Another preseason for the Houston Dash has come and gone, and as Saturday’s opener against the Chicago Red Stars draws ever closer, head coach Randy Waldrum and his team now look towards the start of another season and another opportunity to land the franchise’s first-ever playoff appearance.
The players and the technical staff are not the only ones eagerly counting down the days until another opening day at BBVA Compass Stadium. The team’s followers are also looking forward to Saturday’s match as support for the team has continued to grow since the club’s inception. As noted by midfielder Morgan Brian, since the club’s formation in 2013, the game day “attendance average has been growing.”
Since the very first opening day for the Dash on April 12, 2013, back when the team first took the field in front of a crowd of 8,097, attendance has peaked at 13,025 strong. The record was set on July 12, 2015 when the club hosted the Chicago Red Stars and welcomed back American and Canadian national team players, including Carli Lloyd and Morgan Brian for the U.S. and Allysha Chapman for Canada.
The Dash only hope to add to the number of spectators in 2016. An excited home crowd and a full stadium create an environment conducive to winning. Brian notes, “I think that the more [fans] that we get out here, the better. That will make a great atmosphere for us and hopefully we can bring back some more wins.”
Forward Melissa Henderson attests to the power of the Dash faithful, “They come…game in, game out…they’re always there supporting us.” When asked to use one word to describe the fans, Brian quickly replies with “loyal" and Henderson with "electric." Be a part of the electric environment at Saturday's opener as the first 5,000 fans at the stadium will receive a Carli Lloyd bobblehead compliments of the match's title sponsor BBVA Compass.
