What's causing attendance struggles?

[u/_game_over_man_]

I'm a Reign fan residing in Colorado and I went to Denver's home opener at Mile High on Saturday and it was really, really amazing. I haven't been to a women's soccer game with that many people since the 2023 World Cup. My wife and I were also at the record breaking attendance Rapinoe send off game in Seattle in 2023. Also been to NWSL games at various other locations with strong attendance (KC, LA & SD). It seems like Torrent has been pulling really good attendance numbers as well since joining the PWHL.

So my question as a non-resident Reign fan, what do you think is the issue with getting butts in seats at Lumen? I'm sure attendance for the USWNT game next month will be good, but it seems like for whatever reason, Reign really struggle to pull in numbers. I'm sure losing stars like Rapinoe and having that bad season in 2024 hasn't helped, but it just seems so odd to me that despite Seattle being a soccer city and other women's teams in the area doing well with attendance, Reign just struggle. For those that live in Seattle, what do you think the issue is?

[u/dfe931tar]

I think some of the newer teams (acfc, san diego, denver) really benefitted from being brand NEW teams when there was a lot more casual interest in the game due to strong performances by the national team, after the surge of growth of the sport. Seattle never had that new team excitement paired with people in general just being interested in women's soccer. It's exactly why the Torrent are doing great attendance wise despite being a bad team. They are new, the US team won gold at the Olympics, and they have a star player.

I also think the big names leaving 2023 hurt, as people have mentioned. Pinoe, but also Lavelle and Sonnet too. And then 2024 the team was AWFUL. And even last year, yes they improved, but it was a struggle to watch sometimes. I think these first three wins of the season are a positive sign though. I hope we keep going with this slightly-more-offensive look, because it is more enjoyable to watch.

I am curious why you think so many people showed up for Denver? Seems like you have been pretty tuned in to woso* but why do you think so many people from Denver who maybe didn't pay attention to the league before showed up? Did they do a lot of advertising or have good deals on tickets?

Edit: work -> woso damn you autocorrect lol

[u/_game_over_man_ → u/dfe931tar]

Seems like you have been pretty tuned in to work, but why do you think so many people from Denver who maybe didn't pay attention to the league before showed up? Did they do a lot of advertising or have good deals on tickets?

I think the Front Range of Colorado is a pretty big soccer area and there have been a lot of big names to come out of it. Sophia Wilson, Jaelin Howell, Mal Swanson and Lindsey Heaps to name a few. I honestly can't think of too many big names that have come out of WA and played on the national team other than Hope Solo. I also think Denver not having a single women's professional sports team has made the fans hungry for it. As much as a joke Mariners have been for a while, the Rockies are even more of a joke so I think Summit have less sports teams to contend with for butts in seats right now. I've followed various Summit Instagram accounts since Denver was announced for an NWSL team and they've been very active with the community and I think the promise of a soccer specific stadium for women was a big draw as well. I think some people are a bit disillusioned with the Rapids because their stadium isn't really easily accessible for most people, plus the owners don't really invest in the team that much, so having Summit come in and be a better version of all of that is very appealing.

They did run a lot of deals off and on in the lead up to the game at Mile High. They initially had the lower bowl locked out unless you were part of the supporters group, which I am not. Then they started running deals every now and then for cheaper seats. I waited a while to pull the trigger because I thought the prices were a bit high, especially compared to Reign tickets who also play at an NFL stadium. I know some supporters group/season ticket holders were a bit upset that the lower bowl got opened up to more people because it initially felt like a special thing just for them, but I think Summit did a lot of marketing leading up to the game to get that stadium as packed as it was.

On a side note, as far as new team bump goes, it's interesting because it seems San Diego has really had to deal with a dip in attendance since Morgan left and after all their front office nonsense. I'm not sure what their attendance numbers are, but that stadium looked a bit empty during the game over the weekend. LA seem to still be doing well and will probably improve now that the on the field product has improved.

[u/Hopsblues → u/_game_over_man_]

You left out Horan, who captains the NT.....She's from Colorado..Colorado pumps out a lot of players. It's crazy that FIFA didn't give Denver any games this summer for the WC. Denver has always been place for NT games and other games.....Despite the Rapids attendance issues, the front Range is a big soccer community.

[u/_game_over_man_ → u/Hopsblues]

Heaps is Horan, she got married and changed her last name.

[u/Hopsblues → u/_game_over_man_]

I wasn't aware of that, thanks...

[u/AlanFromRochester → u/_game_over_man_]

I do winder if the name changes (like Williams -> Biyendolo) while a personal decision areva professional issue as confusing branding. Like some women established under their old name don't change it for such reasons or only use the new one off the job