NWSL Sets Attendance Marks, Surpassing Two Million Total, 11K Average In 2024
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 02:54PM By Barry Janoff
November 6, 2024: With its post-season en route, the NWSL said it has set regular-season marks for total attendance, per-game average and a single-game record.
The league said it reached a “historic milestone in fan engagement” this season, surpassing two million attendees for the first time in its history.
The record was officially set during the Portland Thorns sold-out match in Providence Park Nov. 1, where 23,212 fans gathered to honor retiring forward Christine Sinclair — a three-time league champion and one of the few remaining players from the league's inaugural 2013 season.
Average attendance this past season rose past 11,000.
Both marks surpassed the records set in 2023: total attendance of 1,393,258, a 10,639 per game average.
This season saw 89 matches top 10,000 fans — up from 55 last season.
The league conceded that overall attendance boost was supported by the addition of two expansion teams, Bay FC and Utah Royals, as well as one extra home game per team.
This past season, the NWSL also set a one-game attendance mark when the Chicago Red Stars played Bay FC in the “Red Stars Take Over Wrigley Field” match June 8 when 35,038 people were in the home field of MLB’s Cubs.
That attendance mark bested the previous NWSL single-match attendance record, held by Seattle Reign FC.
The Reign’s October 15, 2023, match in Lumen Field, commemorating the final regular-season home match of soccer icon Megan Rapinoe, drew 34,130 fans.
The San Diego Wave FC topped the league for the second consecutive season with an average of 19,575 per game.
Angel City FC and Portland drew more than 18,000 on average.
Bay FC drew an average of 13,617 fans per game, while Utah Royals saw an average attendance of 10,455.
The NWSL playoffs begin Nov. 8, culminating in the 2024 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel Nov. 23 in Kansas City's CPKC Stadium (CBS).
The NWSL unveiled activation for the NWSL Championship, including the NWSL Skills Challenge, presented by CarMax, on Nov. 22.
Two teams comprised of NWSL stars will compete against each other in a series of skills competitions. The winning team will be awarded a $30,000 prize from CarMax to be split among the team’s players.
Also on Nov. 22, being held for the third consecutive year, is this season’s "NWSL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit, Investing in the Inclusive Future of Sports."
Sponsored by NWSL partners Ally, Delta, and Nationwide, the summit will focus on “leveraging soccer, the global game, to cultivate an inclusive sports culture where individuals of all backgrounds can succeed. Panels will include experts in the field as well as leaders shaping the business of sports through a lens of equity, access, and community impact.”
A Fan Fest will be held in the Gold Lot of CPKC Stadium prior to the game on Nov. 23.
It will feature interactive games, food and beverages and photo opportunities with the NWSL Championship trophy.
The Adobe Stage will return for the second consecutive season and feature a musical guest (to be named on NWSL social channels).
The winner of the Lauren Holiday Impact Award — which "honors the ongoing example of excellence and commitment set by trhe storied NWSL and USWNT star" — will be named as part of NWSL Championship week.
Award-winning singer and activist Melissa Etheridge will perform the national anthem ahead of the title match.
"Melissa Etheridge’s history of advocacy and fearlessness continues to serve as inspiration to our fans everywhere," Julie Haddon, NWSL chief marketing and commercial ofiicer, said via the league.
“Once we knew that our championship would be held in Kansas City, and Melissa being from Kansas, it was clear that we needed Melissa to perform at our biggest event of the year. Her love for the city, the sport, and for the people she has always inspired aligns with so much of what we stand for at the NWSL.”
NWSL Attendance
• 2023: 1,393,258/10,639 average
• 2022: 1,022,412/7,804 average
• 2021: 617,890/5,236 average
• 2020: Covid-19 no official totals
• 2019: 797,332/7,382 average
• 2018: 649,873/6,017 average
Source: NWSL
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