When it comes to sports, the District is definitely a sports town; it has its own unique history filled with ups and downs, championship years and seasons that seemed like they couldn’t end fast enough…
Unexpectedly, above all other sports in the District, soccer is the sport that shines here the most compared to the majority of cities around the country!
In fact, according to a new study conducted by WalletHub, which used over 50 metrics to evaluate over 300 cities across the country and rank the best cities for soccer fans in America.
What makes Washington, D.C., one of the best soccer cities in the nation?
According to the study, which created a ranking based on the study’s ‘total score’, a value calculated by pooling all the points that each city earned across a series of over 50 weighted metrics.
Here’s how the District ranked among the best soccer cities in America:
- Overall rank – #7 in the nation
- Total score – 39.83
- MLS rank – 12
- NWSL rank – 8
- USL rank – 26
- College Soccer (Men’s D1) rank – 10
- College Soccer (Women’s D1) rank – 24
What was this study’s methodology?
The study’s methodology was to compare 302 U.S. cities across five unique divisions of soccer (MLS, NWSL, USL, Men’s D1 Soccer, and Women’s D1 Soccer).
Across those five divisions, there were a total of 52 unique metrics that were each assigned a unique weight corresponding to how impactful they were to the overall ranking!
Those 52 unique metrics were as follows:
- MLS – weighted at 55 total points
- Number of teams – 6.47 points
- Performance level – 6.47 points
- Number of championship wins – 6.47 points
- Number of regular-season conference titles – 3.24 points
- The number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches who have conducted the team – 3.24 points
- Franchise Value – 3.24 points
- Minimum season-ticket price – 6.47 points
- Fan engagement – 6.47 points
- Number of coaches over the past 10 seasons – 3.24 points
- Stadium capacity – 3.24 points
- Attendance – 3.24 points
- Popularity index – 3.24 points
- NWSL – weighted at 25 total points
- Number of teams – 3.13 points
- Performance level – 3.13 points
- Number of championship wins – 3.13 points
- Number of regular-season conference titles – 1.56 points
- The number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches who have conducted the team – 1.56 points
- Minimum season-ticket price – 1.56 points
- Fan engagement – 3.13 points
- Number of coaches over the past 10 seasons – 1.56 points
- Stadium capacity – 1.56 points
- Attendance – 1.56 points
- Popularity index – 1.56 points
- USL – weighted at 10 total points
- Number of teams – 1.25 points
- Performance level – 1.25 points
- Number of championship wins – 1.25 points
- Number of regular-season conference titles – 0.63 points
- The number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches who have conducted the team – 0.63 points
- Minimum season-ticket price – 1.25 points
- Fan engagement – 1.25 points
- Number of coaches over the past 10 seasons – 0.63 points
- Stadium capacity – 0.63 points
- Attendance – 0.63 points
- Popularity index – 0.63 points
- Men’s D1 Soccer – weighted at 5 total points
- Number of teams – 0.71 points
- Performance level – 0.71 points
- Number of championship wins – 0.71 points
- Number of regular-season conference titles – 0.36 points
- The number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches who have conducted the team – 0.36 points
- Minimum season-ticket price – 0.71 points
- Fan engagement – 0.71 points
- Number of coaches over the past 10 seasons – 0.36 points
- Stadium capacity – 0.36 points
- Women’s D1 Soccer – weighted at 5 total points
- Number of teams – 0.71 points
- Performance level – 0.71 points
- Number of championship wins – 0.71 points
- Number of regular-season conference titles – 0.36 points
- The number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches who have conducted the team – 0.36 points
- Minimum season-ticket price – 0.71 points
- Fan engagement – 0.71 points
- Number of coaches over the past 10 seasons – 0.36 points
- Stadium capacity – 0.36 points