MLS Attendance Statistics Week 28

As the MLS season begins to wind down, a few locations in the attendance arena show some real patterns compared to years past. Nowhere is this more a fact than in New York. The Red Bulls may have 3 designated players in Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez and Tim Cahill, but big bucks and a shiny, recently-built stadium haven't translated into the filled arenas seen in Seattle, Portland, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Houston.

New York's deficit compared to last year now stands at almost 3000 seats. This is after a considerable positive jump in the past two years following the completion of RBA and the signing of Henry and Marquez. So what is it? Quality on the pitch? Hardly, in my opinion. Accessibility of venue? Nope. Style of play? Maybe. New direction for team? Perhaps. We will see after this season is complete. Maybe New York needs the other New York team to start playing.

Another sore spot for MLS these days is Toronto FC. The once-gleaming venue for full stadiums and ardent fans, has now run into its 6th year of mediocrity. The team has yet to make it into the playoffs and the fans have begun to notice. What was once 100% attendance has since become 80%. The same fate could be in hand for the Timbers if they are unable to capitalize on a dedicated fan base.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	13833	71	14131
KC	19296	104	19422
NE	12690	63	12523
CLB	14140	69	13651
TOR	18480	80	18773
CHI	15956	80	16914
NYRB	16744	66	16464
PHI	18217	98	18412
HOU	20850	95	21423
MON	23100	114	19223
LA	22309	83	21731
CHV	13285	71	13594
DAL	13590	66	12203
SJ	13633	130	10525
COL	14975	83	14987
RSL	18897	94	19341
SEA	42327	110	38934
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19409	92	19394

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 24

A short update. This time of the year brings a lot of outside teams in preseason matches versus MLS sides. It's also a time of unbearable heat for most of the country. This even includes Portland, where the mercury was in the 100s for their game on August 4th. Unlike places with higher moisture like in the east coast, every single seat was taken at the game.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14178	73	14287
KC	19382	105	19600
NE	12980	65	12857
CLB	14858	73	16024
TOR	19089	83	18944
CHI	15563	78	15757
NYRB	17351	69	16464
PHI	18416	100	18412
HOU	21287	97	22039
MON	23620	116	18435
LA	22729	84	22143
CHV	13559	72	13822
DAL	13335	65	11702
SJ	14464	138	10525
COL	15074	83	14987
RSL	18680	93	18702
SEA	41418	108	38709
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19442	93	19727

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 20

The summer void is upon us with oppressive heat that clears seats in stadiums throughout the country. Why some teams choose to play under unbearable East Coast conditions is beyond most of us. And yet the players must go on playing in virtual saunas that can't possibly be good for their health. How about scheduling matches in the evening?

As far as the statistics, not much has changed. New York looked to be making up for lost ground but the latest matinee match erased their gains. Houston looks to have lost some of their initial spark in attendance and are now below the 100% mark in 3 games out of their last 4. However, these are still 90% full thanks to the BBVA Compass Stadium.

Elsewhere, Montreal is having a hard time attracting fans to the newly-renovated Stade Saputo, and this has taking down their numbers considerably so that the median is 17112. This, after selling out the Olympic stadium for the LA Galaxy match and their opening game. Short honeymoon?

For some perspective, below is the 2012-2011 difference. Notice that the major population markets are down relative to last year, especially New York. Unlike Seattle and Portland, Vancouver has seen some minor ups and downs and don't quite sell out their stadium on a weekly basis.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 17

Briefly catching up with MLS, which is in full swing after the international break. There are consistent patterns in attendance numbers stemming from how well a team is doing, especially as compared to recent seasons. DC United, for instance, has seen a steady increase in attendance given their winning ways this season. The same can be said for Columbus, Chicago and Colorado.

Some of the negatives include New York's struggles at Red Bull Arena, although the latest match was a sellout, and Montreal, which has seen attendance numbers that are relatively low for a debuting team. Indeed, as soon as Saputo Stadium opened, there have been three games in a row well below 15,000. Interestingly, places like Seattle and Portland sell out every game, and Salt Lake, Philadelphia, Houston and Kansas City have full stadiums almost every game.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14132	73	14131
KC	19353	105	19876
NE	12254	61	12523
CLB	14141	69	11978
TOR	19036	83	18911
CHI	14756	74	14163
NYRB	17161	68	17114
PHI	18399	99	18367
HOU	21632	98	22039
MON	26495	130	19223
LA	22483	83	21836
CHV	13291	71	13816
DAL	13252	65	12203
SJ	16509	157	10391
COL	15396	85	15269
RSL	18820	94	18780
SEA	39514	103	38399
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19123	91	19271

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 15

After a long stretch of international games, qualifiers and a small break for the Euro, MLS got back into full action last week. Thus, it is time to look at statistics once more. New England, DC, and New York continue to struggle. The latter, although the average number of seats filled approaches 16,000, the relative value is 63%, making Red Bull Arena look empty.

