The USWNT match on Sunday, May 27 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. will be played infront of a sell out crowd. The U.S. will face China PR in front of a crowd of 18,500. These will be the only fans that will be able to watch the match since the game will not be televised or live-streamed.
It is impressive that the USWNT is attracting a crowd of 18,500 since a little more than a year ago on May 18, 2011 only 5,323 attended a match against Japan in North Carolina. This is also a drastic increase from the last time the USWNT faced China PR in Pennsylvania, which was played in front of a crowd of 2,505 on Oct. 6, 2011. However, these matches were televised by ESPN2.
I find this attendance and television comparison of pre-Women's World Cup and post-Women's World Cup fascinating. It is obvious that the Women's World Cup boosted interest in the USWNT and this can be seen by an increase in attendance at matches, but it has had a reversal effect on television coverage. The year before the 2011 Women's World Cup the USWNT played seven international friendlies and only one was not televised. It seems as though recently fans have been up in arms and campaigning to view their team whether it be on TV or online. The Algarve Cup comes to mind when thinking about fans disappointed in the media's coverage of their team.
For the USWNT's popularity to continue to grow, it is very important for people to be able to see them play. After the Olympics this summer, women's international soccer is in its "off" period for three years until the next Women's World Cup is played. That is a long "off" period. U.S. Soccer needs to sell the team hard right now coming off the 2011 Women's World Cup and heading into the 2012 London Games because this is the time to capitalize. Even if they cannot get television companies to broadcast the games, they should provide a live-stream to keep the core fans happy and engaged. Opportunity for growth is being missed by not allowing the public to view entire games live.
Photo credit: Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com taken from ussoccer.com
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