National Women's Soccer League attendance
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the top-tier professional women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2013, the 2016 season saw an average 5,558 spectators between the 10 teams, the highest average attendance in league history. NWSL has the second-highest average attendance among all women's professional sports leagues in the United States, second in average attendance per game behind the WNBA.
NWSL attendance has grown since the league's inaugural season in 2013. The average attendance of 5,558 in 2016 was a 30% increase over the 4,270 average in 2013. The total attendance of 555,775 in 2016 is a 47.9% increase over the 375,763 total in 2013.
2016 season
The following is a list of the average attendance for each of the ten NWSL teams at their regular-season games. It includes the team, the average attendance for the 2016 regular season and the 2015 regular season, the percentage change in attendance from season-to-season, the home venue, the home venue's capacity, and the percent of capacity.
| Team | 2016 Attendance | 2015 Attendance | Change | Stadium | Capacity (Unrestricted) | Percent (2016) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Breakers | 3,570 | 2,863 | +24.7% | Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium | 4,000 | 89.25% |
| Chicago Red Stars | 3,005 | 4,210 | -28.6% | Toyota Park | 20,000 | 15% |
| FC Kansas City | 3,162 | 3,091 | +2.3% | Swope Soccer Village | 3,557 | 88.9% |
| Houston Dash | 5,696 | 6,413 | -11.2% | BBVA Compass Stadium | 7,000 (22,039) | 81.4% (25.8%) |
| Orlando Pride | 8,785 | -- | n/a | Camping World Stadium | 60,219 | 14.6% |
| Portland Thorns FC | 16,945 | 15,639 | +8.4% | Providence Park | 20,438 | 82.9% |
| Seattle Reign FC | 4,602 | 4,060 | 13.3% | Memorial Stadium | 6,000 (12,000) | 76.7% (38.4%) |
| Sky Blue FC | 2,162 | 2,189 | -1.2% | Yurcak Field | 5,000 | 43.24% |
| Washington Spirit | 3,782 | 4,087 | -7.5% | Maryland SoccerPlex | 4,000 | 94.6% |
| Western New York Flash | 3,868 | 2,860 | +35.2% | Rochester Rhinos Stadium | 13,768 | 28.1% |
Season averages
| Season | Total Gate | Games | Average | Change | High avg. | Team | Low avg. | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 375,763 | 88 | 4,270 | -- | 13,320 | Portland Thorns FC | 1,664 | Sky Blue FC | [1] |
| 2014 | 446,820 | 108 | 4,137 | –3.1% | 13,362 | Portland Thorns FC | 1,640 | Sky Blue FC | [2] |
| 2015 | 454,100 | 90 | 5,046 | +21.9% | 15,639 | Portland Thorns FC | 2,189 | Sky Blue FC | [3] |
| 2016 | 555,775 | 100 | 5,558 | +10.1% | 16,945 | Portland Thorns FC | 2,162 | Sky Blue FC | [4] |
Notes:
- Green shading indicates record highs; red shading indicates record lows.
By team
| Season | BOS | CHI | FKC | HOU | NJ | ORL | POR | SEA | WAS | WNY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013[5] | 2,427 | 1,711 | 4,626 | -- | 1,666 | -- | 13,320 | 2,306 | 3,625 | 4,485 |
| 2014[6] | 2,437 | 2,949 | 2,018 | 4,650 | 1,656 | -- | 13,362 | 3,666 | 3,335 | 3,177 |
| 2015[7] | 2,863 | 4,210 | 3,091 | 6,413 | 2,189 | -- | 15,639 | 4,060 | 4,087 | 2,860 |
| 2016[8] | 3,570 | 3,005 | 3,162 | 5,696 | 2,162 | 8,785 | 16,945 | 4,602 | 3,782 | 3,868 |
NWSL attendance vs. other North American women's professional leagues
The following table compares the NWSL regular season average attendance against the regular season average attendance for other professional women's sports leagues in North America.
