USSFD2 average Thursday morning was 4,372. After a weekend that saw 7 games average 8,071 (far and away the highest of the season), the average is now 4,566. And here's the deal on Tampa Bay: They're still new at this. There's only so much the name and colors can do after 17 years dead. They're playing in a baseball stadium with a 100 yard field. As they're sharing space with a baseball team, they've had some bad (weeknight) dates that are unavoidable. (The Tampa Yankees are also in line to make the Florida State League playoffs, which probably won't go until the Rowdies' next home game 9/16, but you never know.) Those who thought there were just thousands upon thousands of fans who've been pining for pro soccer's return since the demise of the Mutiny - fans who'd endure anything to go to nearly every game - were wrong. At the end of the day, it's still D2 soccer, it's still a tough sell, you have to work at it, and they're in a less-than-ideal situation since they got NIMBYd out of their own stadium. In a related story, those who insist that if the Mutiny had just been named Rowdies, they'd still be around today have a harder case to make now. The name simply can't perform magic.
Don't get me started there. Anybody who thinks that name is worth an extra few thousand people is smoking something.
I pretty much always agree with Kenn on how to increase your attendance. It's almost like that old phrase " How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" But instead "How do you increase your attendance in minoir league soccer?" But the answer is sell, sell and sell. It's a lot of hard work and building relationships and both of those take time. Both Portland and Montreal took time to get to the level they are at now. It wasn't an over night attenance swell. Heck, Montreal almost went out of business.
US Division 2 Code: % of season completed 81.7% Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 2955 2163 41.3% 2.9% 2003 3132 2218 47.0% 3.7% 2004 3752 3014 32.2% 3.8% 2005 4390 3537 19.0% 8.0% 2006 4534 3217 17.5% 10.9% 2007 4638 4113 19.7% 8.8% 2008 5188 4531 11.2% 11.9% 2009 4545 3655 22.4% 11.2% 2010 4566 2985 27.2% 12.9% Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 3037 2185 40.1% 3.6% 2003 3335 2463 42.9% 4.1% 2004 3878 3107 30.9% 4.5% 2005 4527 3554 19.6% 7.7% 2006 4666 3370 18.5% 10.7% 2007 4771 4274 19.6% 10.1% 2008 5164 4510 10.9% 12.1% 2009 4709 3662 21.2% 13.3% USL2/D3 Pro League Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<1K %>3k 2005 1680 1457 21.4% 11.9% 2006 1803 1703 14.1% 11.8% 2007 1575 1423 28.1% 6.3% 2008 1614 1629 26.0% 7.3% 2009 1602 1518 31.8% 7.1% 2010 1689 1385 35.1% 17.5% Code: USL2 Total Team Avg Playoffs Charleston Battery 36412 3641 4523 Richmond Kickers 20440 2044 2276 Harrisburg City Islanders 16659 1666 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 9409 941 Charlotte Eagles 9107 911 Real Maryland Monarchs 4259 608 As expected, average is way up. We've more than recovered what we lost last week. However, the median did not recover, and is still below 3000. It's a real worry that you have to go back to 2003 when the A-League was populated by teams like the Cincinnati Riverhawks (average 377) to find a worse median. Of course, it's hard to say how much fluff there was back then. So maybe, despite things looking abysmal this season (outside of Montreal and Portland), maybe things are better than they were five or six years ago. Who knows. But it's only downhill from here. Portland only has one home game left, Montreal two. Likely to all be sellouts. Rochester also has two. Sellouts would be nice, but I'm not expecting it. Though they did have a season high at their last home game. Any hopes of a decent final set of numbers rely on 4 games in St. Louis, 4 games in Miami and 4 games in Carolina. Yeah. It's all downhill from here. For the record, this week's home teams are: Portland, Carolina, Austin, St. Louis, Vancouver and Puerto Rico. (Here's hoping they can get that last one in between hurricanes).
It jumped up past where it was two weeks ago. Considering how far it dropped last week, that's an accomplishment. That's all I meant. And, you have to admit that a 4.4% jump this late in the season is a pretty impressive jump. It's small consolation, though. Despite Montreal and Portland (who have done as good or better than any previous year), this will be the worst year since '05 for average, and the worst year since '03 for median. It could finish out the worst year since '03 for %<2k. All the numbers seem to be going in the wrong direction.
Yeah, but it's based on exactly two markets, one of which leaves in two months and the other which leaves in 14.
