MLS wants to increase crowds

Attendance at the first matches of the Major League Soccer conference semifinals averaged only 9,533, but this was not unexpected by the league, which has seen the crowd numbers dropping in the postseason.

"Playoff games are not part of the season-ticket package. They have far less lead time for advance sales, and they occur during the busiest part of the sports calendar year. These factors can create challenges for us in terms of attendance, but we still saw games with great atmosphere this past weekend," said MLS president Mark Abbott.

Saturday night had the lowest turnout at Invesco Field in Denver, where only 4,176 fans showed up to watch the Rapids play FC Dallas. At Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., the host Chicago Fire drew 10,217 on a Sunday afternoon against the 2005 MLS Cup runners-up, the New England Revolution.

The Rapids averaged around 12,000 fans for home games in the regular season; Chicago just more than 14,000. The weather may have been a factor when Dallas and Colorado played in 35-degrees F., while Toyota Park was 39 degrees F.

In comparison, at Giants Stadium in New York, which seats 77,000, the sky was clear and the temperature was 57 degrees F. Still the New York Red Bulls pulled in only 8,630 fans, lower than their regular season draw of 14,500, filling just 11.2 percent of the stadium. They lost 1-0 to D.C. United.

Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., where Chivas USA met the Dynamo before 15,110 fans, had the largest turnout of the weekend. It was Chivas' first playoff game in the team's two years.

Chivas USA spokesman Keegan Pierce said the crowd was good considering the time restraints for marketing and promoting the match and for the television slot provided.

Crowds are expected to increase for conference semifinals and the remaining playoff games because there will be more time for advertising and promoting the games.

Also, D.C. United and the Dynamo, two clubs with good fan numbers in attendance for 2006, will host matches this weekend. Dynamo president Oliver Luck said the team expects a crowd of 15,000 to 17,000 for Sunday's match at Robertson Stadium.

The league's technical committee is considering changes in the MLS schedule or postseason format to aid clubs. One suggestion is to drop the playoff system and choose a champion at the end of the season based on a point system.

If changes are made, it will be done during the off season.

"It is clear that our core fans recognize the increased importance and excitement that comes with the playoffs, and we believe their numbers are growing each year," said Abbott. "Some of our teams have had more success than others in selling playoff tickets in the short time frame between when the games are scheduled and when they occur. We are working with all teams to learn from those successes."

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.