FOI data reveals West Ham's London Stadium was 21% emptier than official figures claimed

Turnstile data obtained through a Freedom of Information request has exposed a significant gap between West Ham United’s officially reported attendances at the London Stadium and the number of supporters who actually passed through the gates during the 2024-25 Premier League season.

The council’s turnstile entry logs — managed by Newham Council, which owns the converted Olympic venue in Stratford — recorded an average actual attendance of 49,567 per home league match. West Ham’s published ticketing figures averaged 62,455 across 19 home fixtures, representing a claimed 99.92% capacity fill rate. The real occupancy rate, according to the turnstile data, was 78.66%, meaning a cumulative total of 244,870 paid-for seats went unused across the campaign.

The discrepancy was sharpest at midweek and evening fixtures. When Nottingham Forest visited on Tuesday 6 January, more than 62,000 tickets had been sold but only 33,357 supporters attended — leaving over 29,000 seats empty. A Monday night fixture against Brentford on 20 October 2025 told a similar story: again over 62,000 tickets sold, with just over 40,000 fans present. On 30 December 2025, the official gate for the Brighton match was recorded as 62,438, while the turnstiles counted 43,696 — a shortfall of more than 18,700.

Even high-profile Category A fixtures were not immune. The London derby against Tottenham Hotspur saw 9,868 ticket holders absent despite 62,459 tickets sold, while the Chelsea fixture recorded 6,630 unused seats.

The figures provide statistical weight to complaints that have followed West Ham since their 2016 departure from Upton Park. The Boleyn Ground was widely regarded for its compact, enclosed atmosphere and the proximity of supporters to the pitch. The London Stadium, purpose-built for the 2012 Olympics and later converted for football use, has drawn sustained criticism over sightlines, the distance between the stands and the playing surface, and a perceived lack of matchday atmosphere.

The FOI data suggests that a meaningful proportion of season ticket holders — particularly those with longer or more inconvenient journeys — are routinely opting not to attend matches they have already paid for, especially when fixtures are scheduled at less favourable times. Rising ticket costs and transport logistics appear to compound the issue for mid-tier or rescheduled games.