Montreal's recent opening of Stade Saputo, its permanent home base, would suggest strong, constant attendance numbers. Instead, neither one of the first two games at the stadium have sold out the 20341 available spots. This weekend's match, for example, drew in only 12,357. Blame the Euro perhaps, but other locales had close to capacity from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. 

To illustrate the reason why averages may be much higher than any given match, the Eastern Conference mean vs median is presented in this scatter plot. Clearly, Montreal has a median closer to its stadium capacity, while New York has a higher mean stemming from a couple of sold out games.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 11

Recent trends in the attendance numbers show some gain in New England, Columbus and DC. The biggest markets, however, still lag far behind the Pacific Northwest, newer league teams and recently opened stadiums. Here we speak of LA and New York. LA has been stagnant mainly due to poor form while New York just can't seem to get their city excited about their team no matter who they hire to play. Example: midweek fixtures in New York (13919, 55%), Chicago (11,947, 60%), LA (16,512, 61%) compared against Seattle (38,311, 100%) show the discrepancy. 

It is true that these major markets have other major sports, but you don't see their numbers suffering. Not too long ago, LA sold out every match, regardless of how full the Staples Center was. It comes down to the product on the pitch (LA, Chicago) and, well, the New York fickle crowd. Is a second team in the city necessary? Would it make a difference? Only time will tell.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	13548	70	13619
KC	19017	103	19777
NE	11598	58	12112
CLB	12658	62	11516
TOR	19022	83	18944
CHI	13730	69	13852
NYRB	15823	63	15517
PHI	18437	100	18526
HOU	22039	100	22039
MON	36498	179	23120
LA	22242	82	22143
CHV	13856	74	14296
DAL	13178	64	11953
SJ	11668	111	10256
COL	14660	81	14756
RSL	18344	92	17924
SEA	38587	100	38380
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19012	91	19333

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 10

No Premier League? No problem. Major League Soccer has plenty of action through the summer, including two or three major signings with names like Michael Ballack, Alessanro Nesta and Stephen Ireland being thrown around. On the stands things are a bit of a mix bag. While new arenas open (Houston's BBVA Compass), and recent additions shine (Livestrong Sporting Park, PPL Field), older teams and stadiums come flat: New England, DC, Dallas, Columbus. Although the latter two have their own stadiums, they continue to struggle with attendance.

League totals still remain above 2011's due to Montreal's sellouts at Olympic Stadium and the opening of Houston's new stadium. Houston happens to have settled for a downtown location for its home, something that perhaps could have been done to increase attendance in Dallas, for example. New England and DC, on the other hand, desperately need their own soccer specific fields. Seemingly weak attendance (Kansas City) has turned into sold out matches after new stadiums have been opened. 

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	13751	71	13619
KC	19017	103	19777
NE	10394	52	11251
CLB	12658	62	11516
TOR	19022	83	18944
CHI	14087	70	14159
NYRB	16204	64	17114
PHI	18437	100	18526
HOU	22039	100	22039
MON	40529	199	41016
LA	23197	86	22696
CHV	12868	68	14127
DAL	13164	64	11702
SJ	11904	113	10364
COL	14507	80	13954
RSL	18344	92	17924
SEA	38627	100	38399
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	18615	89	19271

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 8

An update on DC United's attendance: the actual "soccer" capacity of RFK for this season is 19467 and not 24500 (as it was previously). This changes DCU's standings in the relative category significantly and puts their current average relative at 71%. Their average numbers are still well below what it used to be for the perennial champions of the 1990s and early 2000s. That number is currently 13751. In 2007, the average was 20967. New England and Columbus are also well below the numbers in previous years. 

As a corollary to a previous post (week 5), the relative versus average attendance for the Eastern conference is provided above. Philadelphia and KC both have similar stadium capacities and are both selling out their home games. More interesting, perhaps, is the New York Red Bulls at 17426 average attendance but only 69% full. Bigger stadium but relatively weaker attendance than Toronto, for example. 

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 6

The major markets in New York, LA and DC are all showing slightly negative trends compared to the average for last year. It is, however, just the start of the season. And maybe it has to do with how the team is performing? Perhaps for LA that is the case. Indeed, the reigning champs have won only twice this season. Worth considering also is their cross-town rivals, Chivas USA. They were trailing the lot in relative attendance terms and we were getting a bit worried with the low numbers. However, these numbers have been amended to reflect the true capacity at the Home Depot Center for Chivas: 18800.

