USL Surpasses 1.5 Million Attendance for Season
July 15, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. - The USL's record-setting season in the stands continued Saturday night as the league passed the 1.5 million total attendance-mark as Week 18 of the 2018 regular season concluded. The league reached the mark five weeks sooner than it did in the 2017 season and averaged almost 100,000 fans per week over the past five weeks to go from the one million attendance mark in Week 13 to this point.
The past five weeks have seen the USL record its three highest-attended weeks in the league's modern era, with almost 140,000 fans taking in Week 14 of the regular season to set a new single-week record in addition to two other weeks that saw more than 110,000 fans fill USL venues across North America. The league remains on course to approach the three million total attendance mark when the 2018 season concludes.
"After the remarkable weekly attendance that has been on display over the past month it comes as no surprise that the league has hit this major milestone faster than ever before in its history," said USL President Jake Edwards. "It is incredible to think that just over halfway into this regular season we have already surpassed the league's total attendance from 2016. That's testament to the outstanding commitment by fans to their clubs - both long-standing league members and more recent arrivals - and the work that has been done to bring great gameday environments and entertainment on the field by the league and its clubs."
FC Cincinnati led the way on Saturday night as 25,416 fans were on hand at Nippert Stadium to see the Eastern Conference-leaders defeat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-0, while others like OKC Energy FC this past Wednesday night and Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday afternoon also saw good turnout for a pair of big home wins in their respective pushes for the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs.
The league's average attendance for the season continues to sit at almost 5,000 fans per game, a rise of 14 percent on the 2017 season, while the league's independent clubs continue to average almost 6,000 fans per game over the regular season.
About USL The USL is one of the most prominent Division II professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 75 million people to fuel the growth of professional soccer across North America. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the USL provides unparalleled club support with a growing team of more than 50 professionals across 17 departments, ranging from operations to marketing, communications and sponsorship.
The USL has national media partnerships with ESPN and SiriusXM, and operates USL Productions, which includes a state-of-the-art facility that will produce and distribute more than 500 league matches and more than 1,000 hours of original content to national partners, local affiliates, the USL's Match Center and international markets over the 2018 season.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 15, 2018
- First-place Orange and Blue hosts a pair at Nippert Stadium this week - FC Cincinnati
- USL Surpasses 1.5 Million Attendance for Season - USL
- Zorros Rip Apart Phoenix 4-0 for Third Consecutive Win - Fresno FC
- T2 Defeat Swope Park Rangers 2-1 at Merlo Field Saturday - Portland Timbers 2
- Real Monarchs SLC Earn 2-0 Victory over Seattle Sounders FC 2 - Real Monarchs
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