Tag: Outdoor Soccer

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.

North American Soccer League 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.

The North American Soccer League (NASL) is a professional men’s soccer league with teams in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league in the American league system, under Major League Soccer (MLS) and equal with United Soccer League.

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
North American Soccer League (AAA) Association Football 2011 8 (6 USA 2 CAN) -25.00% 112 -37.78% 422,212 -47.28% 3,770 -15.26% kenn.com
North American Soccer League (AAA) Association Football 2012 8 (7 USA 1 CAN) 0.00% 112 0.00% 426,252 0.96% 3,806 0.95% kenn.com
North American Soccer League (AAA) Association Football 2013 8 (7 USA 1 CAN) 0.00% 98 -12.50% 457,674 7.37% 4,670 22.70% kenn.com

 

The North American Soccer League operates as a group of independent club owners as opposed to the single-entity structure of Major League Soccer. Most players and team personnel will play in the NASL hoping to attract notice of the higher league MLS.

Major League Soccer 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.

Major League Soccer (MLS) is the premier outdoor soccer league which began play 1993. MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years: The league lost millions of dollars, teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002. Since then, MLS has expanded to 22 teams, owners built soccer-specific stadiums, and has secured national TV contracts, and the league is now profitable.

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
Major League Soccer Association Football 2006 12 USA untracked 192 untracked 2,976,787 untracked 15,504 untracked kenn.com
Major League Soccer Association Football 2007 13 (12 USA 1 CAN) 8.33% 195 1.56% 3,270,210 9.86% 16,770 8.17% kenn.com
Major League Soccer Association Football 2008 14 (13 USA 1 CAN) 7.69% 210 7.69% 3,456,641 5.70% 16,460 -1.85% kenn.com
Major League Soccer Association Football 2009 15 (14 USA 1 CAN) 7.14% 225 7.14% 3,608,359 4.39% 16,037 -2.57% kenn.com
Major League Soccer Association Football 2010 16 (15 USA 1 CAN) 6.67% 240 6.67% 4,002,053 10.91% 16,675 3.98% kenn.com
Major League Soccer Association Football 2011 18 (16 USA 2 CAN) 12.50% 306 27.50% 5,467,996 36.63% 17,869 7.16% WorldFootball
Major League Soccer Association Football 2012 19 (16 USA 3 CAN) 5.56% 323 5.56% 6,074,729 11.10% 18,807 5.25% kenn.com
Major League Soccer Association Football 2013 19 (16 USA 3 CAN) 0.00% 323 0.00% 6,007,686 -1.10% 18,600 -1.10% kenn.com

The average salary for MLS players is $316,777, lower than the average salaries in England’s second-tier Football League Championship ($420,000 in 2015), Holland’s Eredivisie ($445,000), or Mexico’s Liga MX ($418,000 in 2015). The league’s minimum player salary increased in 2017 to $65,000 for most players, and roster players #25–28 saw their minimum salary increased to $53,000. MLS salaries are limited by a salary cap, which MLS has had in place since the league’s inception in 1996. The purpose of the salary cap is to prevent the team’s owners from unsustainable spending on player salaries and to prevent a competitive imbalance among teams.