Hearts and Hibs fans at the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle in SeptemberHearts and Hibs fans at the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle in September
Hearts and Hibs fans at the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle in September

How the Premiership table would look if based on crowds – and where Hearts, Hibs and Livingston would be

It has been a strange season with crowds in the Scottish Premiership. The campaign returned with limited capacities and no away fans.

Slowly but surely stadiums were able to open in full following the coronavirus pandemic as a semblance of normality resumed with the 2020/21 season played largely behind closed doors.

Then the Omircon variants reared its very ugly head and the Scottish Government took the decision to once again limit sporting crowds. This saw some games played behind closed doors and others with only a small number of fans with the SPFL clubs deciding to bring forward the winter break to allow those limits to be lifted and games be played in front of full crowds once more.

This season has shown the importance of fans. They are not mere spectators but the way they engage with the game and make it a much more enjoyable spectacle really was noticed by clubs, management staff and players.

Supporters give the game a better feel. One recording of supporters played across the tannoy can't make up for. It has made the Scottish Premiership and the SPFL a much better spectacle than it was last season when fans were reduced to following games via streams and social media.

How strong have attendances been in the top-flight? Scroll down and click through for the average attendances of the 12 clubs.

*Celtic, Livingston and St Johnstone’s averages are taken from a lower number of games due to figures not being available for certain fixtures.