The NWSL Championship Game delivered a low-scoring 1-0 final score, plus a low-attendance shock. Only 8,124 fans showed up for the game.
Five months ago I predicted a record high attendance for the NWSL championship, played October 14 in Orlando. The 8,124 who bought tickets, watching the Portland Thorns defeat the North Carolina Courage, resoundingly tanked that prediction. They posted a lower attendance than last year’s championship in Houston.
@chuckx777 Wrong about that attendance record?
— Frontier FC (@FcFrontier) October 15, 2017
Only 8,255 trickled in for the 2016 match at BBVA Compass Stadium. That seat count shocked those who witnessed the 13,264 high mark set for the 2015 championship. The shock lasted at least until they counted the championship tickets last weekend.
The local Orlando Pride team has set regular-season attendance records several times. But that didn’t translate to overall National Women’s Soccer League fandom.
This year’s winning Portland Thorn team had a magnificent attendance average this year. That average figure more than triples the 5,083 league average. Yet all those fans didn’t fly to Orlando in support.
"SoccerAmerica: The Thorns averaged 17,653 fans a game, breaking the record they set in 2016. Their average is currently higher than that of eight MLS teams."
Overall league regular season attendance fell 8.5% this year.
Building NWSL success
League officials will have to continue studying the Thorns model to get more teams into that successful mode of operations. NWSL managing director of operations Amanda Duffy said that kind of study represents exactly what the league has planned.
"Duffy: Five years from now, can we have 10 home openers that look like what we saw in Portland? I think even if half the league is achieving something close to that, we are certainly making the right strides and taking the right steps forward to get this league where we want it to be."
Also, previous season’s attendance got help from international exposure for the players.
Until international play happens again, those women’s teams that have MLS team sponsorships should push for double-headers, with the women’s team going on first. That gets eager fans into the stadium early.
When those fans see what I’ve seen in NWSL play, with a unique combination of competition and joy, they’ll get hooked. And my next prediction of record high attendance for the NWSL Championship will come true.