The San Diego Wave have sold out Snapdragon Stadium for the team’s debut outing at the venue, the NWSL club announced Thursday.
With more than 32,000 tickets sold for the Sept. 17 matchup against in-state rival Angel City FC, the San Diego Wave is expecting to shatter the NWSL attendance record.
The largest attendance in @NWSL history AND a sold out @SnapdragonStdm. ... all with 17 days to spare 👏— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) September 1, 2022
The largest attendance in @NWSL history AND a sold out @SnapdragonStdm. ... all with 17 days to spare 👏
The current record is 25,218, set by the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage at Portland’s Providence Park in 2019.
“This is a great reflection of the momentum we see in women’s sports. We’ve sold all of our inventory, it’s incredible. We should celebrate this but we should now expect it, big crowds for women’s professional sports,” Wave president Jill Ellis said in a statement.
Wave players, including midfielder Taylor Kornieck and goalkeeper Carly Telford, also applauded the outpouring of support. NWSL Golden Boot leader Alex Morgan is away from San Diego this week with the U.S. women’s national team, but she cheered Wave fans from afar.
I🤍U SD! See all 32k of you 9/17! https://t.co/ldlGwj8qqc— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) September 1, 2022
I🤍U SD! See all 32k of you 9/17! https://t.co/ldlGwj8qqc
San Diego and Angel City joined the NWSL as expansion franchises this season, and the California clubs have taken the league by storm.
Angel City has averaged close to 19,000 per game at 22,000-seat Banc of California Stadium. The Wave played their first nine home games of the regular season at 6,000-seat Torero Stadium, and they averaged 5,092 fans per game, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Now San Diego will bring in more than 32,000 fans for its first match at its new home stadium. And, as Angel City FC lead investor Alexis Ohanian noted on Twitter, that’s just for a “regular-season match” — and the Wave certainly have playoff games in their near future.
San Diego sits atop the NWSL standings with 31 points on the season. Angel City FC sits just outside the playoff picture in seventh place with 25 points but remains right in the thick of the postseason race.