With an average stadium attendance of 8,112, La Liga Adelante is the 35th best attended football association league in the world. When you look at the names ahead of them on that list, which includes England’s third tier League One, it becomes clear that that is not a particularly impressive statistic.
These figures can be skewered and unsuitable for comparison given continental variety, country population and other factors, so it makes more sense to compare Spain to its closest neighbours – both geographically and on the UEFA coefficient list – such as England, Germany, Italy and France.
Below I have provided a breakdown of the average attendances in the top two leagues in those countries and the margin between them:
Premier League – 35,599; Championship – 17,891; Margin = 17,708
Bundesliga – 41,914; Bundesliga 2 – 15,550; Margin = 26,364
Serie A – 25,045; Serie B – 6,026; Margin = 19,019
Ligue 1 – 21,050; Ligue 2 – 8,599; Margin = 12,451
La Liga – 29,124; La Segunda – 8,112; Margin = 21,012
The biggest gap exists between the top two divisions in Germany but, with the highest top flight figures and a mean attendance of over 15,000 in the Bundesliga 2, the DFB (Deutscher Fussbull-Bund) will not lose too much sleep over that disparity.
The English Football League Championship is 10th on the global list with an average of 17,708 turning up to every match, which puts it above the vast majority of worldwide top tier divisions.
In Spain, Italy and France, the numbers are fairly similar. France sees fewer through the gates in Ligue 1 but more than the others in Ligue 2 so the discrepancy is very small. Italy’s Serie B figures are unimpressive but then their Serie A statistics are hardly overwhelming given the size of the stadia, league history and general popularity of the sport.
It is in Spain, however, that we see the biggest numerical gulf between the top two divisions and it is about time La Liga Adelante underwent a revamp, especially seeing as La Liga is widely considered – especially here in Spain funnily enough – to be up there on a par with the Premier League in terms of raw quality.
This year, the Spanish Football Federation have made a small step towards addressing the poor attendance figures, as, starting from the 2010-11 season, La Segunda will emulate the play-off system in England and Italy, which removes the automatic promotion spot for finishing 3rd and introduces a “semi-final” phase for teams placed 3rd – 6th.
This system gives many more teams the chance of clinching an unlikely promotion, it keeps the fans of those teams interested much longer and it is fundamental to the longevity of attention in the division, as it guarantees that the biggest match of the season will be the last.
This is a positive, albeit minor adjustment and we cannot expect a sudden surge in gate receipts as a result. Realistically, only an enhancement of the quality, competition and intrigue of this second tier league will lead to a steady attendance improvement.
One of the most encouraging signs for La Liga Adelante this year is the return of Barcelona B. It is the first time in 11 years that Barcelona’s second team has played in La Segunda following their relegation to La Segunda B in 1999.
The Catalan giants have proved over the last decade, indisputably I believe, that they have the most exciting youth academy in the world and the B team represents the final stepping stone to the first team, the busy workshop where Barca’s coaching architects put their last touches on their footballing master-pieces.
The majority of the teams in this division are full of players who have settled in a league conjugate to their abilities. With Barcelona B, however, this league is really more of a final stage in the education of their young stars before they go on to greater things.
Things could hardly have started better for Luis Enrique’s team last weekend. The youngsters beat promotion hopefuls Celta de Vigo 1-2 at Balaidos, immediately positioning themselves in the top half of the table. Promotion is impossible, as sensible rules prevent a second team competing in the same division as the seniors, but that will not deter Luis Enrique or his side from gunning for the league.
Jonathan Soriano grabbed one of the goals last Sunday and, after scoring 22 in the league last season, he will be crucial to Barca B’s attack this year. At 25, Soriano is the second eldest player in the team and will never realistically break into the first team but he is more than capable of scoring at this level.
In front of goalkeeper Oier, the defence will exhibit several future stars in the form of Marc Muniesa, Marc Bartra, Andreu Fontas and Martin Montoya, all of whom are under-21 and all but the latter have already appeared for the full team in the last year.
The most exciting aspect of the team, however, will be the midfield trio of Thiago Alcantara, Oriol Romeu and Jonathan dos Santos.
Thiago will be arguably the most exciting player in La Liga Adelante this season, that is, if he remains with Luis Enrique’s outfit for long. Given his pre-season form, his outings for Spain’s under-19s and Pep Guardiola’s high regard for him, he could make a permanent breakthrough to the first team very soon.
Tottenham winger Giovani’s younger brother Jonathan is another who will be drafted in to the senior team if and when he is needed; his skill and daring will make him stand out for Barca B in the meantime.
Finally, Oriol is a less spectacular, but no less effective, central midfield player who has not yet made his debut for the full Barcelona side. His passing ability and simplicity suggest more of a Sergio Busquets type and he will have his senior opportunities limited by Busquets and Javier Mascherano at the moment, but that will only be to the benefit of Barcelona B.
Luis Enrique’s side are in action at the Mini Estadi on Sunday night against relegated Andalucian club Xerez. Another win against one of the league’s stronger teams would send out a serious signal of intent.
Five others to watch in La Segunda
Molina (Real Betis) – Molina hit 26 goals for Elche last season to grab the second division Pichichi award. He has now made the move to Real Betis who, as the only former Spanish Champion outside the top flight and the biggest club in La Segunda, will be expecting to be restored to the Primera Division under Pepe Mel’s guidance.
Borja (Alcorcon) – Do you remember this guy from last season? The then third division (Segunda B) striker helped his side knock Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey with a brace in the 4-0 victory at the Estadio Santo Domingo, which had a big part to play in the loss of boardroom confidence in Manuel Pellegrini. Promoted champions Alcorcon had an exceptional season in 2009-10 and Borja will be hoping to fire them to glory again this term.
Jose Barkero (Numancia) – Jose Barkero more than held his own in the top flight two seasons’ ago with Numancia and the experienced attacking midfielder will once again be the heartbeat of a team who are hoping to improve on last year’s 8th place finish under new coach Juan Carlos Unzue.
Juan Nino (Tenerife) – Nino scored an impressive 14 goals in the Primera Division last season despite the fact that Tenerife were relegated. His commitment to the club is plain for all to see as many clubs expressed an interest in acquiring his services this summer. Nino always brings goals, but his overall contribution to the team should not be overlooked.
Keko (Cartagena) – Cartagena pulled off one of the biggest deadline day coups in Spain by securing the services of Spain’s Under-19 captain, Koke, on loan from Atletico Madrid. Koke is a quick, skilful winger and this will surely be the season where he breaks through at a senior level.
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