
AFL Attendance Up 15 Percent in 2003
May 20, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK â The Arena Football League averaged 11,397 fans per game for the 2003 regular season, an increase of 15 percent vs. 2002, when the AFL averaged 9,957 fans per game. It was the highest average attendance since 1998 (11,400).
For the 2003 season, 16 AFL teams combined to draw an AFL record 1,458,830 fans during the 128-game, 16-week regular season. It was the eighth consecutive season that the AFL attracted more than one million fans to its games.
The expansion Colorado Crush led the AFL in attendance this season, selling out every home game and averaging 17,434 per game at the Pepsi Center. The top crowd in 2003 came at the Colorado's inaugural season home opener at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Sunday, February 2, where a sold-out crowd of 17,483 witnessed the Georgia Force narrowly defeat the Crush, 44-40.
The AFL had 17 sellouts in 2003 compared to four during the entire 2002 regular season. The expansion Colorado Crush recorded eight sellouts in as many games, marking the first time since the 1995 Orlando Predators that a team has sold out every home game of the regular season.
MOST 2003 SELLOUTS
TEAM LOCATION SELLOUTS
Colorado Crush Pepsi Center 8
Grand Rapids Rampage Van Andel Arena 5
Chicago Rush Allstate Arena 2
Georgia Force The Arena at Gwinnett Center 1
San Jose SaberCats HP Pavilion at San Jose 1
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 20, 2003
- 2003 AFL Season in Review - AFL I
- Wagner Named Ironman of the Week - San Jose SaberCats
- Rush and Hlavacek Earn All-Arena Honors - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
- Georgia Force Game Notes - Georgia Force
- Dallas Desperados Game Notes - Dallas Desperados
- Grand Rapids Rampage Game Notes - Grand Rapids Rampage
- AFL Attendance Up 15 Percent in 2003 - AFL I
- Rampage Announce 2003 Team Award Winners - Grand Rapids Rampage
- AFL Names All-Arena Teams - AFL I
- Desperados Host Force in First Round Playoff Game - Dallas Desperados
- Three SaberCats Earn First-Team All-League Honors - San Jose SaberCats
- L.A. Avengers place Jackson and Hopkins on All-Arena first team - Los Angeles Avengers
- Rattle the Rattlers Gladiator Fan Bus Set for Phoenix Departure on Sunday, May 25 - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Desperados Playoff Game Changes Date & Venue - Dallas Desperados
- Gladiators' Kicker Steve Videtich Named Second Team All Arena - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Desperados Trio Named to All-Arena Teams - Dallas Desperados
- AFL Names Week's Best - AFL I
- Desperados Briggs Named Defensive Player of the Week - Dallas Desperados
- Fury head to Grand Rapids for First Round of the ArenaBowl Playoffs - Detroit Fury
- Moyer, Chatman Garner AFL Awards - Chicago Rush
- Carpenter Garners All-Arena Honors - Buffalo Destroyers
- Rush Playoff Date Set - Chicago Rush
- AFL Playoff Schedule Announced - AFL I
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