National Women's Soccer League attendance

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 2019 season, the last before COVID-19, saw an average 7,337 spectators among the 9 teams, the highest average attendance in league history. Its overall attendance in 2019 was also its highest ever, with 792,409 total. The overall attendance record was broken in the 2022 season, the first since 2019 to be relatively unaffected by COVID-19, with a total of 1,042,063. However, the per-game record from 2019 remains intact; the league had 10 teams in 2019 but expanded to 12 for 2022. The NWSL has the highest average attendance per game among all women's professional sports leagues in the United States.

NWSL attendance has grown since the league's inaugural season in 2013. The per-game average attendance of 7,337 in 2019 was a 21.8% increase over the previous record of 6,024 set in 2018. The 2019 average was a 71.8% increase over the 4,270 average in the league's inaugural 2013 season, a growth rate of 9.4% per year. The total attendance in 2019 was a 111% increase over the 375,763 total in 2013, a growth rate of 13.2% per year.

Fans celebrating after a goal in Portland, Oregon.
The Portland Thorns' average regular-season attendance in 2019 was 20,098 fans.

Season averages[edit]

Season Total Gate Games Average Change High avg.[a] 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]
2017 609,960 120 5,083 −8.5% 17,653 Portland Thorns FC 1,788 FC Kansas City [5]
2018 650,564 108 6,024 18.5% 16,959 Portland Thorns FC 2,531 Sky Blue FC [6]
2019 792,409 108 7,337 21.8% 20,098 Portland Thorns FC 3,338 Sky Blue FC [7]
2021 592,074 116[b] 5,528[8] −30.5% 12,555 Portland Thorns FC 3,143 Chicago Red Stars [9][obsolete source]
2022 1,042,063 132 7,894 42.8% 19,105 Angel City FC 4,385 Orlando Pride [8]
2023 1,366,581 132 10,432 32.2% 20,718 San Diego Wave FC 4,848 Chicago Red Stars [10]
  1. ^ Green shading indicates record highs; red shading indicates record lows.
  2. ^ Portland Thorns FC did not report two matches during a period of capacity restrictions related to COVID-19 pandemic safety policies: versus Louisville on June 5, and Kansas City on June 20. Two further matches (Washington at Portland on September 4, and OL Reign at Washington on September 12) were declared by the league to be forfeits against Washington due to violations of the league's COVID safety protocols and were not played.

By team[edit]

Season BOS CHI FCKC HOU KCC LA LOU NC NJY ORL POR RGN SD UTA WAS WNY
2013[11] 2,427 1,711 4,626 — — — — — 1,666 — 13,320 2,306 — — 3,625 4,485
2014[12] 2,437 2,949 2,018 4,650 -- — — -- 1,656 -- 13,362 3,666 — — 3,335 3,177
2015[13] 2,863 4,210 3,091 6,413 -- — — -- 2,189 -- 15,639 4,060 — — 4,087 2,860
2016[14] 3,570 3,005 3,162 5,696 -- — — -- 2,162 8,785 16,945 4,602 — -- 3,782 3,868
2017[5] 2,896 3,196 1,788 4,578 -- — — 4,389 2,613 6,186 17,653 4,037 — -- 3,491 --
2018[6] — 4,368 — 3,896 -- — — 5,129 2,531 4,837 16,959 3,824 — 9,466 3,892 —
2019[7] — 5,451 — 3,615 -- — — 5,875 3,338 5,565 20,098 5,213 — 10,774 6,105 —
2021[9] — 3,143 — 3,386 4,837 — 6,610 4,986 3,793 4,227 12,555 5,240 — — 4,130 —
2022[8] — 5,863 — 5,644 7,657 19,105 6,048 4,545 4,415 4,385 15,543 6,844 8,729 — 5,955 —
2023[10] — 4,848 — 5,857 11,353 19,756 5,999 5,384 6,293 6,005 18,918 13,610 20,718 — 10,876 —

NWSL attendance vs. other leagues[edit]

Vs. other North American women's professional leagues[edit]

