FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – If you’ve been to a New England Revolution game this season, you’ve probably felt it firsthand; there’s just something different about the atmosphere inside Gillette Stadium in 2015.
Attendance at Revolution home games is up 20 percent when compared to this time last year. Through 13 home games in 2014, the Revs were averaging 15,062 fans in Foxborough. This year that figure has grown exponentially to 18,075, and the change has been felt both in the stands and on the field.
“I think it’s really showing in the stadium,” said Revolution president Brian Bilello. “I think the experience in the stadium is a little different than maybe in past years because of that increased attendance, and I think to an effect, more people are enjoying the games. Now more people are coming to more games and it’s kind of building on itself a little bit. It’s really exciting to see it happen.”
There’s no doubt a cyclical nature to the process. More fans in the building leads to a better atmosphere in-stadium. A better atmosphere leads to a better overall sporting experience, which in turn leads to repeat customers. Those repeat customers enhance the experience of new fans, and so on and so forth.
But, of course, most fans don’t attend sporting events simply for the atmosphere; especially here in New England, they want to see a winner. And that’s exactly what the Revs have given them in recent years.
“I don’t want to discount the performance of the team and how good these guys have been for these home fans,” said Bilello. “I mean, we’ve lost one home game since the summer of 2014.
“If you’re coming to Gillette Stadium for a match, statistically speaking, you’re probably seeing a Revolution win. If you’re not seeing a Revolution win, at the very least, you’re seeing a draw.”
Bilello isn’t exaggerating. Since last July the Revs have gone 15-1-7 in Foxborough, meaning they’ve won 65 percent of their home games in the past calendar year, while drawing another 31 percent. If you’ve attended a Revs home game in the past 13 months, there’s only a 4 percent chance you saw a loss.
In that 23-game span the Revs have outscored their opponents by a margin of 41-17.
“I think the style that we play, especially here at home, is very exciting for the fans,” said Bilello. “We score goals and it adds to the whole experience.”
On-field performance is a massive part of the equation, but there are other factors at play, too. Bilello said that about five years ago the club took a hard look at what needed to be done to drive attendance, starting “from the bottom up” by adding resources in sales, marketing, communications and digital.
“We went from a non-playoff team, to a playoff team, to a team that went to the MLS Cup final,” Bilello said of the Revs’ progression since Jay Heaps was named head coach prior to the 2012 season. “I think it’s really a combination of having that team that’s exciting, that people love to watch, but also making sure we had everything in place from a sales and operations standpoint to capitalize on that team.”
Growth has been particularly strong in The Fort – the supporters’ section largely inhabited by members of The Midnight Riders and The Rebellion – where Bilello said the Revs currently have almost double the amount of season ticket holders they’ve had in recent years.
“There’s been just tremendous support from our supporters groups and for our supporters in The Fort,” Bilello said, making note of a new addition to this year’s Fort Season Ticket package which included transportation and a ticket to a road game against the New York Red Bulls. “Bringing that atmosphere every game is another layer to the experience here, I think.”
That atmosphere isn’t just for the fans, either. It’s for the players, too.
While fans may return because of a great atmosphere in-stadium and good results on the field, the beauty is that oftentimes the great atmosphere in-stadium spurs good results on the field.
And we’re back to that cyclical nature.
“I think these things really can be symbiotic,” said Bilello. “We put people in the building, guys play better. Guys play better, so more people come to the building. Hopefully we can just keep driving that for years to come.”
There are already signs that New England’s attendance figures will continue to rise next year. Just 10 days after 2016 season tickets went on sale, new season ticket sales had more than doubled when compared to this same time period last year.
In fact, Bilello is confident attendance would actually be up even higher this year if not for some unfortunate weather in the Foxborough area (snow against San Jose? Torrential downpours against LA? Thunder and lightning against Houston?). And he has proof: while attendance is up 20 percent, actual sales figures are up even higher.
“While we’re excited that we’re up as much as we are, I actually think if we had a little better luck with the weather, we’d be up even more based on our sales figures,” Bilello said.
So here’s hoping for continued growth in 2016. And maybe some better weather, too.
