We take a look at every attendance of the 2024/25 National League Cup with it reportedly ‘set to continue’ despite a low turnout.
According to the The Non-League Paper in June, The National League Cup is to return for the new campaign, despite low attendances, boycotts and backlash.
The competition between National League clubs and Premier League 2 sides was first introduced last season and saw Leeds United beat Sutton United in the final.
It’s the controversially competition that launched much to everyone’s surprise last season, featuring 32 teams (16 National League, 16 Premier League 2 U21).
It looks to be another year of seeing a number of teams deciding not to take part, with the chief of recently relegated Carlisle United, Nigel Clibbens, saying strongly hinting that they won’t be involved. See more on that further down in the article.
Time for a look at every attendance of the 2024/25 National League Cup with it ‘set to continue’ despite low turnout…
According to Thomas Feaheny, the average National League Cup attendance this season was 580
Group Stage – Woking 2–2 (3–4 p) Brighton & Hove Albion U21 – Att: 227
Group Stage – Maidenhead United 2–0 Fulham U21 – 210
Group Stage – Aldershot Town 3–0 Derby County U21 – 190
Group Stage – Aldershot Town 2–3 Brighton & Hove Albion U21 – 317
Group Stage – Wealdstone 0–2 Fulham U21 – 190
Group Stage – Woking 4–4 (3–0 p) Southampton U21 – 157
Group Stage – Maidenhead United 3–3 (7–6 p) Derby County U21 – 145
Group Stage – Wealdstone 3–1 Southampton U21 – 160
Group Stage – Aldershot Town 2–1 Southampton U21 – 272
Group Stage – Wealdstone 2–0 Derby County U21 – 93
Group Stage – Woking 2–3 Fulham U21 – 222
Group Stage – Maidenhead United 2–1 Brighton & Hove Albion U21 – 160
Group Stage – Woking 2–0 Derby County U21 – 91 (lowest in the comp)
Group Stage – Aldershot Town 2–1 Fulham U21 – 367
Group Stage – Wealdstone 0–1 Brighton & Hove Albion U21 – 116
Group Stage – Maidenhead United 0–6 Southampton U21 – TBC
Group Stage – Oldham Athletic 2–1 Stoke City U21 – 455
Group Stage – Altrincham 3–3 (6–5 p) Blackburn Rovers U21 – 783
Group Stage – Forest Green Rovers 2–3 Manchester United U21 – 1,273
Group Stage – Rochdale 4–1 Blackburn Rovers U21 – 426
Group Stage – Forest Green Rovers 0–4 Stoke City U21 – 257
Group Stage – Oldham Athletic 2–2 (2–4 p) Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 – 520
Group Stage – Altrincham 0–4 Manchester United U21 – 3,663
Group Stage – Rochdale 0–1 Manchester United U21 – 3,681 (highest in the comp)
Group Stage – Altrincham 4–1 Stoke City U21 – 879
Group Stage – Oldham Athletic 3–2 Blackburn Rovers U21 – 356
Group Stage – Forest Green Rovers 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 – TBC
Group Stage – Forest Green Rovers 4–2 Blackburn Rovers U21 – 117
Group Stage – Rochdale 2–0 Stoke City U21 – TBC
Group Stage – Altrincham 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 – 1,038
Group Stage – Oldham Athletic 0–5 Manchester United U21 – 1,895
Group Stage – Rochdale 2–2 (1–4 p) Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 – 331
Group Stage – FC Halifax Town 1–2 Newcastle United U21 – 292
Group Stage – Boston United 3–4 Leeds United U21 – 467
Group Stage – Gateshead 1–0 Middlesbrough U21 – 253
Group Stage – Boston United 1–0 Sunderland U21 – 414
Group Stage – Tamworth 1–1 (5–6 p) Newcastle United U21 – 387
Group Stage – Gateshead 1–2 Leeds United U21 – 272
Group Stage – FC Halifax Town 1–4 Middlesbrough U21 – 256
Group Stage – Tamworth 1–5 Sunderland U21 – 403
Group Stage – Boston United 3–2 Newcastle United U21 – 386
Group Stage – FC Halifax Town 2–2 (3–5 p) Leeds United U21 – 471
Group Stage – Gateshead 2–2 (5–4 p) Sunderland U21 – 100
Group Stage – Boston United 1–1 (5–4 p) Middlesbrough U21 – 273
Group Stage – Gateshead 2–4 Newcastle United U21 – 470
Group Stage – Tamworth 2–1 Leeds United U21 – 351
Group Stage – FC Halifax Town 2–1 Sunderland U21 – 195
Group Stage – Tamworth 0–2 Middlesbrough U21 – 355
Group Stage – Ebbsfleet United 2–2 (5–4 p) West Bromwich Albion U21 – 213
Group Stage – Dagenham & Redbridge 5–5 (3–5 p) Tottenham Hotspur U21 – 184
Group Stage – Ebbsfleet United 1–1 (3–4 p) Tottenham Hotspur U21 – 865
Group Stage – Braintree Town 4–2 West Ham United U21 – 437