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 Games
played 		Season Attendance Ref.
Average Average vs.
prior season 		Total
National Women's Soccer League 2013 Soccer 12 132 2023 10,432 +32.2% 1,366,581 [10]
Women's National Basketball Association 1996 Basketball 12 216 2022 5,679 +115.4%[a] 1,219,608 [15]
Liga MX Femenil 2016 Soccer 18[b] 306 2023 Clausura 2,483 +23.8% 367,442 [16]
National Pro Fastpitch 2004 Fastpitch 5 72 2015[c] 1,128 +26% ~135,360 [17]
Premier Hockey Federation[d] 2015 Ice hockey 4 60 2016–17 900 [18]
  1. ^ 2021 had low attendance due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports.
  2. ^ As the consequence of a riot, Querétaro played its first four home matches of the Clausura behind closed doors.
  3. ^ NPF had 6 teams for its 2016 & 2017 seasons, though attendance numbers for those are not available. Defunct in 2022.
  4. ^ Known as the National Women's Hockey League before the 2021–22 season. Defunct after the 2022 season.

Vs. other professional soccer leagues in North America[edit]

The following table compares the NWSL regular season average attendance against the average regular season attendance for other professional soccer leagues in North America.

League Year
started 		Division Teams Matches
played 		Season Attendance Ref.
Average Average vs.
prior season 		Total
Liga MX 1943 Men's DI 18[a] 153 2023 Clausura 23,160 +12.8% 3,450,854 [16]
Major League Soccer 1996 Men's DI 28 476 2022 21,033 -1.4%[b] 10,011,578 [19]
National Women's Soccer League 2013 Women's DI 12 132 2023 10,432 +32.2% 1,366,581 [10]
USL Championship[c] 2011 Men's DII 27 472 2022 7,622 +44.5%[b] 1,983,922 [20]
Canadian Premier League 2019 Men's DI 8 112 2022 3,176 -34.7%[b] 355,696 [21]
Liga MX Femenil 2016 Women's DI 18[a] 306 2023 Clausura 2,483 +23.8% 367,442 [16]
USL League One 2019 Men's DIII 11 170 2022 2,203 +13.3%[b] 359,107 [22]
  1. ^ a b As the consequence of a riot, Querétaro played its first four home matches of the Clausura behind closed doors.
  2. ^ a b c d Compared to 2019, the last previous season unaffected by COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.
  3. ^ Known as the United Soccer League before the 2019 season.

Vs. other worldwide women's top-division soccer leagues[edit]

The following table compares the NWSL regular season average attendance against the regular season average attendance for a selection other top-flight soccer leagues from around the world; this list is not exhaustive.

League Year Started Nation # Teams Season Average
attendance		 Average vs.
prior season		 Total
Attendance		 Ref
National Women's Soccer League 2013 United States 12 2023 10,869 +36.2% 1,423,846
FA WSL 1 2011 England 12 2022-23 5,222 +172% 689,304 [23]
Frauen-Bundesliga 1990 Germany 12 2022-23 2,718 +221% 359,428 [23]
Liga MX Femenil 2016 Mexico 18 2022-23 2,072 -16% 311,081
WE League 2021 Japan 12 2022-23 1,401 154,141
Liga-F 1988 Spain 16 2022-23 1,393 +124% 334,320 [23]
A-League Women 2008 Australia 12 2022-23 1,249 +8% 126,194
Division 1 Féminine 1974 France 12 2022-23 954 +42% 126,292 [23]

Individual game highest attendance[edit]

See also: Record attendances in United States club soccer

Regular season[edit]

