Attendance & Women's Hockey

[RIT Winters]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

It really comes down to what you like about the game. There is no doubt that the men are bigger, stronger, and faster which leads to a much more exciting game to watch in my opinion. Throw in the added violence and energy from the full contact aspect, and I have a hard time enjoying women's hockey as much.

Everything about the women's game is basically a slowed down version of the men's game, with certain aspects (hitting, real slapshots) missing. I don't know that there is anything the women can do to solve this problem and get people in the stands who aren't predisposed (ex-players, family, ect) to it.

A casual sports fan is likely to prefer the pace and energy of the men's game, and the more experienced fan likely grew up on men's hockey and is going to be difficult to convert when there are men's teams around. Here in Rochester, we might have had the best D3 women's team but we also had a very good men's team on campus, and a resurgent Rochester Americans team downtown. On any given night/day of a women's game they are competing for the same audiences.

 

[Hux]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Looking at the WNBA numbers, it's not all that popular.

Was talking about college hoop....which probably isn't all that popular (attendance wise) outside of the top 25 teams.

 

[ARM]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Everything about the women's game is basically a slowed down version of the men's game, with certain aspects (hitting, real slapshots) missing.

Realize that you're not just comparing men to women, you're also comparing D-I to D-III. At the elite levels of the women's game, there are real slap shots. Shooting is one of the skills that has come a long way in the more than a dozen years that I've been following the sport.

I grew up with the men's game, but after watching women's hockey for a few years, I went to an NHL game and was bored. I find the open ice available to skate and make plays in the women's game that is often lacking in NHL games entertaining. One advantage that the women's college game has over men's is that the players aren't playing with one eye on the NHL. It isn't as much fun watching players who have somewhere else that they'd rather be. As for lack of checking, if I just want to see people get crunched, there are many sports that offer that, like MMA or bull riding. I like hockey for the hockey.

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

I was there in December. The band was there and the Arean seemed over half-full.

Ahh gotcha. Yeah RIT is the cream of the crop when it comes to D-III women's attendance wise. They also are drawing from a large city for a fan base as well as a student population of 15,000 undergrad.

Their arena isn't all that big though. It only seats around 1400 or 1500 I believe.

The capacity is 2100 with standing room.

 

[FredDavenport]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Quinnipiac has been growing in attendance every year as they have been focusing on children and families. They are averaging over 300 per game, which is more then the early days of the men's program when they first went D-I.

Also the 4pm start time for Saturday's women's games is AWESOME as you see many, many young girl's, boy's and parents for these family friendly game times.

There is no where to go but up!!

 

[giwan]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Quinnipiac has been growing in attendance every year as they have been focusing on children and families. They are averaging over 300 per game, which is more then the early days of the men's program when they first went D-I.Also the 4pm start time for Saturday's women's games is AWESOME as you see many, many young girl's, boy's and parents for these family friendly game times.There is no where to go but up!!

Great marketing! I do not think you go after the men's hockey crowd or at least not very hard. Need to find another group that will find such things entertaining. I personally know several older, retired folk that decided to support their local women college teams. At the moment it's easier and cheaper for a ticket. They get to learn the game and watch players develop.

 

[RIT Winters]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Realize that you're not just comparing men to women, you're also comparing D-I to D-III. At the elite levels of the women's game, there are real slap shots. Shooting is one of the skills that has come a long way in the more than a dozen years that I've been following the sport.

I grew up with the men's game, but after watching women's hockey for a few years, I went to an NHL game and was bored. I find the open ice available to skate and make plays in the women's game that is often lacking in NHL games entertaining. One advantage that the women's college game has over men's is that the players aren't playing with one eye on the NHL. It isn't as much fun watching players who have somewhere else that they'd rather be. As for lack of checking, if I just want to see people get crunched, there are many sports that offer that, like MMA or bull riding. I like hockey for the hockey.

