Derbys Bumper Opening Day Crowd Helps EFL Hit High Opening Day Numbers

The return of the Sky Bet EFL was greeted with bumper crowds across all three divisions, with the opening weekend aggregate attendance of 449,870 being the best in 13 years and up 17 per cent on last year.

Matchday one's largest attendance was seen at the Stadium of Light as 40,851 supporters watched a 1-1 draw between Sunderland AFC and Coventry City – already surpassing last season’s highest individual match attendance.

That fixture contributed to a total attendance of 220,087 in the Sky Bet Championship, which is an average of 18,341 – up 13 per cent on last year’s opening weekend.

In Sky Bet League One, average attendance increased 11 per cent to 12,407, with a total of 148,878 match-going spectators, while Sky Bet League Two saw the largest average rise of 53 per cent (6,742) compared to 2021/22, registering a total attendance of 80,905.

Derby pulled in a crowd of 31,053 for the 1-0 home win over Oxford United, with midfielder Conor Hourihane scoring a late winner on his debut to get the Rams off to a winning start.