J. League officials on Tuesday expressed optimism that the government’s decision to end emergency measures across the country would allow clubs to admit more fans into stadiums over the final two months of the season, but admitted that a full return to pre-pandemic crowds and atmospheres may be impossible this year.
While soccer games in prefectures under states of emergency have been restricted to maximum crowds of 5,000, that limit will be lifted to 50% of venue capacity — with a cap of 10,000 for stadiums that can accommodate more than 20,000 fans — for a one-month period under transitional rules.
As of last weekend’s games, average attendance in this season’s first division stood at 5,611 per game — below 2020’s pandemic-impacted 5,796. The J1 achieved its largest-ever crowds in 2019, with average attendance of 20,751.
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