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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

The Upper Deck

News   October 28, 2009 at 1:45 pm LaRoche

I’m so super effing giddy about the Sounders playoff tomorrow, I gotta do a pre-day pre-game post.

I thought I’d address two rumors spread last night by my soccer team.

Rumor #1: Sounders attendance breaks top 50 in the world!

Yep, Prost Amerika cites the August (?) addition of World Soccer Magazine.

I couldn’t find the source itself, but instead of preparing for a mid-term in finance, I did crunch these numbers: If the Sounders were in England, they’d rank 12th in attendance.  Considering how this map ranks the 77 most popular clubs in England, 12th is very good.

Rumor #2: They’re opening the upper bowl at Qwest for the final/playoffs.

Not exactly true. After selling out the 32,400 lower bowl seats “in a matter of hours” according to the Sounders press office, they decided to open the “Loge Seats” —which is the inner ring of the upper deck. There are 3000 of those. And there are still some available for tomorrow night’s big game.


  • better ways

    England has 77 soccer teams?

  • better ways

    England has 77 soccer teams?

  • http://peacetreefarm.org N in Seattle

    England has something like five levels of professional leagues, with relegation all up and down the chain.

  • http://peacetreefarm.org N in Seattle

    England has something like five levels of professional leagues, with relegation all up and down the chain.

  • Bobblehead

    England has about a hundred professional teams in the top 5 divisions, but even as you go into the lower divisions you are going to find teams that are fully professional and others that are a mixture amateur and professional.

    But back to the Sounders. Looks like they opened up some of the group seats to the general public. Yesterday you could only find scattered singles in the 300s, but today I’m funding whole rows open. Yeesh. Wish they had opened these up earlier. Would have sold them out by now.

  • Bobblehead

    England has about a hundred professional teams in the top 5 divisions, but even as you go into the lower divisions you are going to find teams that are fully professional and others that are a mixture amateur and professional.

    But back to the Sounders. Looks like they opened up some of the group seats to the general public. Yesterday you could only find scattered singles in the 300s, but today I’m funding whole rows open. Yeesh. Wish they had opened these up earlier. Would have sold them out by now.

  • SoundersNerd

    First, thanks to Josh (I assume?) for filling in the blanks for me: I couldn’t confirm the upper bowl rumor myself and just left it at that. Josh, you going to the game?

    Secondly, a quick google of “how many pro soccer teams are there in the world”, found this: “It is estimated that there are about approximately 12500 clubs world wide, according to the world sporting almanac, published 2003″. It makes our ranking at 50 seem a little more impressive.

  • SoundersNerd

    First, thanks to Josh (I assume?) for filling in the blanks for me: I couldn’t confirm the upper bowl rumor myself and just left it at that. Josh, you going to the game?

    Secondly, a quick google of “how many pro soccer teams are there in the world”, found this: “It is estimated that there are about approximately 12500 clubs world wide, according to the world sporting almanac, published 2003″. It makes our ranking at 50 seem a little more impressive.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @4,

    Not going to the game LaRoche.

    But yep. Got your back.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @4,

    Not going to the game LaRoche.

    But yep. Got your back.