Valkyries set WNBA home game attendance record in first year of existence
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries set a WNBA record against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday afternoon at Chase Center.
The Valkyries officially set the WNBA record for most total fans at home games, with 397,408, outpacing Indiana’s 349,313, also from this season. The Valkyries also averaged a league record 18,064, with the team selling out each of its 22 home games this season.
“We have the best crowd, and I think we have the best fans in the league, hands down,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said after the team lost 78-72.
Fan support has been so strong that fans have begun to call Chase Center “Ballhalla” when the Valkyries play there.
The expansion team benefited from that robust fan support in the Bay Area, going 14-8 in San Francisco. The Valkyries are just 9-11 on the road, with the team still having two more road games left in the regular season.
In front of a sellout crowd, the Valkyries clinched a spot in the playoffs by defeating the Dallas Wings 84-80. However, because of scheduling conflicts with the Laver Cup tennis tournament the team will not have a chance to play a first round playoff game at Chase Center.
Instead, Golden State will head south to San Jose in mid-September and play in the SAP Center, which has a capacity of 17,562.