A worrying trend is starting to appear at Rising Soccer Complex. Empty seats are starting to appear where previously the crowd was packed to the rafters. Against Sacramento, less than 6,000 fans turned up. Against Orange County on Wednesday night? A mere 4,536.  This is despite the team playing really well (even without their stars), fighting for a playoff position, and with the front office still enjoying a great rapport with supporters groups. Rising are certainly attracting bigger crowds than their predecessor, Arizona United, but something needs to be done to buck this trend.

Reaching out is the key here, and there are several ways to do this. Wednesday saw one option: College Night, an attempt to draw in students (particularly ideal given the proximity to ASU’s Tempe Campus). Unfortunately, promotion of the event didn’t seem to reach anybody who didn’t already follow the team in some capacity. A few posts on Rising’s social media isn’t enough. The team needed a physical presence on ASU’s Tempe campus to really promote the offer and draw in new fans. Even in the English Football League, where club loyalties run much stronger, one smaller League Two club has established a supporters club on the local University campus.  They sell tickets at reduced prices to encourage students to meet up on the terraces. It’s working – far more students are attending games, and they’ve even arranged travel for away games. If it can work there, why can’t it work here?

Targeting families should also be a priority. This can be addressed on two fronts. Local youth soccer is one means of doing this.  The number of kids kicking a round ball in organized games on Saturday mornings is phenomenal. Rising needs to establish a physical presence at some of these meets. Promoters could be sent out, or even fringe players that aren’t going to make the squad that day, to further establish the club at the heart of the local community. Second, Rising needs to continue to think about creating an affordable family experience. Ticket prices are low, but for larger families, the expense can add up.  After all, children will get hungry, and want merchandise. Clubs in other nations usually offer a discount for children’s tickets.  This may be a step too far for Rising to implement for every child, but a multi-ticket family bundle, exclusively sold for a designated family section, could help. These aren’t new ideas, but it’d be interesting to see if they could work in the desert.

Rising could even look at working with other local sports teams. When several Rising players attended the Diamondbacks against Dodgers, there was little fuss made apart from on Rising’s own social media. This was a chance to promote the team to a potentially different group of fans. Die-hard baseball supporters may not be the greatest target audience, but some attendees will simply be sports fans who enjoy going out to a game.  Rising has to encourage some of these baseball fans to attend USL games. American sports already recognize the success of cross-club promotional nights, drawing in fans from outside their usual target market. This coming week, the Diamondbacks will host a night for the Phoenix Suns. If Rising tried to do likewise, they could potentially attract some new converts to soccer in the Valley.

The progress made by Rising on and off the field this season has been incredible, but the decline in recent weeks is disappointing, and the players certainly deserve better.  With Sacramento, San Antonio and Cincinnati all continuing to boast larger crowds, quite how Rising reacts next could be the difference between making or missing out on MLS status.