Group Stage – Dagenham & Redbridge 2–1 West Bromwich Albion U21 – 183
Group Stage – Braintree Town 3–2 West Bromwich Albion U21 – 123
Group Stage – Dagenham & Redbridge 1–3 Nottingham Forest U21 – 174
Group Stage – Sutton United 3–0 Tottenham Hotspur U21 – 1,092
Group Stage – Braintree Town 1–0 Nottingham Forest U21 – 148
Group Stage – Sutton United 0–2 West Ham United U21 – 1,164
Group Stage – Ebbsfleet United 1–2 West Ham United U21 – 508
Group Stage – Ebbsfleet United 1–1 (2–1 p) Nottingham Forest U21 – 215
Group Stage – Sutton United 2–2 (3–1 p) West Bromwich Albion U21 – 657
Group Stage – Dagenham & Redbridge 2–0 West Ham United U21 – 733
Group Stage – Braintree Town 3–1 Tottenham Hotspur U21 – 543
Group Stage – Sutton United 3–2 Nottingham Forest U21 – 723
Quarter Final – Sutton United 3–0 Manchester United U21 – 1,729
Quarter Final – Altrincham 3–3 (3–2 p) Newcastle United U21 – 623
Quarter Final – Aldershot Town 1–3 Leeds United U21 – 851
Quarter Final – Braintree Town 2–1 Brighton & Hove Albion U21 – 408
Semi Final – Altrincham 1–2 Leeds United U21 – 1,025
Semi Final – Braintree Town 0–0 (4–5 p) Sutton United – 728
Final – Sutton United 1–2 Leeds United U21 – 3,062
Carlisle United’s chief was asked for the club’s position on whether they would take part in the competition for 2025/26.
He said to the News & Star: “The club has a view and it’s made a decision.
“We haven’t gone public on it yet. We just want to make the disclosure in the right way.”
Questioned if Carlisle’s “decision” was taken into account the view of supporters, Clibbens said: “Yes – we had discussions with Matt Spooner, the [Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust] director. He made the fans’ view really, really clear.”
Carlisle, when voting in favour of the contentious involvement of Under-21 teams in the EFL Trophy several years ago, did so despite supporters in a poll making clear their stance against the format.
Clibbens spoke on a pol in 2016 which saw the club vote in favour of the involvement of under 21 teams in the EFL Trophy, despite making clear they were against the idea.
Cribbins said: “I’ll let you speculate on what the decision might be off the back of that.”
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Asked if the club were considering a poll again, he added: “No, I don’t think it was considered necessary because we’ve got some lived experience since then.
“We’ve got how the tournament worked with the EFL Trophy.
“It’s different in the National League – in the EFL, once the vote’s taken, you’re in it. But it’s voluntary in the National League. And obviously our priority is promotion.
“And the other thing that people don’t necessarily know about the National League Cup is that it’s not geography-specific. So, you can be playing anywhere. From our point of view, that doesn’t necessarily help us at all.
“So, there are a lot of factors that weigh in one particular direction.”
The National League said that the involvement of Premier League clubs in the National League Cup saw a prize fund of £1million shared by the non league clubs for 2024/25.
“I think you reach the final, I think the numbers can be comparable to the EFL Trophy, from what was disclosed by the National League,” added Clibbens.
“But for us, it’s never going to be about the financial impact.
“We’re in a different climate to where we were when that original poll was done a few years ago.”
Many teams opted out of the National League Cup last season, with Eastleigh citing low demand, minimal financial rewards, and the burden of extra fixtures in an already busy schedule.
They also took aim at the lack of protection for National League clubs when Premier League and EFL clubs target their young players.
The Premier League and National League meanwhile continued to defend the competition, stating the cup aims to provide young players from top-tier clubs with opportunities to compete against senior teams to enhance elite player development.
“The National League Cup also looks set to continue” https://t.co/Lohc5ISXfi pic.twitter.com/z3zjcJaGZh
— Luke (@LRbix) June 8, 2025
Hoping we refuse to play in this absolute waste of time now that we’ve qualified for it this time.#ycfc https://t.co/VXswTGQknz pic.twitter.com/vIivczM9Fw
— Brian Stokes (@brianstokes92) June 8, 2025
