(above) The 2008 NCAA Lacrosse Championship game featured Syracuse & John Hopkins UniversityFrom: Baltimore Sun
by John Weaver
Denver's bid to host either the 2010, 2011 or 2012 NCAA Lacrosse Championships at Invesco Field features some interesting statistics. It also shows what hoops a city must jump through to host an NCAA event.
Metro Denver Sports Commission president KieAnn Brownell, who guaranteed $3 million in revenues at the final presentation to the NCAA Lacrosse Committee. She stressed that lacrosse is not an alternative sport in Colorado.
Said Brownell: "Denver is the lacrosse capital of the West and here's why: Since 1999, when lacrosse was first sanctioned by the Colorado High School Athletic Association, the sport has seen explosive growth. Today there are 59 high school programs in eight conferences. Youth are regularly hanging up their baseball bats and football helmets and taking up lacrosse. And Denver's high school programs are top notch. Kent Denver is ranked in the top 10 of U.S. high school programs. Ten players from Colorado were named All-Americans in 2008. The University of Denver's 2008 recruiting class is ranked No. 10 in the country."
The Denver bid is bolstered by the great crowds at Outlaws and Mammoth (NLL) games. Brownell pointed out that the professional lacrosse franchises in Denver are thriving and lead the country in attendance.
“The Colorado Mammoth, Denver's NLL franchise, consistently tops attendance records and outdraws the NBA and NHL franchises," Brownell said. The Mammoth outdraws its closest East Coast competitor by 15 percent."
She added: “Denver's attendance will be comprised of their professional fan base noted above; the strong collegiate fan base from the two Division I programs at the University of Denver and the Air Force Academy; the collegiate fan base from the eight collegiate club programs in Colorado, including perennial club contender Colorado State University; the event-driven Denver sports fans, who have set and held attendance records in the MLB, NHL, NFL, NCAA hockey, USGA, NLL, and the MLL, where this past summer they broke their own single game attendance record. Further, Denver Sports received letters of support from several lacrosse clubs in other western states, saying they would travel to Denver but not to the east."
The common perception is that Denver would be a "growth of the game" play instead of a huge attendance and revenue play, but Brownell says that the idea that Denver's attendance would be down is a misconception. “Denver will undoubtedly set an all-time attendance record for the lacrosse championships," she said.
Since 2006, Denver has sold more than 600,000 tickets to professional lacrosse. The Outlaws average 11,000 fans per game and the Mammoth averages 18,000 per game, and these are two groups of different people. The interesting difference between the professional fans in Denver and the lacrosse fans in the east is that the professional fans in Denver are an entirely different demographic. They are not the lacrosse community's committed core; instead, they are sports fans who have fallen in love with the game. Unlike the east that depends on the lacrosse community and the collegiate teams to fill the stadium, Denver will appeal to a wide variety of fans. (read entire article)
Metro Denver Sports Commission president KieAnn Brownell, who guaranteed $3 million in revenues at the final presentation to the NCAA Lacrosse Committee. She stressed that lacrosse is not an alternative sport in Colorado.
Said Brownell: "Denver is the lacrosse capital of the West and here's why: Since 1999, when lacrosse was first sanctioned by the Colorado High School Athletic Association, the sport has seen explosive growth. Today there are 59 high school programs in eight conferences. Youth are regularly hanging up their baseball bats and football helmets and taking up lacrosse. And Denver's high school programs are top notch. Kent Denver is ranked in the top 10 of U.S. high school programs. Ten players from Colorado were named All-Americans in 2008. The University of Denver's 2008 recruiting class is ranked No. 10 in the country."
The Denver bid is bolstered by the great crowds at Outlaws and Mammoth (NLL) games. Brownell pointed out that the professional lacrosse franchises in Denver are thriving and lead the country in attendance.
“The Colorado Mammoth, Denver's NLL franchise, consistently tops attendance records and outdraws the NBA and NHL franchises," Brownell said. The Mammoth outdraws its closest East Coast competitor by 15 percent."
She added: “Denver's attendance will be comprised of their professional fan base noted above; the strong collegiate fan base from the two Division I programs at the University of Denver and the Air Force Academy; the collegiate fan base from the eight collegiate club programs in Colorado, including perennial club contender Colorado State University; the event-driven Denver sports fans, who have set and held attendance records in the MLB, NHL, NFL, NCAA hockey, USGA, NLL, and the MLL, where this past summer they broke their own single game attendance record. Further, Denver Sports received letters of support from several lacrosse clubs in other western states, saying they would travel to Denver but not to the east."
The common perception is that Denver would be a "growth of the game" play instead of a huge attendance and revenue play, but Brownell says that the idea that Denver's attendance would be down is a misconception. “Denver will undoubtedly set an all-time attendance record for the lacrosse championships," she said.
Since 2006, Denver has sold more than 600,000 tickets to professional lacrosse. The Outlaws average 11,000 fans per game and the Mammoth averages 18,000 per game, and these are two groups of different people. The interesting difference between the professional fans in Denver and the lacrosse fans in the east is that the professional fans in Denver are an entirely different demographic. They are not the lacrosse community's committed core; instead, they are sports fans who have fallen in love with the game. Unlike the east that depends on the lacrosse community and the collegiate teams to fill the stadium, Denver will appeal to a wide variety of fans. (read entire article)
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