MLS crowd averages down for 2009

Major League Soccer’s average attendance for 2009 decline 2.6 per cent despite the addition of league leaders in that department – the Seattle Sounders.

The expansion club netted the best average crowds in their first season in the competition but could not help the overall attendances of the league grow from previous years.

A report on Sports Illustrated.com showed the following:

‘Average attendance in October climbed 4.6 percent from 16,815 fans a game in 2008 to 17,593 a game in 2009. If you throw out the one Seattle game in October, average attendance was up 0.9 percent.

‘Four MLS teams saw modest growth in 2009. The biggest increase was San Jose's 2.9 percent, but the Earthquakes' average was boosted considerably by their game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park, the pregame to the Barcelona-Chivas match that drew 61,572. Throw out that crowd, and the Quakes' average attendance fell 21.8 percent.

‘Three MLS teams saw their average attendance fall more than 21 percent: New England (21.9 percent), New York (21.5 percent) and Los Angeles (21.5 percent). D.C. United and Chicago also experienced double-digit percentage declines in average attendance.

‘The David Beckham factor? Average attendance for L.A. Galaxy road games also fell more than 21 percent.’