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aygov · 05-31-2012, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reno_eNVy

My apologies! I suppose they are one of the few that still beat mls

MLS avg attendance is up so far this year to 18,590 unoffically. We may not be above Serie A but we're improving!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/attendance/_/league/usa.1/major-league-soccer?cc=5901

**Reno_eNVy** · 05-31-2012, 09:23 PM

The improvement in the last few years can definitely be attributed to smart business moves from both the league and individual franchises. Seattle and Portland have yet to not sell-out a match (thanks to a good soccer culture and downtown locales) with Seattle constantly upping the attendance cap (OPEN THE TOP UP! I think they could consistantly fill the 64k+ seats.) Not only that but Montreal have been packing Stade Olympique which means that when they finally open Stade Saputo they will get constant sell-outs of 22k IIRC.

Not only that, but like edroberts said, SKC have done a tremendous job. The renaming confused some people but I find it very appropriate and a nice move away from the Wizard of Oz theme. The stadium is a shining beacon of what American soccer can be. And I don't know how the marketing team was able to go from 9-10k per match to non-stop 19k sell-outs, but hats off to them. (Sold out the rest of the season? Wow..... is the stadium fit for expansion?)

lgilmore · 06-01-2012, 12:03 AM

Seattle has a strong marketing plan in place. It is the reason there's 32,000 season ticket holders and sellouts for everygame. They learned from their USL years that too many available seats means lower attendence, not higher.

Demand is high because the possibility of not getting a seat exists. You can't decide on game day to walk up and purchase, soooo people complain, but they buy tickets ahead of time. This is great marketing, if 90% of your available seats are already filled before the first game kicks off, that's good business.

They've opened it all up for internationals and this year for rivalry games, but don't look at them opening the entire 68,000 seats until they get a 61,000 season ticket commitment. If they win some more, it could be possible. The old Sounders used to sell out the kingdome for games and were quite strong.

The USL sounders were a top notch team too. I worked with them for many years, both with youth soccer and business. But they had too many open seats so people could wait until the last hour or so to decide to come to watch. I think the front office took that to heart.

**Reno_eNVy** · 06-01-2012, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lgilmore

Seattle has a strong marketing plan in place. It is the reason there's 32,000 season ticket holders and sellouts for everygame. They learned from their USL years that too many available seats means lower attendence, not higher.

Demand is high because the possibility of not getting a seat exists. You can't decide on game day to walk up and purchase, soooo people complain, but they buy tickets ahead of time. This is great marketing, if 90% of your available seats are already filled before the first game kicks off, that's good business.

They've opened it all up for internationals and this year for rivalry games, but don't look at them opening the entire 68,000 seats until they get a 61,000 season ticket commitment. If they win some more, it could be possible. The old Sounders used to sell out the kingdome for games and were quite strong.

The USL sounders were a top notch team too. I worked with them for many years, both with youth soccer and business. But they had too many open seats so people could wait until the last hour or so to decide to come to watch. I think the front office took that to heart.

lgilmore · 06-01-2012, 02:06 AM

Thanks I guess.

Joker · 06-01-2012, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edroberts

Here in Kansas City, the owners of Sporting Kansas City have done everything right. Incredible new 19,000 seat stadium (recently named best in the world), awesome fan experience, locally televised games. It course it helps they've done so well the last 12 months, but having owners that are willing to put their money where their mouth is has made a BIG impact for MLS here. Games are sold out the rest of the year already.

Going to be in your area (well Missouri) in July trying to figure out how to catch the game against Houston.

**edroberts** · 06-01-2012, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joker

Going to be in your area (well Missouri) in July trying to figure out how to catch the game against Houston.

There is a local ticket broker I've used that always seems to have good-priced tickets for things... Tickets For Less in Overland Park, KS. Might be your best chance. They have a website but I can't remember what it is attm. Ticketsforless.Com or something like that.