Women’s Professional Soccer Attendance 2009 to 2011

Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top level professional women’s soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion. The WPS was the highest level in the United States soccer pyramid for the women’s game.

On January 30, 2012, the league announced suspension of the 2012 season, citing several internal organization struggles as the primary cause. Some of these issues included an ongoing legal battle with magicJack owner Dan Borislow and the lack of resources invested into the league. On May 18, 2012 WPS announced the league folded and would not return in 2013. After the WPS folded, the National Women’s Soccer League formed in 2013 and took WPS’s place as the top professional women’s soccer league.

League Sport Season # of Teams Team Change Games Games Change Total Attendance TA Change Average Attendance AA Change Source
Women’s Professional Soccer Association Football Women 2009 7 USA untracked 70 untracked 327,878 untracked 4,684 untracked kenn.com
Women’s Professional Soccer Association Football Women 2010 8 USA 14.29% 87 24.29% 323,554 -1.32% 3,595 -23.25% kenn.com
Women’s Professional Soccer Association Football Women 2011 8 USA 0.00% 87 0.00% 189,984 -41.28% 3,518 -2.14% kenn.com

Women’s National Basketball Association Attendance 2006 to 2013

One of the defining characteristics of Minor Sports Leagues is that they play to smaller crowds of fans. Minor-Leagues.com has compiled a series of posts that provides details of attendance figures.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional women’s basketball league in the United States that started play in 1997. Many WNBA teams have direct NBA counterparts and play in the same arena. Four teams of the twelve do not share an arena with a direct NBA counterpart, while only two do not share a market with an NBA counterpart.

Below is the fan attendance for the entire league from 2006 to 2013.

League Sport Season # of Teams Team Change Games Games Change Total Attendance TA Change Average Attendance AA Change Source
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2006 14 USA untracked 238 untracked 1,782,620 untracked 7,490 untracked wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2007 13 USA -7.69% 221 -7.14% 1,727,999 -3.06% 7,819 4.39% wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2008 14 USA 7.69% 238 7.69% 1,891,624 9.47% 7,948 1.65% wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2009 13 USA -7.14% 221 -7.14% 1,776,619 -6.08% 8,039 1.14% wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2010 12 USA -7.69% 204 -7.69% 1,598,136 -10.05% 7,834 -2.55% wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2011 12 USA 0.00% 204 0.00% 1,622,616 1.53% 7,954 1.53% wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2012 12 USA 0.00% 204 0.00% 1,520,208 -6.31% 7,452 -6.31% wikipedia
WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association) Basketball Women 2013 12 USA 0.00% 204 0.00% 1,536,324 1.06% 7,531 1.06% wikipedia

 

The creation of the WNBA was officially approved by the NBA Board of Governors in 1996. While not the first major women’s professional basketball league in the United States (a distinction held by the defunct WBL), the WNBA is the only league to receive full backing of the NBA.

USL Pro Attendance 2011 to 2013

One of the defining characteristics of Minor Sports Leagues is that they play to smaller crowds of fans. Minor-Leagues.com has compiled a series of posts that provides details of attendance figures.

United Soccer Leagues Pro (USL Pro), now known as United Soccer League is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada. USL Pro was formed in 2011 (when the USL-1 and USL-2 joined together) and changed its name to USL in 2015. It forms the second tier of soccer in the United States and Canada league pyramid behind Major League Soccer.

Below is the fan attendance for the entire league from 2011 to 2013.

 

League Sport Season # of Teams Team Change Games Games Change Total Attendance TA Change Average Attendance AA Change Source
USL Pro (AAA) Association Football 2011 15 (14 USA 1 ATG) 150.00% 150 163.16% 332,084 244.89% 2,261 33.87% kenn.com
USL Pro (AAA) Association Football 2012 11 (10 USA 1 ATG) -26.67% 130 -13.33% 345,565 4.06% 2,658 17.56% kenn.com
USL Pro (AAA) Association Football 2013 13 USA 15.38% 178 36.92% 464,723 34.48% 2,611 -1.77% kenn.com

 

In January 2013, USL and MLS reached an agreement to integrate USL Pro league competition with the MLS Reserve League. This multi-year deal encouraged MLS and USL Pro team affiliations and player loans. As of March 2017, 22 USL teams are affiliated to MLS teams and every MLS team but Minnesota United FC has a USL affiliation.