| League | Year Started | Sport | # Teams | Season | Average attendance | Average vs. prior season | Total Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's National Basketball Association | 1996 | Basketball | 12 | 2016 | 7,655 | +6.6% | 1,561,530 | [9] |
| National Women's Soccer League | 2013 | Soccer | 10 | 2016 | 5,558 | +10.1% | 555,775 | [4] |
| National Pro Fastpitch | 2004 | Fastpitch | 5 | 2015 | 1,128 | +26% | ~135,360 | [10] |
| National Women's Hockey League | 2015 | Ice hockey | 4 | 2016-17 | 900 | [11] |
Notes: Italics indicate statistics for the previous season; NPF had 6 teams for its 2016 season, though attendance numbers for 2016 are not available.
Individual game highest attendance
Regular season, overall
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando Pride | 3–1 | Houston Dash | 23,403 | April 23, 2016 | [12] |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 0–1 | Seattle Reign FC | 21,144 | July 22, 2015 | [13] |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 3–3 | Washington Spirit | 21,144 | August 30, 2015 | [14] |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 3–2 | Western New York Flash | 21,144 | September 11, 2016 | [15] |
| 5 | Portland Thorns FC | 1–0 | Seattle Reign FC | 19,231 | July 30, 2016 | [16] |
| 6 | Portland Thorns FC | 1–0 | Houston Dash | 19,123 | August 3, 2014 | [17] |
| 7 | Portland Thorns FC | 0–0 | Seattle Reign FC | 18,114 | May 29, 2016 | [18] |
NWSL Championship playoffs
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland Thorns FC | 3–4 | Western New York Flash | 20,086 | October 2, 2016 | [19] |
| 2 | FC Kansas City* | 1–0 | Seattle Reign | 13,264 | October 1, 2015 | [20] |
| 3 | Western New York Flash | 1–2 | Portland Thorns FC | 9,129 | August 31, 2013 | [21] |
Notes: Bold indicates Championship final for that year; * indicates "home" team for Championship final in predetermined venue
See also
References
- ↑ "Taking Attendance 8/18/2013: Final NWSL Attendance Numbers". Kenn.com. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ↑ Gerhke, Sarah (September 30, 2014). "NWSL: Breaking down 2014 attendance numbers, part I". Soccerwire. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ↑ Goldberg, Jamie (September 11, 2015). "National Women's Soccer League sees record attendance numbers in third season". The Oregonian. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- 1 2 Goldberg, Jamie (November 16, 2016). "National Women's Soccer League once again saw rising attendance numbers in 2016". The Oregonian. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ↑ "2013 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ↑ "2014 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ↑ "2015 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ↑ "2016 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ↑ "2016 NBA Attendance Info". Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ↑ "A Look Back At The NPF Year 2015". NPF. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Will Female Pro-Hockey Players Ever Get What They're Worth?". Yahoo. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ↑ Rosenblatt, Ryan (April 23, 2016). "Orlando Pride set NWSL attendance record in first ever home match". Fox Sports. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ "Seattle Reign beat Portland Thorns in front of record NWSL crowd". Sports Illustrated. July 23, 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ Blue, Molly (August 30, 2015). "Portland Thorns draw 3-3 with Washington Spirit in final home game of the season". The Oregonian. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ "Portland Thorns FC 3, Western New York Flash 2". SB Nation. September 11, 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ Goldberg, Jamie (July 30, 2016). "Final: Portland Thorns 1, Seattle Reign 0: Live chat recap". The Oregonian. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ Goldberg, Jamie (August 4, 2014). "Portland Thorns set NWSL attendance record". The Oregonian. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ "Seattle Reign, Portland Thorns play to a scoreless tie". The Seattle Times. May 29, 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ↑ "Flasth beat Thorns FC, 4-3, in extra time". National Womens Soccer League. October 2, 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ↑ Goldberg, Jamie (October 1, 2015). "FC Kansas City wins second consecutive National Women's Soccer League championship title". The Oregonian. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ↑ Hays, Graham (September 8, 2013). "Portland blazes trail with NWSL title". ESPN. Retrieved 28 November 2016.