As of October 6, 2023
Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Venue Location Date Ref.
— OL Reign 0–2 Portland Thorns FC 42,054* Lumen Field Seattle, Washington June 3, 2023 (2023-06-03) [24]
1 OL Reign 0–0 Washington Spirit 34,130 Lumen Field Seattle, Washington October 6, 2023 (2023-10-06) [25]
2 San Diego Wave FC 1–0 Angel City FC 32,000† Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California September 17, 2022 (2022-09-17) [26]
3 San Diego Wave FC 3–2 Chicago Red Stars 30,854 Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California March 25, 2023 (2023-03-25) [27]
— OL Reign 2–1 Portland Thorns FC 27,278* Lumen Field Seattle, Washington August 29, 2021 (2021-08-29) [28][29]
4 Portland Thorns FC 2–1 North Carolina Courage 25,218† Providence Park Portland, Oregon August 11, 2019 (2019-08-11) [30]
Portland Thorns FC 2–0 OL Reign 25,218† Providence Park Portland, Oregon September 16, 2023 (2023-09-16) [31]
6 Portland Thorns FC 0–0 Washington Spirit 24,521 Providence Park Portland, Oregon October 12, 2019 (2019-10-12) [32]
— Chicago Red Stars 0–1 San Diego Wave FC 23,951* Soldier Field Chicago, Illinois July 30, 2022 (2022-07-30) [33][34]
7 Orlando Pride 3–1 Houston Dash 23,403 Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida April 23, 2016 (2016-04-23) [35][36]
8 Portland Thorns FC 5–0 Houston Dash 22,329 Providence Park Portland, Oregon July 24, 2019 (2019-07-24) [37]
9 Angel City FC 2–1 North Carolina Courage 22,000† Banc of California Stadium Los Angeles, California April 29, 2022 (2022-04-29) [38]
Angel City FC 2–1 San Diego Wave FC 22,000† Banc of California Stadium Los Angeles, California July 9, 2022 (2022-07-09) [38]
Angel City FC 2–3 OL Reign 22,000† Banc of California Stadium Los Angeles, California July 30, 2022 (2022-07-30) [38]
Angel City FC 1–3 Racing Louisville FC 22,000† Banc of California Stadium Los Angeles, California September 25, 2022 (2022-09-25) [39]
Angel City FC 1–2 NJ/NY Gotham FC 22,000† BMO Stadium Los Angeles, California March 26, 2023 (2023-03-26) [40]
Angel City FC 0–2 San Diego Wave FC 22,000† BMO Stadium Los Angeles, California April 23, 2023 (2023-04-23) [41]

* indicates part of a doubleheader with other teams; not included in rank
† sellout

Playoffs[edit]

As of November 5, 2023
Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Venue Date Stage Ref.
1 San Diego Wave FC 0–1 OL Reign 32,262 Snapdragon Stadium November 5, 2023 (2023-11-05) Semifinal [42]
2 San Diego Wave FC 2–1 (a.e.t.) Chicago Red Stars 26,215 Snapdragon Stadium October 16, 2022 (2022-10-16) Quarterfinal [43]
3 Portland Thorns FC 2–1 San Diego Wave FC 22,035 Providence Park October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23) Semifinal [44]
4 OL Reign 0–2 Kansas City Current 21,491 Lumen Field October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23) Semifinal [45]
5 Houston Dash 1–2 Kansas City Current 21,284† PNC Stadium October 16, 2022 (2022-10-16) Quarterfinal [43]
6 Portland Thorns FC* 0–3 North Carolina Courage 21,144† Providence Park September 22, 2018 (2018-09-22) Final [46][47]
7 Portland Thorns FC 3–4 Western New York Flash 20,086 Providence Park October 2, 2016 (2016-10-02) Semifinal [48]
8 Portland Thorns FC 4–1 Orlando Pride 18,193 Providence Park October 7, 2017 (2017-10-07) Semifinal [49]
9 Portland Thorns FC* 2–0 Kansas City Current 17,624 Audi Field October 29, 2022 (2022-10-29) Final [50]
10 Portland Thorns FC 0–2 Chicago Red Stars 15,832 Providence Park November 14, 2021 (2021-11-14) Semifinal [51]

