Why Is The Flyers Support At Home So Low?

At one time, the Flyers had one of the longest sell-out streaks in the NHL. Now, they can barely draw 17,000 fans on some nights. But, why? What happened?



Game after game, night after night, the Wells Fargo Center hasn’t been what it used to be for Flyers game. The Flyers used to have an empty seat here or there. Now, we are not talking about an empty seat here or there. NO. We are talking about a few rows here or there.

Over the past few seasons, the Flyers have been going through a rebuild. A rebuild that still saw the product on the ice be pretty good. Not as good as the early 2000s teams, but good enough to make the playoffs 3 out of the last 7 years.

This year, the product is very good on the ice. However, the Flyers are having one of their worst start to the seasons with attendance. Why? It has to do with interest. Just look at the Arizona Coyotes.




The Coyotes have been one of the toughest sells in the NHL. When the NHL announced they were putting a team in the desert, everyone thought it was a crazy idea. But, to their credit, the Coyotes are a pretty interesting concept.

Arizona is one of the most traveled to cities in the NHL. Their attendance is greatly effected by who they play and when they play them. But, the interest from the home crowd is very minimal at best sometimes. This season is a clear example.

At the moment, the Coyotes are the 2nd best team in the Western Conference. But, on nights when they don’t play division foes or teams with a great traveling fanbase, their attendance struggles.

For the season, the Coyotes average 14,335 fans per game, about 83% capacity. Which is pretty decent for a team who plays in the desert. The Flyers average about 17,614 fans per game, about 90% capacity in a hockey city. But, fall in interest to other teams in the city.




This is where the Flyers and Coyotes are alike. The interest in the teams are secondary in their cities. Hockey in Arizona is just unthinkable and the Flyers in Philadelphia are probably third at best with four Philly teams. But, with the product on the ice good, why aren’t the fans coming?

That answer has to do with the $250 million dollar renovation done to the Wells Fargo Center over the past two seasons. With the renovations, prices have risen and the interest to pay more just is not there. Even with a Flyers team that is 3rd in its division and one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the start of November.

Today, was no different. More empty seats and rows. The occasional weekday game is a pass due to the nature of what type of city Philadelphia is. But, a Saturday afternoon game, against one of the bottom 5 teams in the NHL, and almost assured a Flyers win. That is just unacceptable and the Flyers organization needs to fix that.