They travel thousands of miles every year, and bring noise, colour and magic to the Premier League. In this guide, we will look at the importance of away fans to the competition, and how Premier League away ticket allocations differ from stadium to stadium.
A big part of the Premier League’s appeal comes from the atmosphere at every game. Now, with a few exceptions, English teams don’t have armies of ultras coordinating chants and singing non-stop throughout the match.
What the English game does have is a strong away-fan culture, and this has a huge effect on the stadium on match days. The higher away allocations in the Premier League help to animate both sets of fans, leading to boisterous but mostly harmless banter. Thousands of fans being able to travel to away games is one of the benefits of living in a small country.
As they’re committed and extremely loyal to their clubs, these away fans bring noise and colour, and help the Premier League stand out when it comes to spectacle. There’s also some evidence that the elevated number of away fans has an effect on results, making the Premier League more competitive.
In this spirit, the Premier League often comes up with rules to preserve and develop the competition’s unique fan culture. For instance, at the start of the 2017-18 season clubs agreed to put their entire away allocations in the Premier League together in a single group.
They also agreed to ensure that at least one block of the Premier League away allocation was pitchside. Naturally this has a big impact on the fan experience, but also heightens their influence on the game and atmosphere.
A few clubs were affected by the rule change, including Manchester United who had to relocate some of their away section in the South-East Corner. For health and safety reasons, among other considerations, Newcastle United continue to push their away allocation for the Premier League high in the Upper Tier of the Leazes End.
The away allocation in the Premier League varies from stadium to stadium. The rules state that home clubs must offer the visiting team a minimum of 3,000 tickets if their capacity exceeds 30,000. If their capacity is lower, the minimum away allocation in the Premier League must be 10% of the seats in the stadium.
This can cause issues within the smaller teams of the Premier League, such as Bournemouth, whose stadium only holds 11,307 fans and therefore away fans are only allocated 1,307 tickets. Thankfully, you can buy tickets for both home and away matches at Ticket Compare.
On the subject of Bournemouth, if you’re wondering what is the minimum capacity for a Premier League stadium. Well, in line with English Football League rules, it’s as little as 5,000. In practice, no team makes it to the Premier League with a stadium that small.
Often when clubs get promoted, like Luton in 2023, they have to carry out certain stadium improvements. These don’t tend to involve capacity, but are more related to facilities for media and lighting systems. In some cases, teams have had to replace old-style terracing with seats.
The Championship, League One, and League Two all work on a similar basis to away ticket allocations in the Premier League. Home clubs must provide 2,000 tickets for visiting supporters. If the stadium holds fewer than 20,000 fans, then it must be 10% of the stadium capacity.
Clubs will rarely have a Premier League away ticket allocation above 3,000. The main reason is that they would sacrifice some all-important home advantage. As we’ll explain later, there’s also a price cap on away tickets, so it wouldn’t make financial sense either.
Let’s go around the grounds to see what, and where, the Premier League away ticket allocation is for each team.
Arsenal’s home ground holds 60,704, so their away allocation in the Premier League is 3,000. This section can be found in the Lower Tier in the south-east corner of the stadium, where the Clock End meets the East Stand.
Aston Villa’s away fan allocation in the Premier League is just under 3,000, in an historic stadium that holds 42,000 fans. The away section is on both tiers of the Doug Ellis Stand, towards the northeast corner of the ground.
At the lowest end of the capacity spectrum, Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium can seat 11,379 fans. The away allocation for Bournemouth is roughly 1,500, located in the southern half of the East Stand.
One of the newest stadiums in the Premier League, the Brentford Community Stadium has a capacity of 17,250. The away allocation in the Premier League at this ground is in the region of 2,000, all located in the north end of the East Stand.
Opened in 2011, Brighton’s Amex Stadium has a capacity of 31,876 and has a Premier League away ticket allocation of about 3,300. These sections can be found in the south-east corner of the stadium, comprising parts of the South Stand and East Stand, all in the Lower Tier.
With a stadium capacity exceeding 30,000 (40,343), Stamford Bridge has a typical PL away allocation of 3,000 seats. The away section can be found in the east end of the Lower Tier of the Shed End.
As one of the grounds with a capacity lower than 30,000, Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park has a reduced away allocation. There are just over 2,000 away seats here, in a stadium holding 25,486, all located in the north end of the Arthur Wait Stand.
Everton’s historic home ground has the same Premier League away allocation as all stadiums over 30,000. There’s room for 3,000 home fans at Goodison Park, in the south-east corner of the ground, in two tiers of the Bullens Road Stand.