Another city with a marked change from last year, and indeed past seasons, is Toronto FC. The first MLS Canadian team has yet to win this season, with their sole victory coming in LA in Champions League play. Their numbers are down sharply by over 1,000 seats. In relative terms they are at 83%, a far cry from the sold-out BMO Field of a couple of years ago. Aaron Winter will need to work something quick to get this team back in shape ahead of the Canadian Championship battle for a Champions League berth. 

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	13817	56	14410
KC	18671	101	19600
NE	11657	58	11657
CLB	14857	73	14857
TOR	19163	83	18944
CHI	14282	71	14282
NYRB	17184	68	17114
PHI	18470	100	18526
HOU
MON	41016	202	41016
LA	22233	82	21734
CHV	11853	63	13372
DAL	15072	74	14184
SJ	14289	136	10525
COL	13954	77	13954
RSL	18554	93	18531
SEA	38419	100	38332
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	18592	89	19394

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 5

Week 5 has seen further normalization of the attendance figures for most teams. Thanks to the opening at Montreal, however, the average attendance in 2012 is higher than 2011's by close to 2000. The Red Bulls have slipped further in attendance figures and are now at -2411 relative to 2011 due to smaller number of fans in the last two games. This despite the resurgent Henry and his partner Kenny Cooper, who are obliterating opposition left and right after the team started the season at 0-2.

There is a lot about the MLS statistics on this page that deals with "relative" attendance. That is, the total number divided by the stadium capacity. I always find it more instructive by looking at the whole picture. Century Link Field typically holds twice the available seats at Colorado's Dick's Sporting Goods Park. This doesn't, however, mean that the Rapids' stadium isn't full at 18,000. 

To better illustrate the concept of relative attendance for new visitors to the website, I would like to show the average attendance vs relative for the Western Conference. Notice that both Seattle and Portland sell out their games and are therefore at 100%, but their average attendance differs by about 18,000 seats. A team like Chivas plays at the Home Depot Center with a capacity of 27,000. Their low attendance numbers, coupled with low relative attendance relegates the squad to the lower left quadrant of the plot. However, this relative figure may need to be revised since it looks like the Goats have lowered their expected attendance figures, as can be seen by the large plastic Chivas mats covering seats on the end stands.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 4

Week 4 and a few changes and trends begin to appear. First and perhaps most importantly are the two biggest markets in MLS: LA and New York. The Red Bulls remain south of last year's 19,691 average despite this being the first few weeks of the season with less distractions from football or baseball. The New Jersey base for New York may have been necessary from a logistics point of view but would it have been better to put Red Bull Arena elsewhere? Would a second New York team make a difference? We hope so, especially if a good location for a stadium is secured.

For LA its two teams have vastly different situations. Chivas is ailing at the moment both on the soccer pitch and the stands. Its relative attendance is less than 50% and averages 11,853, a figure just over the capacity for San Jose's team. The Galaxy has bigger attendance margins due to its superstar trio but have only sold out their opening match versus RSL and sit at over 80% capacity averaged over the first three games.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14742	60	14742
KC	17469	95	17469
NE	12925	65	12925
CLB	18197	89	18197
TOR	19507	85	19507
CHI	18075	90	18075
NYRB	17220	68	17220
PHI	18443	100	18443
HOU
MON	58912	290	58912
LA	22263	82	21324
CHV	11853	44	13372
DAL	16555	81	16555
SJ	16171	154	16171
CRD	13954	77	13954
RSL	18577	93	18577
SEA	38438	100	38304
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	20197	96	20197

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 3

Welcome to the new MLS attendance statistics graphics for the 2012 season. To complement the changes made by MLS in terms of unbalanced schedules, the weekly format of some of the plots (percent attendance, total attendance per week) have been removed and will no longer appear. Instead, more intuitive plots will be shown like the relative attendance median (a measure of the percentage of the stadium filled on any given week) along with the median and mean attendance values. There will be some sporadic supplemental plots in high-definition via the quasi-weekly updates.

To start 2012, only Chivas seems to be having trouble from the start. Perhaps this is another sign that the club needs to change the way it's managed, change the structure, or move the team. San Diego seemed to be interested when I last checked. The Goats trail far behind their season average for 2011 and this should be the relative peak of the season for some of the more established teams. It's true that the novelty eventually wears off but the expansion markets seem to be doing pretty well even after a few years have passed: Houston, Salt Lake, Toronto, Seattle.

The totals as seen on the plot above are bolstered by Montreal's record-setting opening day (58,912) at the Olympic Stadium. Their regular home at Saputo Stadium has a max capacity of around 20,000. San Jose also chose to play outside of their Santa Clara home for their match versus Houston and their attendance reflects that when looking at the relative values. Also this season are Houston's stadium (22,000), the expanded attendance at Seattle (38,500) and Portland (20,000).

Compared to 2010, the initial 2012 numbers look even more impressive. As the season goes on this difference should subside somewhat but attendance should have another record year this season.