US Division 2 Code: % of season completed 84.4% Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 2981 2167 40.6% 2.8% 2003 3142 2218 46.4% 3.6% 2004 3720 2928 31.7% 3.7% 2005 4392 3537 19.1% 7.8% 2006 4485 3217 18.4% 10.6% 2007 4585 4100 20.6% 8.5% 2008 5116 4510 11.5% 11.5% 2009 4575 3647 21.6% 11.5% 2010 4603 3104 27.0% 13.2% Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 3037 2185 40.1% 3.6% 2003 3335 2463 42.9% 4.1% 2004 3878 3107 30.9% 4.5% 2005 4527 3554 19.6% 7.7% 2006 4666 3370 18.5% 10.7% 2007 4771 4274 19.6% 10.1% 2008 5164 4510 10.9% 12.1% 2009 4709 3662 21.2% 13.3% USL2/D3 Pro League Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<1K %>3k 2005 1680 1457 21.4% 11.9% 2006 1803 1703 14.1% 11.8% 2007 1575 1423 28.1% 6.3% 2008 1614 1629 26.0% 7.3% 2009 1602 1518 31.8% 7.1% 2010 1689 1385 35.1% 17.5% Code: USL2 Total Team Avg Playoffs Charleston Battery 36412 3641 4523 Richmond Kickers 20440 2044 2276 Harrisburg City Islanders 16659 1666 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 9409 941 Charlotte Eagles 9107 911 Real Maryland Monarchs 4259 608 Home games in Puerto Rico (2x), Baltimore, Rochester, Carolina, St. Louis and Miami. That should kill off any hopes of good-looking attendance numbers this season. The median had finally managed to make its way back above 3k. This week will probably finish that off.
The USL2 numbers are really read properly in the median. Just about all the numbers of the existing teams went down; RMM was exactly the same average somehow. And in fact, Charlotte and Pittsburgh plummeted. The only reason the league numbers went up is because the numbers for the Charleston Battery went up despite their voluntary demotion.
d2 or d3, it isnt going to matter much to the average joe fan? Some of the things in that did help the Battery this season; all the home games were on Friday or Saturday night, a long history, a front office that works hard and no mid-week games for regular season play, all which definately helped. A number that isnt in the spreadsheet is the attendence for exhibitions. more than 10,000 total attended the three Carolina Challenge matches in March and the Bolton match had more than 5200 (only sell out of the season). That definatley added some money to the coffers this season.
True. The only people who care are us soccer nerds. Most of us would support our team regardless of the league or division. It just goes to show that the on-field product is only a small part of the equation. The off-field component is the critical part including the game day experience. The Battery puts on a great production year-after-year. Even when they played at old Stoney Field they knew how to make the game day experience as good as it could possibly be. We can probably learn a lot from Indy baseball (St. Paul Saints) as well. Maybe not the best talent on the field, but Indy baseball teams know what the fans want -- a fun night of affordable entertainment.
US Division 2 Code: % of season completed 88.3% Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 2970 2167 41.0% 3.2% 2003 3162 2222 45.5% 3.4% 2004 3743 2965 32.0% 3.6% 2005 4449 3545 19.6% 8.1% 2006 4540 3230 18.2% 10.8% 2007 4662 4107 20.9% 9.5% 2008 5134 4510 11.7% 11.7% 2009 4620 3647 22.1% 12.4% 2010 4521 2864 27.7% 12.6% Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 3037 2185 40.1% 3.6% 2003 3335 2463 42.9% 4.1% 2004 3878 3107 30.9% 4.5% 2005 4527 3554 19.6% 7.7% 2006 4666 3370 18.5% 10.7% 2007 4771 4274 19.6% 10.1% 2008 5164 4510 10.9% 12.1% 2009 4709 3662 21.2% 13.3% USL2/D3 Pro League Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<1K %>3k 2005 1680 1457 21.4% 11.9% 2006 1803 1703 14.1% 11.8% 2007 1575 1423 28.1% 6.3% 2008 1614 1629 26.0% 7.3% 2009 1602 1518 31.8% 7.1% 2010 1689 1385 35.1% 17.5% Code: USL2 Total Team Avg Playoffs Charleston Battery 36412 3641 4523 Richmond Kickers 20440 2044 2276 Harrisburg City Islanders 16659 1666 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 9409 941 Charlotte Eagles 9107 911 Real Maryland Monarchs 4259 608 Well, I said it was going to be bad. And it was. We now are back to 2004 for a comparable year. And it won't get any better next week, with two home games in Minnesota, and one each in Tampa Bay, Rochester, Baltimore, St. Louis, Puerto Rico and Montreal. The best we can probably hope for is holding serve. It's been said that a team needs an average attendance of 5,000 to get by financially (except for NSC Minnesota, which has said they can get by with just 3k). That means that of all the teams that won't be gone to MLS by two years from now, only one of them is currently meeting that standard. What this tells me is that it's beyond absurd for the NASL to get sanctioned. Even if they have the money, even if they have the fields, even if they have the very wealthy owners, it's just stupid for them to keep throwing money at such a massive money pit. At this point, I think it's time to shutter up D2 and retrench at the D3 level. Does it make any sense to call it D3 if there is no D2? Probably not. But it doesn't make sense to fly around the continent when you're only pulling in 2k average attendances. I know I've seen a few folks that are mentally preparing for it. I'm going to join them now, and start mulling over what happens to this thread next season.