Another of the smaller venues in the competition, Craven Cottage holds 28,500 after completing the Riverside Stand. The away ticket allocation in the Premier League is in the region of 2,800, all in the south-western corner of the stadium in the Putney End.
Home of Ipswich Town since 1884, Portman Road has a capacity of 29,673. During the club’s long spell in the Championship and League 1, the away capacity was capped at 1,900. Premier League rules require a 10% away allocation, so the away capacity is now a little under 3,000, at the south end of Cobbold Stand.
With a capacity of 32,261, Leicester City’s ground has a PL away allocation of 3,000 fans, give or take. The away section at the King Power Stadium is in the north-east corner of this single-tier stadium, literally where the North Stand and the East Stand join together.
One of a few Premier League grounds that have been expanded in recent years, Anfield can now house 61,000 fans. The away allocation in Premier League games has held steady at 3,000. These seats are in the northernmost corner of the stadium, in the lower tier of the Anfield Road Stand.
The home of Manchester City can seat 53,400 fans, so the PL away ticket allocation is about 3,000 seats. The away seats in the Etihad Stadium are on the east side of the South Stand, with six blocks on the Lower and Middle Tiers.
The Red Devils are one of the clubs that has had to rethink its away fans allocation in the Premier League in the last decade. Old Trafford remains the largest club football stadium in the UK, with 74,310 seats. The 3,000-strong away section is in the south-east corner of the stadium, where the East Stand and Sir Bobby Charlton Stand meet.
With an away experience like no other, the 3,000 away seats at St James’ Park are on the seventh floor of the Leazes End in the northernmost end of the stadium. At least you get an excellent view from some of the highest seats in this impressive 52,350-capacity venue.
After decades outside of the top flight, Nottingham Forest’s away allocation jumped from 2,000 to 3,000 after they won promotion in 2022. At 30,445-seater City Ground, the away section is in the Lower Tier in the northern half of the Bridgford Stand.
Capped at 3,000, the away allocation in the spectacular Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is in the Lower Tier in the north-west corner of the ground. This is where the North Stand and the West Stand meet at this 62,850-capacity stadium.
At the 68,013-seater London Stadium, away fans occupy a strip in the Upper Tier and Lower tier in the south-east corner of the stadium. This is in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand, and is around 3,000 seats.
Another unusual place to watch an away match is Wolves’ 32,050-seat Molineux Stadium. The PL away allocation of around 3,000 is on the Lower Tier of the longside Steve Bull Stand. This narrow section runs almost the length of the pitch, from block JL2 to JL10.
The Premier League away ticket allocation rules don’t apply to the FA Cup. One of the many things that makes this competition special is the opportunity for smaller clubs to make a lot of money from gate receipts.
You’ll see non-League and lower league clubs celebrating being drawn away at a Premier League club because of the money they can make in just one game. In the FA Cup, the away team takes 45% of the total gate receipts. Against a Premier League club this can be the equivalent of selling out a 25,000-seater stadium. That kind of revenue can go a long way for a small club.
Compared to Premier League away allocations, the FA Cup is higher, at up to 15% subject to local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) approval. This extra 5% is most noticeable in the bigger grounds, especially when fans from smaller clubs get the rare chance to visit and make the most of it.
However, if 15% of the stadium is still higher than 9,000 (as with Old Trafford, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Emirates Stadium and the London Stadium) then allocations will be capped at 9,000. This is unless the home club is willing to offer more. It should be said that local Safety Advisory Groups often step in and reduce the away allocation if it deems the expanded allocation too risky. For instance Arsenal has occasionally capped the FA Cup allocation at just over 5,000.
If you’re wondering what Premier League Away ticket prices are, they’re very reasonable if you go through the clubs. In line with preserving the competition’s away fan culture, General Admission away tickets are capped at £30.
This cap was introduced in 2016-17, and in 2022 the 20 Premier League clubs agreed unanimously to freeze the cap through 2024-25. Affordability is one of a few factors that drive massive demand.
We’re not exaggerating. It is almost impossible to get hold of Premier League away tickets through the clubs, especially if you’re just starting to get into football. In most cases, season ticket holders and members who have a history attending away games are given priority.
Luckily, you can always find tickets on the secondary market. If you’re searching for Premier League tickets, home or away, Ticket Compare compiles a number of reviewed marketplaces with trusted resellers.
Lydia is a writer with a passion for sport. A lifelong fan of Sheffield United, she keeps close tabs on the Premier League, and loves digging into football data. She holds a degree in English Literature. When she's not writing, you'll find her swotting up on football transfers, or skiing in the alps.
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