XFL: What are expectations for attendance?
The revamped XFL is set to return to action this weekend, only a week after Super Bowl 57, so will Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s league suffer in the aftermath of one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever or thrive as fans hopefully clamor for more football.
That remains to be seen but all eight teams – D.C. Defenders, Seattle Sea Dragons, St. Louis BattleHawks, Vegas Vipers, Arlington Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians and San Antonio Brahmas – have worked hard to promote the brand in their cities according to XFL president Russ Brandon. “They’ve done an outstanding job of continuing to light up the excitement in our markets,” he said.
For 2023, the XFL has employed a hybrid structure. All eight teams practice in or around a hub in Arlington, Texas, where training camp has been underway since early January. Teams will travel to home markets for games that will be played in a combination of NFL/college stadiums, converted baseball ballparks and soccer fields.
Here are the home venues for each team:
- Arlington: Choctaw Stadium
- Houston: TDECU Stadium
- Orlando: Camping World Stadium
- Vegas: Cashman Field
- San Antonio: Alamodome
- Seattle: Lumen Field
- St. Louis: The Dome at America’s Center
- D.C.: Audi Field
There are likely to be significant variations in game attendance. St. Louis averaged 28,541 fans per game in 2020, but the overall league average was 18,614. The lowest-drawing 2020 markets, New York and Los Angeles, are not part of the league in 2023. Brandon did not offer an attendance goal but noted that players and coaches have made multiple trips to each market during training camp to begin making connections.
The XFL began selling season-ticket packages last fall with price points that started at $100 per seat for the season in seven of the eight cities. The lowest-priced season tickets for games in St. Louis are $125.
