NWSL team gaining steam in Salt Lake City

Real Salt Lake’s NWSL team, which will begin play in 2018, is already off to a smooth start in regard to ticket sales, with around 1,000 season ticket commitments to date.

The team, which does not yet have a name, will be playing at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The team is working to open ticket sales for purchase, and season tickets should be available for purchase in the coming weeks.

FC Kansas City, whose spot in NWSL the Salt Lake team is assuming, averaged only 1,788 attendance in 2017, according to Soccer Stadium Digest. That was a significant drop from their 2016 number, which was still well under 4,000.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Portland Thorns rank top in attendance, reaching an average of over 17,000 per game in 2017.

It seems likely that RSL can certainly surpass the Kansas City side in attendance through season tickets alone; reaching the Portland average might be a bigger ask. Still, the seating is available.

In a press conference announcing the team, Dell Loy Hansen said one of the goals with the team was to set ticket prices that were more easily accessible to the general public.

“We’ve put a price point that will allow everyone to participate,” he said. “We think this is a family event. ... This team is being built for the college students, the high school students, and the young families.”