Utah pro women’s soccer team makes state history with number of fans at inaugural game

When the attendance at America First Field was announced for Saturday’s game between the Utah Royals and Chicago Red Stars, the state of Utah made history.

The Royals, in their first game of the 2024 season as an expansion team, welcomed 20,370 fans to the stadium. It’s the largest crowd that has ever attended a women’s soccer match — and seemingly the best attended women’s sporting event period — in the history of the state.

The United States Women’s National Team saw 19,584 fans in a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2003. In the first iteration of the Royals, 19,203 people attended the club’s first-ever home game in the former Rio Tinto Stadium.

Coach Amy Rodriguez said playing for Utah was so special was because the support of the fan base, and that Saturday was “even bigger and better than ever before.”

“I actually lost my voice tonight because the crowd was so loud,” Rodriguez said.

Rookie and No. 1 pick Ally Sentnor said it was the biggest crowd she’s ever played in front of.

“I’m just so grateful to be in this state where they really support us,” Sentnor said. “Even after the loss, you could hear them. They wanted to talk to us, they were still supporting us. That really means a lot. It’s something I know, personally, pushes me to try to help this team win.”

Co-owner David Blitzer described the milestone as “amazing” during a pregame news conference with Ryan Smith and new investor Lindsey Vonn.

“That sort of speaks for itself,” Blitzer said before the game. He later added: “Those people who come out for this experience today hopefully have an amazing experience and continue to come back and support this club.”

The Red Stars won the game 2-0.