• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

New Hockey League Latest to Capture Women’s Sports Boom

  • The PWHL is attracting big crowds early into its debut season.
  • Attendance spiked across many pro and collegiate women’s sports in 2023.
David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is just 13 games into its debut season, but the upstart competition is already further boosting the growing interest in women’s sports, which saw a banner year on multiple fronts in 2023.

More than 65,000 fans have attended PWHL games, which are averaging crowds just over 5,000 on a nightly basis. The biggest success story thus far is in Minnesota, which set an attendance record for women’s pro hockey when 13,316 fans attended the team’s home opener. Minnesota’s home games, which are played in the same arena as the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, are responsible for nearly 26,000 fans alone.

Showing Up Big

The strong turnout perhaps shouldn’t be surprising considering other recent attendance spikes for women’s sports:

  • The 2023 NWSL season attracted a record 1.37 million fans.
  • Nearly 2 million people attended the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
  • The WNBA’s 1.58 million total attendance number was its highest in 13 years.
  • In August, Nebraska women’s volleyball team set the all-time record for a women’s sports event with 92,003 fans packed into the Cornhuskers’ football stadium.
  • Iowa’s women’s basketball team, led by star senior Caitlin Clark, drew 55,646 fans to its football stadium for a preseason game in October.

The women’s sports attendance boom of 2023 doesn’t appear to be slowing down, and now you can add hockey to the list of sports capitalizing on the trend.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Candace Parker

Candace Parker Wants NFL-Style Coverage From NBA Media

Amazon will stream its first NBA doubleheader Friday.
Oct 15, 2022; Elmont, New York, USA; An exterior view of UBS Arena before a game between the New York Islanders

NHL Cancels Olympic Send-Off, Gives Islanders 2027 All-Star Game

Players will head to the 2026 Olympics without a mid-season NHL event.
Tom Dundon
exclusive

Sale of Trail Blazers to Tom Dundon Will Take Multiple Years to..

Dundon is buying the team at a $4.25 billion valuation.
Malonga

Turkish Dispute Could Cloud French Star’s Return to WNBA 

Fenerbahçe needs to give Dominique Malonga a “letter of clearance.”

Featured Today

Christie's

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 18, 2025

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.

NFL’s Goodell Stands by Bad Bunny: ‘It’s Going to Be a Great..

The commissioner is undeterred by political criticism of the halftime show choice.
October 21, 2025

After Heavy Pushback, LaLiga’s Controversial Miami Match Canceled

Hard Rock Stadium was set to host Barcelona-Villarreal on Dec. 20.
October 21, 2025

NFL Wants to Expand International Slate, Will Evaluate Saudi Arabia

The league is evaluating a mix of new and existing markets for 2026.
Sponsored

Michelle Wie West: Women’s Sports Doesn’t Need Charity

The LPGA legend on redefining women’s sports and the future of golf.
October 21, 2025

The NBA’s $77B Future Starts Tonight 

Seven 2025 NBA All-Stars will miss the start of the season.
October 21, 2025

The AWS Outage Wreaked Havoc in Sports

Ticketmaster, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Strava all had problems.
October 20, 2025

Blue Jays $280M Payroll Pays Off With a Trip to the World..

Toronto is back in the Fall Classic for the first time in 32 years.
Verstappen
October 20, 2025

ESPN’s Final F1 Season Is Turning Into A Thriller 

F1 is averaging 1.4 million viewers on ESPN networks this year.