On Aug. 30, 2023, the University of Nebraska Women’s Volleyball Team set a world record for the most fans in attendance at a women’s sports event. There were 92,003 fans who came to Lincoln Memorial Stadium in support of the Nebraska Cornhuskers playing the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Fans flooded the stands and surrounded the stadium.
Although the stadium typically houses 83,000 people, seats were also set up on the field to maximize capacity. The previously acknowledged record for most attendance at a women’s sporting event was a F.C. Barcelona soccer game that had 91,648 viewers. However, the alleged true record holder is the 1971 Women’s World Cup held in Mexico City which was rumored to have 110,000 people in attendance.
The two teams playing in this widely attended event were the University of Nebraska Lincoln Cornhuskers and the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Both universities compete in the NCAA Division I.
Last spring, the Cornhuskers had planned to make the match a day-long event that would have them shattering attendance records. Nebraska’s lack of professional sporting teams has led to the Cornhuskers strong college sports fan base. According to the New York Times, the Nebraska Women’s Volleyball team was the only profitable public university sports program in the six major conferences in 2022. Nebraska previously held the attendance record for women’s volleyball which was made in 2021 at the National Championship, when they were up against the University of Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers were defeated in that match.
According to NBC news, coach John Cook remarked that, “It feels like a great accomplishment for this sport called volleyball played by women. It’s a state treasure. We proved it.” The Cornhuskers themselves are five time Volleyball NCAA Division I champions. Prior to Aug. 30, the volleyball team had sold out 306 consecutive regular season matches in the 13,595 person Devaney Center.
In order to achieve the world record, the Nebraska Team instituted a day of volleyball. The first game on Aug. 30 was a Division II exhibition between Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney, which, according to ESPN, had tickets reaching $400 dollars on the resale market.
Cook also reflected, “We took a chance by playing in Memorial Stadium, and to go for the record and break it … I don’t think anybody could have envisioned that when this whole thing started.”
Concluding the day, the Cornhuskers swept the Mavericks, winning all three sets. Currently, Nebraska continues its quest for a national ranking, as they now hold a 7-0 record and are ranked fourth in the NCAA Women’s Division I Volleyball category. Although the team may not finish first this season, they have still reached the world record for most fans in attendance at a Women’s sports event, something that will most definitely be celebrated not only in Wisconsin, but across the world.
This day showed universities across the country the great effects investing in women’s sports can have. The Iowa Women’s basketball team is to host an outdoor event this October, on a football field. Similarly, last October the Oklahoma Softball team hosted scrimmages to encourage fans by showing them many homeruns. Ultimately, the Nebraska Women’s Volleyball team has created history for women’s sports and more importantly, history for the entire world of athletics.
