Scottish Premiership attendance crosses the four million mark

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man

The framework

The Scottish Premiership reached, for the first time in its history, more than 4 million fans in the stands over the course of last season.

Why It Matters

In a country of approximately 5.5 million people, reaching 4 million spectators in a single season means that virtually every Scot has been to a stadium at least once throughout the year.

For comparison, much richer and media-rich leagues such as England's Premier League , Italy's Serie A or Spain's La Liga have higher absolute attendance figures but none come close to the Scottish proportion when dividing fans by population size.

The Engine of Rivalry

Much of that movement comes from the country's most famous rivalry: The Old Firm, between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow. Both teams dominate the league and draw huge crowds, but clubs such as Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibernian also contribute consistent audiences.

The Scottish passion is not new to those who follow British football, the difference being that season after season the country keeps hitting audience milestones and the 4 million mark is the new benchmark.

Where we are

The Scottish league finishes the season with its best-ever record in ticket sales and is Europe's absolute leader in attendance per head.The challenge from now on will be to turn this strength of the stands into increased competitiveness inside the pitch - something that Scotland fans, increasingly present at stadiums, hope to see over coming seasons.