The third National Women’s Soccer League regular season finished up this weekend, and the good news is the league’s final (unofficial ) attendance average – 5,053 – is the highest for a women’s pro league since the WUSA’s swan song in 2003. It surely was at least partially fueled by excitement over the US Women’s National Team’s World Cup triumph, but there is cause for real optimism above and beyond the inevitable quadrennial World Cup BumpTM. First, the numbers, unofficial as they are, but taken from the league’s own news stories:

Club G Total Average Median High Low 2014 Change Portland Thorns FC 10 156,386 15,639 14,812 21,144 12,223 13,362 +17.0% Houston Dash 10 64,126 6,413 6,114 13,025 3,499 4,539 +41.3% Chicago Red Stars 10 42,102 4,210 2,753 16,017 1,402 2,949 +42.8% Washington Spirit 10 40,838 4,084 4,119 5,708 1,267 3,335 +22.5% Seattle Reign FC 10 40,595 4,060 3,908 6,303 2,225 3,632 +11.8% FC Kansas City 10 30,911 3,091 2,479 8,489 1,592 2,018 +53.2% Boston Breakers 10 28,628 2,863 2,597 4,325 1,861 2,437 +17.5% Western New York Flash 10 28,522 2,852 2,747 4,147 1,802 3,177 -10.2% Sky Blue FC 10 22,683 2,268 1,905 5,547 953 1,640 +38.3% NWSL TOTAL 90 454,791 5,053 3,367 21,144 953 4,121 22.6%



Now, some notes: