Ipswich Town's average home attendance this season was their highest this century - and better than old rivals Norwich City.
The promoted Blues pulled in an average audience of 26,184 at Portman Road for league games this term, more than 4,000 up on the 21,779 of 2021/22.
That was the second-best figure in League One, behind only Derby County, who enjoyed an average of 27,259 at Pride Park.
Indeed, Town's average would be good enough for third spot in the Championship, with only Sunderland (39,328) and Sheffield United (28,746) able to say they attract bigger home crowds.
It's better too, than East Anglian rivals Norwich City, who finished their disappointing campaign with an average home crowd of 26,069.
That's the first time Town have topped Norwich since the 2004/05 season, when the Blues pulled in 25,651 per game in the Championship, compared to Premier League Norwich's 24,350.
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That season, when the Blues finished third and lost to West Ham in the play-offs, was Town's previous best mark this century.
After that, the number slowly dipped to a low of 16,272 in the 2017/18 season, Mick McCarthy's last as boss, when they finished 12th in the second tier.
This season's average is better even than the last time Town were in the Premier League, when they enjoyed home crowds of 24,396 in the 2001/02 season.
Much has been made of the importance of the Portman Road faithful in helping Town to promotion this season, with sell-outs - something not seen for years - becoming common place.
After securing promotion, skipper Sam Morsy said the support of Town fans was 'incredible.'
He enthused: "It’s frightening!
“I signed for Ipswich from another massive club in Middlesbrough, but as soon as I signed for Ipswich you could see the ambition. The fans we get at home and away and the support from the area is incredible.
"I remember at last season’s awards dinner, we had finished mid-table but the fans were emotional and were saying they’d got their club back.
"The support has been absolutely phenomenal and the fans really believe in us – they took to us straight away, they love the players and love the staff.
"You can feel all of that as a player and this is just the start, really.
"As players we’re part of the journey and we know the club has great, historic, success and now we are on that journey, writing our names into the history books and hopefully helping the club go even higher."
Boss Kieran McKenna also paid tribute to the club's support after thousands of fans welcomed the team bus before the 6-0 demolition of Exeter which secured promotion.
He said: "It's a sign of the spirit and the love of this football club in the community.
"Then we had the atmosphere in the stadium and it was, of course, all backed up on the pitch.
"It's a special day, a fantastic season, a huge effort from everyone associated with the club.
"I'm just really proud to be part of giving the club a day like today to enjoy."
He added: "Seeing peoples' faces - the passion, the enjoyment, the excitement - it was wonderful scenes. Not many players will have experienced anything like that before in their careers.
"It was a really special moment."
The full scale of Town's extraordinary support is laid bare when you compare this season's average attendance to the best in England and Europe.
The Blues enjoyed bigger home crowds than four Premier League sides - Crystal Palace, Fulham, Brentford and Bournemouth - and ranked 20th in the country as a whole in terms of average support.
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It also stacks up against the best support in Europe. Town's average home support is:
- Better than 14 sides in the Dutch Eredivisie, including FC Utrecht.
- Better than 13 sides in France's Ligue 1, including Toulouse and Nice.
- Better than 13 sides in Italy's Serie A, including Sampdoria and Udinese.
- Better than 12 sides in Spain's La Liga, including Espanyol and Villareal.
- Better than four sides in Germany's Bundesliga, including Wolfsburg.
With Championship football back at Portman Road next season and more improvements being made to the stadium over the summer, you wouldn't bet against Town getting near to the 28,000 average which CEO Mark Ashton has spoken of before.
"This is top, top Championship attendances we are getting at Portman Road," Ashton said in March 2022.
"We want more. I think we can genuinely get to something like a 28,000 average."
Top 20 average home attendances in English football 2022/23
1) Manchester United: 73,661
2) West Ham United: 62,461
3) Tottenham Hotspur: 61,589
4) Arsenal: 60,191
5) Manchester City: 53,236
6) Liverpool: 53,171
7) Newcastle United: 52,126
8) Aston Villa: 41,679
9) Chelsea: 39,995
10) Sunderland: 39,328
11) Everton: 39,240
12) Leeds United: 36,549
13) Leicester City: 31,850
14) Brighton & Hove Albion: 31,480
15) Wolves: 31,326
16) Southampton: 30,420
17) Nottingham Forest: 29,170
18) Sheffield United: 28,746
19) Derby County: 27,259
20) Ipswich Town: 26,184
Ipswich Town average home attendances this century
2022/23: 26,184
2021/22: 21,779
2020/21: N/A - Covid
2019/20: 19,549
2018/19: 17,764
2017/18: 16,271
2016/17: 16,980
2015/16: 18,989
2014/15: 20,001
2013/14: 17,110
2012/13: 17,526
2011/12: 18,267
2010/11: 19,615
2009/10: 20,841
2008/09: 20,960
2007/08: 21,935
2006/07: 22,445
2005/06: 24,253
2004/05: 25,651
2003/04: 24,520
2002/03: 25,455
2001/02: 24,396
2000/01: 22,504
1999/00: 18,524
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