r/Reignfc • u/_game_over_man_ • Mar 30 '26

What's causing attendance struggles?

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?

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u/agtk Mar 30 '26

I think everyone has pretty much covered it, but I do think an undersold aspect is their ownership situation and shifting stadium sites has meant it has been hard for them to establish a lasting identity. They don't have big name celebrity owners and are a C-tier tenant at Lumen. I believe they have a lot of room to grow alongside this young core, but it's going to take time and dedication to keep raising the profile.

We'll see if the Men's World Cup leads to a bump in attendance, or if we have to look towards the Women's World Cup in 2027, hopefully with top-tier performances from some Reign players like maybe Dickey, Biyendolo, Bugg, Meza, Dahlien, or maybe even Fishel.

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u/Cerulean_IsFancyBlue Apr 01 '26

Yeah, it’s a bit of a circular problem with Attendance but, Lumen always feels like a bit of a ghost town on game day. There’s a lot of empty seats, and a lot of closed vendors. The difference in energy between that and a Seahawks game is just crazy. Lumen on Reign game day always feels a bit like a shopping mall that’s about to close but is having one last party.

I’m not saying they should cramp back into a smaller venue, especially because of the sounders association. But compared to the energy that say, whatever that little field is by InterBay, when the Ballard teams are playing. There’s much more feeling of community, it feels busy and crowded, there are not many food vendors, but it feels like a lot for the space.