A Historic Attendance Milestone
The University of Georgia's women's soccer team made history on a sweltering Saturday, drawing 25,433 fans to Sanford Stadium for a 6‑0 victory over James Madison that shattered the NCAA attendance record for a women's college soccer match, surpassing the previous women's record of 14,410 set in 1999.
The crowd, which also eclipsed the men's soccer record of 22,512 from 1980, entered the stadium with free admission but paid for parking and concessions as temperatures reached 98 degrees, highlighting the community's enthusiasm and the stadium's packed lower half and mezzanine, with the south side roped off to manage flow.
Coach Keidane McAlpine called the win a major achievement for the university, collegiate soccer and women's soccer history, while Georgia's football coach Kirby Smart attended to show support; the team also won a penalty‑kick contest 10‑for‑10 against the football squad, who managed 7‑for‑10.
The event echoed the stadium's own legacy, recalling the 1996 U.S. women's national team gold‑medal match against China that attracted 76,481 spectators, the highest ever for a women's sporting event at the time, and the recent surge of excitement following the men's World Cup, which placed eight matches in Atlanta and sparked a 30‑year‑old Olympic gold‑medal match nostalgia.
The previous high water mark for a Georgia women's soccer home game stood at 2,551, a modest figure compared to Saturday's turnout, illustrating how far the program has come and underscoring the significance of the milestone for the university and the sport.