Youth football continues to grow in popularity year by year — not only in the media, but also in real life. This is evidenced by the steady increase in attendance at the League’s flagship tournament, even despite the absence of traditional matchday formats during the past season.
Here are the Freedom QJ League 2025 leaders in this category.
First place — Taraz
The southern club topped the flagship tournament in terms of home attendance. On average, Taraz matches were attended by 445 spectators, while the total home attendance of the U-18 team across 11 rounds reached 4,892 people.
Younger teams were also well supported: during the previous season, Taraz’s U-17 and U-16 home matches attracted 3,217 and 2,850 fans respectively.
Notably, the club has been among the attendance leaders for the third consecutive year — finishing in the top three in both 2023 and 2024. Unsurprisingly, Taraz was awarded the Seyilda Baishakov Prize for Best Marketing of the Season at the end of last year — the second such honor in the club’s history.
Video invitations featuring players, outdoor advertising, matchday entertainment, children’s masterclasses, and consistent cooperation with the League, partners, and local media all contributed to building strong and sustainable support for the club’s young footballers.
Second place — Caspiy
Home matches of the Aktau-based club attracted an average of 251 spectators in the flagship tournament, with a total seasonal attendance of 2,754.
For comparison, Caspiy’s average attendance in its debut season stood at just 167 spectators. The significant growth may be linked to the League matchday held in Aktau in 2024, as well as the overall rise in popularity of youth football in Kazakhstan.
Third place — Zhas Kyran
Almaty’s Zhas Kyran completed the top three with 2,482 spectators overall and an average of 226 per match.
Unlike Taraz and Caspiy, Zhas Kyran competes for attention within the same city — most notably with Kairat. Despite this, the club succeeded in forming a loyal core of local supporters who backed the team throughout the season.
Full ranking:
Taraz — 4,892 spectators (445 per match)
Caspiy — 2,754 (251)
Zhas Kyran — 2,482 (226)
Irtysh — 2,208 (201)
Shakhter — 2,202 (201)
Aktobe — 2,165 (197)
Atyrau — 1,856 (169)
Kairat — 1,758 (160)
Tobol — 1,659 (151)
Ordabasy — 1,529 (139)
Kaisar — 1,445 (132)
It is also worth noting that the only club to play all of its matches without spectators last season was Astana. This was due to the capital’s teams hosting their home games at the indoor Football House, which does not have stands for fans.
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