RICHMOND, VA — (Friday, November 10, 2017) — President of the United Soccer League (USL), Jake Edwards held a conference call Friday afternoon to speak of the achievements of the league following the 2017 season and ahead of the 2017 USL Cup Final Monday night between Louisville City FC and Swope Park Rangers live on ESPNU.
Edwards first remarked on the growth of attendance across the league, which saw a 36% increase over the 2016 season. The Kickers have seen a similar increase in attendance, averaging 4,665 in 2017 which eclipsed the previous record of 4,029 set in 2016 and breaking the record overall for a fourth consecutive season. Since 2013, City Stadium has seen a 76% increase in attendance as the Kickers sit in the Top 10 for attendance in the 30-team USL.
The league as whole has also seen an increase in sponsorship as the 2017 season saw a 50% increase in sponsorship revenue over the 2016 season. Following the trend, the Kickers have seen a 25% increase in sponsorship revenue this season, along with a 35% increase in ticket sales.
League exposure is at an all-time high for the USL with the creation of USL Productions, a $10 million investment by the league in partnership with Vista Worldlink to standardize television production. With league games airing on national outlets such as ESPNU, ESPN3, and SiriusXM, the USL also saw many local markets building their own local television deals. The Kickers announced a landmark television deal in 2017 with WTVR CBS 6, which brought 17 home and away games to television in the Richmond metro area and named CBS 6 the Exclusive Television Partners of the Kickers. Three of the 17 televised matches were shown on the main 6.1 channel.
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