* indicates "home" team in predetermined venue for championship final
† Sellout

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Taking Attendance 8/18/2013: Final NWSL Attendance Numbers". Kenn.com. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  2. ^ Gerhke, Sarah (September 30, 2014). "NWSL: Breaking down 2014 attendance numbers, part I". Soccerwire. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  3. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (September 11, 2015). "National Women's Soccer League sees record attendance numbers in third season". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  4. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (November 16, 2016). "National Women's Soccer League once again saw rising attendance numbers in 2016". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "2017 NWSL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "2018 NWSL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "2019 NWSL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "2022 NWSL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "2021 NWSL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d "2023 NWSL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  11. ^ "2013 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  12. ^ "2014 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  13. ^ "2015 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  14. ^ "2016 NWSL Statistics". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  15. ^ "Yearly Attendance by Team". Across the Timeline. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c "Asistencia" [Attendance]. Liga MX. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "A Look Back At The NPF Year 2015". NPF. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Will Female Pro-Hockey Players Ever Get What They're Worth?". Yahoo. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  19. ^ Kennedy, Paul (October 13, 2022). "Crowd Count: MLS attendance tops 10 million for first time". Soccer America. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  20. ^ "2022 USL Championship Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. October 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Schedule". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "2022 USL League One Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. October 15, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d Baer, Bettina. "WOMEN'S FOOTBALL LEAGUE ATTENDANCES CONTINUE TO GROW, AS UNDERSTANDING OF FANS BUILDS ACROSS EUROPE". Two Circles. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  24. ^ Evans, Jayda (June 3, 2023). "OL Reign lose to Thorns for first time since 2019 to cap soccer twinbill". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Anderson, Jason (October 6, 2023). "OL Reign sets standalone NWSL attendance record for Rapinoe farewell game". Pro Soccer Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  26. ^ "Match Recap: San Diego tops Angel City in front of capacity crowd for first win at Snapdragon Stadium". National Women's Soccer League. September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  27. ^ "Late Morgan penalty helps Wave FC edge Chicago in front of over 30,000 fans in San Diego". National Women's Soccer League. March 25, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  28. ^ "Match Recap: Reign Earn Hard Fought 2–1 Win Against Portland" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Evans, Jayda (August 28, 2021). "Sounders, Reign play hosts at unique doubleheader Sunday at Lumen Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  30. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (August 11, 2019). "Portland Thorns fight back to earn massive 2–1 win over North Carolina Courage in front of record-setting crowd". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  31. ^ "Sugita, Weaver goals see Portland to Cascadia clash win over OL Reign". National Women's Soccer League. September 17, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Levine, Matthew (October 12, 2019). "Portland Thorns FC and Washington Spirit play to a 0–0 draw". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  33. ^ "Chicago Red Stars vs. San Diego Wave FC – Football Match Summary". ESPN. July 30, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  34. ^ Sandalow, Brian (July 30, 2022). "Saturday's doubleheader only part of Fire-Red Stars relationship". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  35. ^ Rosenblatt, Ryan (April 23, 2016). "Orlando Pride set NWSL attendance record in first ever home match". Fox Sports. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  36. ^ Stejskal, Sam (April 25, 2016). "Orlando Pride set new NWSL attendance record in inaugural home match". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  37. ^ Goldberg, Jamie (July 24, 2019). "Portland Thorns rout Houston Dash 5–0 as U.S. Women's National Team players make return to Providence Park". Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  38. ^ a b c "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com.
  39. ^ "Stats: Angel City FC vs. Racing Louisville FC". National Women's Soccer League. September 25, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  40. ^ "Purce, Williams deliver Gotham FC comeback victory over Angel City". National Women's Soccer League. March 26, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  41. ^ "San Diego turns tide against Angel City in shutout win". National Women's Soccer League. April 23, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  42. ^ Kraasovic, Tom (November 5, 2023). "Stunning goal sinks San Diego Wave's season in NWSL semifinals". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  43. ^ a b Linehan, Meg (October 16, 2022). "KC Current, San Diego Wave FC advance to NWSL semifinals". The Athletic.
  44. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com.
  45. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com.
  46. ^ "Courage cap off record-setting season with NWSL Championship win". National Women's Soccer League. October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  47. ^ Yang, Meg Linehan and Steph. "This week in NWSL chaos: Current, Wave make it a good day for water in the quarterfinals". The Athletic.
  48. ^ "Flash beat Thorns FC, 4–3, in extra time". National Women's Soccer League. October 2, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  49. ^ "NWSL Playoffs Match Recap: Portland Thorns FC 4, Orlando Pride 1". Portland Thorns FC. October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  50. ^ "First team to three stars". Portland Thorns FC.
  51. ^ Sepich, Scott (November 14, 2021). "Portland Thorns can't break through as Chicago Red Stars win 2–0, advance to NWSL championship". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 23, 2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Women%27s_Soccer_League_attendance&oldid=1216460236"