Nashville SC Announce Additional Seating For MLS Debut
SoccerSports
February 27, 2020
Kelly Byrnes 0
All eyes will be on the MLS in Music City when Nashville SC takes the field in their long-awaited debut against Atlanta United FC. The club has experienced strong demand for weeks leading up to its home opener and with only days to go, have released more tickets for the bout.
Nashville SC has surpassed 50,000 ticket sales for Saturday’s first match-up and will now have the ability to entertain over 69,000 after opening up all remaining upper tier sections of Nissan Stadium. They previously tacked on additional seating when the game’s ticket sales reached 30,000. Club CEO Ian Ayre once called a complete stadium sell-out a goal of his, but is keeping expectations in check as the team moves forward in its inaugural season.
“It’s the same for any team, whether you’re an expansion team or an established team in the league,” Ayre said in a statement. “Particularly in a city like Nashville with so much going on, you can’t expect people to show up. You have to earn their trust in the team. That’ll be about putting on a great performance – we won’t win every game, but hope we win plenty – and putting on a great show.”
Ayre likened Nashville SC’s inital drawing power to the city’s NHL squad and revealed he hopes to find the same effect on the soccer field in the long term.
“The Predators are a good example,” he noted. “I don’t think everybody who goes there is a crazy hockey enthusiast, it’s more about a combination of great hockey, a great show and a great venue. That’s what we aspire to. We aspire to put on a great show in Nashville every week, then on the road, make our fans feel proud for who we are. If we do that, the audience will keep coming.”
Earlier this week, Nashville SC announced they were giving away 2,500 tickets to Vanderbilt University Medical Center staff in conjunction with their multi-year partnership. The club also drew up an incentive program for inaugural season ticket holders as the overall demand to witness their 2020 season heightened.