Basketball Bundesliga Club Ludwigsburg Experiences 23% Attendance Decline

Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) side MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg "has experienced an attendance decline of 23%," according to Gabriel Wagner of SPONSORs. Last season, the average attendance figure at the MHP Arena was 4,025. For the current season, Ludwigsburg is expecting an average attendance of 3,800. The team's current average attendance is 3,000 spectators, which represents a 22.8% decline. On Wednesday, the team welcomed only 1,768 spectators for its Champions League game against Szolnoki Olaj KK. Team management does not know the reason behind the attendance decline. MHP Riesen Chair Alexander Reil: "We had three home games in eight days to start the season." Maybe those were "too many home games in a short period of time for fans." Ticketing only represents 15% of the team's total budget of €4M ($4.46M), or around €600,000 ($668,500). Reil: "When we have 250 guests in the VIP area, it brings in more than 3,000 spectators in the arena" (SPONSORs, 11/4).