Women’s football has seen an attendance spike in the US following the nation’s success in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In the first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) fixtures since the US team beat the Netherlands in the final in Paris last week, attendances were up across the board.
Portland Thorns attracted the biggest crowd of 18,909 for their game against Orlando Pride, which was up around five per cent on the club’s 18,053 average so far this season.
The biggest percentage rise compared to the median came at Houston Dash’s match against Chicago Red Stars, with the gate of 5,327 up a huge 43 per cent on the average.
League leaders North Carolina Courage’s game against Reign FC at Sahlen’s Stadium saw a 29 per cent uptick to 6,216, while Sky Blue saw a 29 per cent boost to 1,842 for their game against Utah Royals.
Despite the spike over the weekend the NWSL average of 5,711 after 13 weeks is down slightly by 0.05 per cent compared to a year ago. However, attendances should climb further when World Cup heroes such as Reign FC’s Megan Rapinoe and Washington Spirit’s Rose Lavelle return to club action.
English clubs will also hope for increases in attendances when the FA Women’s Super League (FAWSL) begins in September.
Premier League grounds Stamford Bridge, Etihad Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are already scheduled to host major games in the early part of the season.
Image: Jamie Smed (Flickr)
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