Joe Duggan (Reporter)
THE Spanish league is set to fine clubs who leave empty seats on view during televised live matches.
La Liga president Javier Tebas announced the new regulations, which require clubs to fill areas of the ground shown on camera.
Teams will have to ensure fans are strategically placed to avoid being hit with fines of up to €6,000, which will come in from next season.
If other parts of the stadium not shown on camera are empty, clubs will avoid the fine.
Tebas claims the move will force clubs to find ways to boost their attendances.
The announcement is part of La Liga’s bid to rival the Premier League’s television audiences and revenues.
This season, La Liga crowds went up by 423,625 to 13,588,636 a 3.22% leap from last year.
There is a simple way to put bums on seats. Stop charging a small ransom to sit in one.
And if you’re going to charge a small ransom, do it in a country without 50% youth unemployment.
La Liga will NEVER be the premier league.
Live coverage doesn’t seem to make much difference in the Premier League, most grounds still get good/full attendances – well UP did anyway, don’t know if it will be the same at the new stadium with all the extra capacity.
It does seem to make a noticeable difference to lower league clubs though with many grounds looking very empty at live games.