Women’s game scores big in attendance, TV ratings
Canadian team averaged 48,000 fans at its five matches while U.S. squad drew 4.7 million viewers per game
Women’s World Cup organizers didn’t get the dream Canada/ USA final most Canadians really wanted this weekend.
Team Canada’s quarter-final loss to England means television network executives can only dream about the spectacular ratings that an all-North-American battle would have generated.
But tournament organizers still have plenty to smile about.
This seventh edition of the Women’s World Cup — which expanded to 24 teams from the 16 that competed in previous tournaments — has attracted record attendance and TV ratings.
The first 49 games of the 52-game tournament drew about 1,246,000 fans to the six host cities across Canada, eclipsing the previous record of 1,194,000 fans that watched the 32-game 1999 Women’s World Cup in the U.S.
Canadian Soccer Association general-secretary Peter Montopoli expects the final attendance figure will range anywhere from 1.3 million to 1.35 million spectators, making it the most attended FIFA event in history, outside of the men’s World Cup (which drew 3.4 million fans in Brazil last year).
“We’re very, very pleased with the support our country has given in stadiums and on TV,” he said. “It speaks to how this tournament and our women’s team captivated the country from coast to coast.”
Montopoli noted the Canadian team attracted an average of 48,000 fans to its five World Cup games.
“What other national team sport can draw 48,000 people on a consistent basis?” he said. “Is there any other women’s sport that can do that? I think that list is very, very short and from that point of view, we’re ecstatic at what we’ve achieved here.”
Montopoli said the FIFA corruption scandal, which dominated the Women’s World Cup opening press conference at the Westin Bayshore four weeks ago, did not affect the tournament itself.
“The Women’s World Cup has been a shining light for football in general,” he said.
“The tournament just grows and grows and it could be even bigger and better in France in four years.”
TSN said an average of 3.2 million Canadian viewers watched Canada’s 2-1 loss to England on June 27, making it the mostwatched program on Canadian television last weekend.
It was also the second-highest Canadian audience ever for a women’s soccer game — behind the 3.7 million viewers who watched the Canada/USA semifinal during the 2012 Olympics.
Fox said the first five Team USA World Cup matches averaged 4.7 million viewers, more than double the audience attracted through the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup in Germany.
Mike Mulvihill, senior vicepresident of programming and research for Fox Sports Media Group, said the improved ratings reflect strong growth in the interest in women’s soccer, along with the advantage of North American time zones and aggressive over-the-air marketing of the World Cup.
“It all adds up to some pretty eye- opening percentage increases,” he said.
Mulvihill said the World Cup has attracted a lot of family viewing situations, where parents often watch games with their children.
“Our Women’s World Cup viewers have been about twice as likely to be watching with another family member than they would with the NFL or any of our other big sports properties,” he said.
Mulvihill said the greatest viewership increases are taking place among female viewers and they don’t just belong to the millennial generation, as older generation Xers and baby-boomers are also watching in growing numbers.
“Even though we’re in a business that’s very much youthobsessed, I think it’s actually a good thing to see those older demographics set the pace, which suggests mainstreaming of the sport (is taking place),” he said.
City of Vancouver sport hosting manager Michelle Collens said the city’s FanZone near BC Place Stadium attracted more than 89,000 visitors during its first nine opening dates, including 21,508 on the day of the quarterfinal match between Canada and England.
The city spent $1.2 million to create the FanZone — featuring live entertainment, viewing screens, games and food and beverage services — on the Larwill Park property bounded by Georgia, Beatty, Dunsmuir and Cambie streets.
“It really picked up momentum as the tournament went on and word of mouth got out about the FanZone being the place to go and watch the games,” Collens said.
She said Canada’s elimination from the tournament might affect attendance at the FanZone this weekend, but still expects it will be teeming with U.S. fans on Sunday when the Americans play in the final at BC Place.
“Tons of U.S. supporters will want to be in the city that their team is playing in,” Collens said. “We have no doubt it will be flooded.”
The FanZone will host a live performance by season 14 American Idol winner Nick Fradiani at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, which is U.S. Independence Day.
Red Card Sports Bar manager Matthew Kittle said his Smithe Street watering hole has been packed for most World Cup games, especially those involving Canada or the U.S.
He said the bar was at full capacity at least four hours before the Canada/England kickoff last Saturday and expects hordes of American fans to pack the place for the final on Sunday.
“I’m expecting this place to be crazy on Sunday,” Kittle said. “There will be a lineup around the corner.”