I'm waiting to post this week's numbers until after Minnesota reports theirs to the USSF. At the moment, though, we haven't lost much on the average and median. I will say that I was pleased at Puerto Rico's final regular season number -- 3602. Second highest all season, and more in line with some of last year's numbers. But I was disappointed with Rochester. I was hoping they'd close with more than 10k. Maybe they'll do better in the playoffs. This week we have two games for Miami, Tampa, Vancouver, Baltimore, Carolina and Austin. Final regular season home games for Austin and Baltimore (possible final season ever for CPB).
My D2 numbers are here (along with MLS numbers) based on what I have been told will be/is Minnesota's number for the finale.
Yeah. I've done a compare and all yours match except Minnesota, but that's only because I haven't entered the Minnesota number. I saw the comments on IMS, but I figured since I've been consistent so far (using the USSF website), I may as well stick with it. At least, until next week. If it still hasn't shown up on the USSF website by next week, then I'll just enter it and assume what was reported on IMS is accurate.
US Division 2 Code: % of season completed 96.7% Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 2993 2158 41.2% 3.7% 2003 3307 2448 43.6% 4.3% 2004 3841 2990 31.5% 4.6% 2005 4453 3494 20.4% 8.0% 2006 4593 3312 18.5% 10.5% 2007 4735 4199 19.8% 9.9% 2008 5138 4510 11.3% 11.9% 2009 4686 3647 21.4% 13.2% 2010 4429 2853 29.3% 12.1% Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<2K %>10k 2002 3037 2185 40.1% 3.6% 2003 3335 2463 42.9% 4.1% 2004 3878 3107 30.9% 4.5% 2005 4527 3554 19.6% 7.7% 2006 4666 3370 18.5% 10.7% 2007 4771 4274 19.6% 10.1% 2008 5164 4510 10.9% 12.1% 2009 4709 3662 21.2% 13.3% USL2/D3 Pro League Code: Final Numbers Year Average Median %<1K %>3k 2005 1680 1457 21.4% 11.9% 2006 1803 1703 14.1% 11.8% 2007 1575 1423 28.1% 6.3% 2008 1614 1629 26.0% 7.3% 2009 1602 1518 31.8% 7.1% 2010 1689 1385 35.1% 17.5% Code: USL2 Total Team Avg Playoffs Charleston Battery 36412 3641 4523 Richmond Kickers 20440 2044 2276 Harrisburg City Islanders 16659 1666 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 9409 941 Charlotte Eagles 9107 911 Real Maryland Monarchs 4259 608 I used the number reported on the IMS website (in the comments) for the Minnesota - Vancouver game. It's still not there on the USSF website. Median is at least fairly stable, but the other numbers have dropped, as expected. We're at the end. All that's left are home games for St. Louis, Carolina, Miami, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Vancouver. Regular season closers were very good for Austin and Baltimore, hitting second high numbers for the season. Austin's was their second highest ever. It will be interesting to see how the playoffs fare.
Well, four of the six teams you'd expect not to draw well in the playoffs won't actually MAKE the playoffs, so there's that. But then you'll have the whole "little time to sell tickets, no time to sell groups" aspect that is part and parcel of the playoffs. Portland and Montreal should draw fairly well, one would think. I wouldn't have huge confidence in too many others.