This goes back to my first sentence about personal preference. There's really no room to argue one way or another, it's personal preference. The attendance figures and professional arenas seem to suggest that most people prefer one over the other, but that doesn't make it "better" or "worse", just makes it more popular and accepted. Parents are going to be more apt to bring their kids to watch a game with less violence and grandparents are similarly more likely to not want to see some of the things that come with the men's game. It definitely makes a lot of sense to market primarily to these audiences as they will provide a strong and stable base.

RIT's women had little trouble drawing for certain events (they have even sold out Ritter before, which set D3 Women's attendance records for the NCAA) but an event that you would think should draw heavily - the championship game - was about half full due to competing with the men who drew about twice as much as the women for their AHA championship game at Blue Cross, while still about 1000 fans less than the night before when they didn't conflict. Goes to show that it's better for everyone if fans aren't forced to choose.

 

[ARM]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Parents are going to be more apt to bring their kids to watch a game with less violence and grandparents are similarly more likely to not want to see some of the things that come with the men's game. It definitely makes a lot of sense to market primarily to these audiences as they will provide a strong and stable base.

I agree.

RIT's women had little trouble drawing for certain events (they have even sold out Ritter before, which set D3 Women's attendance records for the NCAA) but an event that you would think should draw heavily - the championship game - was about half full due to competing with the men who drew about twice as much as the women for their AHA championship game at Blue Cross, while still about 1000 fans less than the night before when they didn't conflict.

What I've notice over the years is that women's games can really struggle to draw well for games that don't have much advance notice. Youth teams seem to be a prime component of big crowds, and when there isn't time to organize those group outings, attendance can suffer.

 

[binnyrus]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

What if a city decided to get behind a campaign to become (for example) "the best women's hockey fans" in the country?? (I almost think Madison - D1 - would hold that moniker now) It almost seems like encouraging support for the (local) team needs to come from every level of the community . . . the school, the chamber of commerce, local government . . . youth leagues/organizations . . . .

 

[Hux]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

What I've noticed over the years is that women's games can really struggle to draw well for games that don't have much advance notice. Youth teams seem to be a prime component of big crowds, and when there isn't time to organize those group outings, attendance can suffer.

Promotion of the team and games is key to putting fannies in the seats. The more publicity a team gets to begin with the better they will do on average, and on special events. Unfortunately, most teams seem to operate in a vacuum when it comes to press coverage..even in their school papers.

 

[ARM]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Promotion of the team and games is key to putting fannies in the seats. The more publicity a team gets to begin with the better they will do on average, and on special events. Unfortunately, most teams seem to operate in a vacuum when it comes to press coverage..even in their school papers.

The NCAA tournament often runs into spring break as well, so if the school papers attempt coverage, there is little audience for it.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Frozen Four Attendance

Frozen Four Attendance

I originally posted this back in 2010 and with the current discussion I thought I would post an updated list.

By Year
2001 Minneapolis Semifinals 2,099 Final 3,079
2002 Durham Semifinals 2,051 Final 3,102
2003 Duluth Semifinals 4,801 (host) Final 5,167 (host)
2004 Providence Semifinals 2,526 Final 3,522
2005 Durham Semifinals 2,204 Final 2,056
2006 Minneapolis Semifinals 2,876 (host) Final 4,701 (host)
2007 Lake Placid* Semifinals 3,423 (host) Final 3,355
2008 Duluth** Semifinals 3,023 (host) Final 4,031 (host)
2009 Boston Semifinals 2,706 Final 2,437
2010 Minneapolis Semifinals 2,070 (host) Final 1,473
2011 Eire Semifinals 3,482/3,531 Final 3,956
2012 Duluth Semifinals 1,388/2,052 Final 2,439
* first year FF held a week earlier
** Thursday-Saturday

Sean

 

[Sean Pickett]

Boston University Attendance

Boston University Attendance

Boston University's attendance rose dramatically between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, from an average of 232/game to an average of 387/game. In my opinion this was due to several factors:
1) winning the 2010 Hockey East Championship
2) bringing in several of the top players in the women's game
3) hosting the 2011 Hockey East Championships
4) hosting an NCAA quarterfinal game

This season attendance went up again, to an average of 400/game without 1), 3) or 4), but 5) hosting the Beanpot. BU has also worked quite hard over the years to promote women's hockey among both the students and the local girl's youth leagues.

