After averaging 20,618 fans per game in '15, the Dynamo have been losing about 1,500 per yeargetty images
The Dynamo are upsetting some of their biggest fans due to the "planned expansion of the supporters' section at BBVA Compass Stadium," according to Matt Pentz of THE ATHLETIC. The club hopes to follow the lead of teams like LAFC and Sporting KC by "cultivating their own fan culture, and ... one day cranking up the volume" at the stadium. In order to do that, team execs have decided to expand the supporters' section and "move it closer to the field." By doing that, though, the Dynamo are "displacing many of the longest-serving season-ticket holders." The fans contend that they "weren't consulted beforehand, that the relocation process has not gone smoothly and that they have generally felt disregarded by the whole process." Dynamo fan Donald Lee, who has had season tickets since the club's debut in '06, said, "We're feeling pushed away and rejected. It's like a business strategy that says all we care about is attracting new fans and we don't care about our long-term, loyal fans." Pentz noted many fans also do not understand the "necessity of expanding a section that is only half full on even the best match days." Attendance has been "falling annually for a while now." After averaging 20,618 fans per game in '15, the club has been "bleeding about 1,500 per year since then, and will be lucky to crack 15,000 this season" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/29).