USL 2nd Division Attendance 2006 to 2010

One of the defining characteristics of Minor Sports Leagues is that they play to smaller crowds of fans. Minor-Leagues.com has compiled a series of posts that provides details of attendance figures.

The United Soccer Leagues Second Division (USL-2) was a professional men’s soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2010. The USL-2 was formed in 1995 as the USISL Pro League and went through a number of structural and identities. During its existence, it formed the third tier of soccer in the United States and Canada league pyramid behind Major League Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues First Division.

In 2011, the USL-1 and USL-2 joined most of its teams together to form the USL Pro leading to its dissolution of USL-2.

 

League Sport Season # of Teams Team Change Games Games Change Total Attendance TA Change Average Attendance AA Change Source
USL 2nd Division (AA) Association Football 2006 9 USA untracked 90 untracked 158704 untracked 1,763 untracked kenn.com
USL 2nd Division (AA) Association Football 2007 10 (9 USA 1 BMU) 11.11% 100 11.11% 157,855 -0.53% 1,579 -10.44% kenn.com
USL 2nd Division (AA) Association Football 2008 10 (9 USA 1 BMU) 0.00% 100 0.00% 159,298 0.91% 1,593 0.89% kenn.com
USL 2nd Division (AA) Association Football 2009 9 (8 USA 1 BMU) -10.00% 90 -10.00% 140,559 -11.76% 1,562 -1.95% kenn.com
USL 2nd Division (AA) Association Football 2010 6 USA -33.33% 57 -36.67% 96,286 -31.50% 1,689 8.13% kenn.com

 

USL Second Division was the United States and Canada’s third division for professional men’s outdoor soccer. As indicated by its name, the players and other personnel in the USL-2 strove to play and work in the higher tiers of pro soccer, the MLS, USL-1. and the NASL.

USL 1st Division Attendance 2006 to 2010

One of the defining characteristics of Minor Sports Leagues is that they play to smaller crowds of fans. Minor-Leagues.com has compiled a series of posts that provides details of attendance figures.

The United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) was a professional men’s soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States and Canada league pyramid behind Major League Soccer.

In 2010, there was a split and brief partnering. The USL-1 and a collection of teams calling themselves the new North American Soccer League agreed to play together for one year under a new league called the USSF Division 2 Professional League. In 2011, the North American Soccer League separated and the teams that remained in the USL-1 merged with the USL Second Division USL Pro.

 

League Sport Season # of Teams Team Change Games Games Change Total Attendance TA Change Average Attendance AA Change Source
USL First Division (AAA) Association Football 2006 12 (9 USA 3 CAN) untracked 168 untracked 783,862 untracked 4,666 untracked kenn.com
USL First Division (AAA) Association Football 2007 12 (10 USA 2 CAN) 0.00% 168 0.00% 802,100 2.33% 4,774 2.31% kenn.com
USL First Division (AAA) Association Football 2008 11 (9 USA 2 CAN) -8.33% 165 -1.79% 852,001 6.22% 5,164 8.17% kenn.com
USL First Division (AAA) Association Football 2009 11 (9 USA 2 CAN) 0.00% 165 0.00% 777,022 -8.80% 4,709 -8.81% kenn.com
USSF D2 Pro League (AAA) Association Football 2010 12 (10 USA 2 CAN) 9.09% 180 9.09% 800,809 3.06% 4,449 -5.52% kenn.com

 

USL First Division was the United States and Canada’s second division for professional men’s outdoor soccer. As indicated by its name, the players and other personnel in the USL-1 strove to play and work in the top tier of pro soccer, the MLS.