Sean

 

[brookyone]

Re: Boston University Attendance

Re: Boston University Attendance

Boston University's attendance rose dramatically between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, from an average of 232/game to an average of 387/game. In my opinion this was due to several factors:
1) winning the 2010 Hockey East Championship
2) bringing in several of the top players in the women's game
3) hosting the 2011 Hockey East Championships
4) hosting an NCAA quarterfinal game

This season attendance went up again, to an average of 400/game without 1), 3) or 4), but 5) hosting the Beanpot. BU has also worked quite hard over the years to promote women's hockey among both the students and the local girl's youth leagues.

Sean

Appreciate the info. My honest reaction is with that team (the last couple years at minimum)...in that town at that school, they should be doing quite a bit better. Any idea how the weekday night games compare to weekends on average? A guess would be weekday nights aren't the best for increased attendance.

I'd definitely anticipate lower than average attendance for Minnesota on a weekday night.

 

[Hux]

Re: Boston University Attendance

Re: Boston University Attendance

Boston University's attendance rose dramatically between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, from an average of 232/game to an average of 387/game. In my opinion this was due to several factors:
1) winning the 2010 Hockey East Championship
2) bringing in several of the top players in the women's game
3) hosting the 2011 Hockey East Championships
4) hosting an NCAA quarterfinal game

This season attendance went up again, to an average of 400/game without 1), 3) or 4), but 5) hosting the Beanpot. BU has also worked quite hard over the years to promote women's hockey among both the students and the local girl's youth leagues.

Sean

I think you can also add in a good relationship between players on the team, and fellow students. The student support this year was much better than in previous years...and quite vocal/noisy with their pots and pans!

 

[zoofer]

Re: Boston University Attendance

Re: Boston University Attendance

I think that all of us that love the women's game will always be disappointed about the fan base...I'm watching the Brampton-Boston game for the Clarkson Cup as I write and the stands are empty! Maybe the kids have school in the morning but I wish I knew how to get the women the full house they deserve....BTW 4 former UNH players on the ice tonight, with Courtney Birchard getting Rookie of the Year for Brampton! I also go to some of the UNH women's lacrosse and field hockey games, and if you think we have issues with fans, those girls totally play for the love of their sport.....until the playoffs, no one but parents show up....sorry to say but I think that the women HAVE to get the NHL behind them, for cash and promotion, in order to grow their game.

 

[Shipe Family]

Re: Boston University Attendance

Re: Boston University Attendance

I think that all of us that love the women's game will always be disappointed about the fan base...I'm watching the Brampton-Boston game for the Clarkson Cup as I write and the stands are empty! Maybe the kids have school in the morning but I wish I knew how to get the women the full house they deserve....BTW 4 former UNH players on the ice tonight, with Courtney Birchard getting Rookie of the Year for Brampton! I also go to some of the UNH women's lacrosse and field hockey games, and if you think we have issues with fans, those girls totally play for the love of their sport.....until the playoffs, no one but parents show up....sorry to say but I think that the women HAVE to get the NHL behind them, for cash and promotion, in order to grow their game.

I think that all of us that love the women's game will always be disappointed about the fan base...I'm watching the Brampton-Boston game for the Clarkson Cup as I write and the stands are empty! Maybe the kids have school in the morning but I wish I knew how to get the women the full house they deserve....BTW 4 former UNH players on the ice tonight, with Courtney Birchard getting Rookie of the Year for Brampton! I also go to some of the UNH women's lacrosse and field hockey games, and if you think we have issues with fans, those girls totally play for the love of their sport.....until the playoffs, no one but parents show up....sorry to say but I think that the women HAVE to get the NHL behind them, for cash and promotion, in order to grow their game.

