MLS Sets New Attendance Mark.
For the second consecutive year, Major League Soccer set new attendance records. The league averaged 18,807, which bettered the 2011 record of 17,844 by nearly 1,000 per game.
Regular season attendance in 2012 topped 8 million for the first-time ever for a total of 6,074,729 fans. For the fourth consecutive year, the Seattle Sounders led the league with 43,144 per game.
Four other clubs, Los Angeles (23,136), Montreal (22,272), Houston (20,946), and (Portland (20,438), averaged more than 20,000 fans per game. MLS was #7 on the worldwide soccer attendance list, led by the German Bundesliga (42,387 average) and English Premier League (35,719).
Chivas USA (13,056) was #19 and last in MLS attendance average.
By contrast, with second division North American Soccer League, the attendance leader was the expansion San Antonio Scorpions with 9,176 per game. That was followed by Atlanta (4,505). Carolina (3,883), Ft. Lauderdale (3,609) and Tampa Bay (3,116), all of which averaged more than 3,000. The bottom NASL draw was Edmonton with an average of 1,492.
The third division professional league, United Soccer League’s USL PRO’s 11 teams had a wide range of average attendance numbers. Orlando City topped the chart at 6,606, followed closely by Rochester (6,265). Wilmington (4,265) and Charleston (3,947) also drew very well.
Last on the list, the Los Angeles Blues, who play in Fullerton, drew only 666 per game.
Regular season attendance in 2012 topped 8 million for the first-time ever for a total of 6,074,729 fans. For the fourth consecutive year, the Seattle Sounders led the league with 43,144 per game.
Four other clubs, Los Angeles (23,136), Montreal (22,272), Houston (20,946), and (Portland (20,438), averaged more than 20,000 fans per game. MLS was #7 on the worldwide soccer attendance list, led by the German Bundesliga (42,387 average) and English Premier League (35,719).
Chivas USA (13,056) was #19 and last in MLS attendance average.
By contrast, with second division North American Soccer League, the attendance leader was the expansion San Antonio Scorpions with 9,176 per game. That was followed by Atlanta (4,505). Carolina (3,883), Ft. Lauderdale (3,609) and Tampa Bay (3,116), all of which averaged more than 3,000. The bottom NASL draw was Edmonton with an average of 1,492.
The third division professional league, United Soccer League’s USL PRO’s 11 teams had a wide range of average attendance numbers. Orlando City topped the chart at 6,606, followed closely by Rochester (6,265). Wilmington (4,265) and Charleston (3,947) also drew very well.
Last on the list, the Los Angeles Blues, who play in Fullerton, drew only 666 per game.