South Shields FC break attendance record as displaced fans descend on stadium
With Middlesbrough’s game against Swansea cancelled, thousands visited Mariners Park.
South Shields FC announced a record league attendance for their ground on Saturday as displaced football fans descended on Mariners Park.
With the top level of English and Scottish football suspended until April 3 at the earliest due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans turned to lower league football.
South Shields play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division – the seventh tier of English football – and their home game against FC United of Manchester proved more popular than usual.
The club initially reported an attendance of 3,078 before correcting that to 3,274, a Mariners Park league record.
Recent home attendance in the league ranged between 1,500 and 2,000.
Steven Carroll is a Swansea fan who made the trip to Mariners Park for the first time after the Swans’ game at Middlesbrough was called off.
He described the game as “a good day out” adding “it’s loud, loads of songs”.
“We’ve had a nice welcome,” he told the PA news agency. “Loads of fans thanked us for coming.
“(It’s) refreshing when clubs at (the) top just want your money.”