I, too, watched the Clarkson Cup game and was saddened by the fan turnout. Contrast the fan support of this game to the support seen today during the women's Swedish Elite Series semi final game. Munksund, the host for the first of three games, had a whopping 1.600 plus noisy fans. Like the CWHL, their game was also on a weeknight. A week earlier, in UFA, Russia the last league game in the Women's Russian Championship was played in the afternoon on a week day in front of over 2,000 fans. Even more interesting in the Swedish and Russian games, family and friends were in the minority. While I can not speak to how Munksund pulled off its attendence numbers, I can share some insight into Russia's situation. My daughter, who currently plays in Ufa, credits the fan support to the team administration and to the tireless work of the club's communication director. Game updates, photos and video clips are often already posted on its website before the team even has time to change after the game. She is also very good in attracting both print and media attention. What is remarkable is that this UFA team is only in its second year as is the Munksund team in Sweden. Perhaps we can take a page from their book to develop our fan bases in North America.

 

[LtPowers]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

Throw in the added violence and energy from the full contact aspect, and I have a hard time enjoying women's hockey as much.

While I'll admit there are times I wish the girls could throw a strong body check, there's something to be said for the finesse needed to knock an opponent off the puck /without/ performing an illegal body check. I can't count the number of times I saw the Tigers look like they were going to take a checking or boarding penalty, only to pull up at the last second and still get the puck...


Powers &8^]

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Boston University Attendance

Re: Boston University Attendance

Appreciate the info. My honest reaction is with that team (the last couple years at minimum)...in that town at that school, they should be doing quite a bit better. Any idea how the weekday night games compare to weekends on average? A guess would be weekday nights aren't the best for increased attendance.

Their are four DI teams in Boston and I think that BU has done well competing for fans among them.

This season BU only had one midweek home game besides the Beanpot. It was on a Wednesdsay night vs BC and attendance was 394. BU's Beanpot games (Tuesdays) drew well, with a semifinal attendance of 707 and a final attendance of 1129.

In 2010-11 BU had 2 midweek home games, a Tuesday game vs NU (150) and a Thursday game vs UNH (227).

In 2009-10 BU had 3 midweek home games, a Monday vs BC (338), a Wednesday vs Vermont (131) and a Tuesday vs BC (176).

Excluding the Beanpot those are all below the average attendance for each season, except for the Monday BC game in 09-10.

On the subject of the Beanpot, BU has had the 2nd and 3rd best attendenced since they started the women's program 7 years ago. I think it shows the BU community will show up to support the team for big games.

Beanpot attendance since 2006*:
2006 HU Semifinals 617 Final 721 - Harvard in championship game
2007 BC Semifinals 723 Final 961 - BC in championship game
2008 BU Semifinals 710 Final 1109 - BU in championship game
2009 NU Semifinals 451 Final 623 - NU not in championshipship game
2010 HU Semifinals 1411 Final 1623 - Harvard in championship game
2011 BC Semifinals 588 Final 702 - BC in championship game
2012 BU Semifinals 707 Final 1129 - BU in championship game
* some years the attendance was given seperately, some years it wasn't. I have used the largest given attendance for each night

Sean

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

What if a city decided to get behind a campaign to become (for example) "the best women's hockey fans" in the country?? (I almost think Madison - D1 - would hold that moniker now) It almost seems like encouraging support for the (local) team needs to come from every level of the community . . . the school, the chamber of commerce, local government . . . youth leagues/organizations . . . .

One thing I would point out is that Wisconsin benefits from playing in a pretty good size city while being the primary sporting event in town on some days. There aren't any pro sports teams in Madison to compete with, and when the women's hockey team is playing it means that the Badgers men's hockey and men's and women's basketball teams aren't.