476 (24,065)

Home League total: 571,169 (462,653)

Home League average: 24,833 (24,350)

Away total: 445,924 (725,686)

Away average: 17,836 (34,556)

Away League total: 412,322 (660,144)

Away League average: 17,927 (34,744)

Overall total: 1,057, 827 (1,206,997)

Overall average: 21,156 (29,438)

League total: 983,491 (1,122,797)

League average: 21,380 (29,547)