Boston filled Dilboy Stadium to a nearly full capacity better than any other team filled their stadium this season, although it is the smallest venue in the league. (Photo Copyright Linehan Photography for The Equalizer)
The final week of the National Women’s Soccer League regular season was important for playoff seeding, and the fans showed up to see the action. All four games had above average crowds, with Seattle having a sellout. Flash fans showed big support for the newly crowned regular season champs with their third largest attended game of the year.
If 3,000 was the magic number, then the attendance numbers for the year were pretty close to expectations. The median for the league was just over the 3,000 fan mark, which is close to the league average without the Portland home games figured in. Boston, which played in the smallest stadium, won the capacity battle with several sellouts during the year.
Now onto the playoffs, which could see big gates and solid TV numbers.
Here are the NWSL’s attendance numbers through Week 19 (88 games):
Average Attendance: 4,271
(Average Attendance Without Portland’s Home Games: 2,978)
Attendance Standard Deviation: 3,795
Median Attendance: 3,007
Total Attendance to date: 375,846
(Total Attendance Without Portland’s Home Games: 229,325)
Week Nineteen Attendance Numbers:
Boston Breakers @ Western New York Flash (Sahlen’s Stadium) – 6,311
Portland Thorns FC @ Seattle Reign FC (Starfire Stadium) – 3,855 (sellout)
Chicago Red Stars @ FC Kansas City (Verizon Wireless Field) – 4,910
Sky Blue FC @ Washington Spirit (Maryland SoccerPlex) – 4,241
| Average Home Attendance | |||
| Team | Games | Average | Capacity |
| Portland Thorns FC | 11 | 13,320 | 65% |
| FC Kansas City | 11 | 4,626 | 75% |
| Western New York Flash | 11 | 4,485 | 33% |
| Washington Spirit | 11 | 3,625 | 81% |
| Boston Breakers | 11 | 2,427 | 89% |
| Seattle Reign FC | 11 | 2,306 | 64% |
| Chicago Red Stars | 11 | 1,713 | 49% |
| Sky Blue FC | 11 | 1,677 | 34% |
