St. Louis fans set new modern spring football attendance record in Battlehawks’ win

Saint Louis —Around 100,000 spectators were anticipated to swarm downtown St. Louis on a day that featured professional baseball, soccer, and football. However, 40,317 of them turned up to watch the St. Louis Battlehawks defeat Arlington 27–24 in their home opener on Saturday night at The Dome at America’s Center.

The attendance total eclipsed the team’s prior record from the 2023 XFL season and established a new record for the modern spring football league. The number exceeded the announced attendance of 37,328 at Busch Stadium to witness the Cardinals defeat the Marlins, and almost equaled the United Football League’s total attendance across four locations last week.

One week after St. Louis was defeated by Michigan’s Jake Bates, Szymyt’s offseason training partner, on a 64-yard try, Andre Szmyt struck a 22-yard field goal as time expired.

Head Coach Anthony Becht stated, “I just felt like the guys were good. When you don’t win your first game and you lose like you did last week—long kick—you’re just like man, it could take the wind out of you a little bit right.”

With two touchdowns and 248 yards passing, quarterback A.J. McCarron connected with wide receiver Marcel Ateman on two of his 29 completions, including a 53-yard pass late in the third quarter. The two have rekindled the chemistry they once had together as Oakland Raiders players.

Running a week after being left off the dress roster

I love St. louis. I love this fanbase. To come out here with a soccer game, a Cardinal game today, this is awesome and I was just glad we were able to get the W for them. I think that’s the most important thing,” Becht said. ”I know they’re going to come out there, support our team win lose or draw but to get a w in front of the crowd and the opener really important.”

Becht said previously that his defensive players were going to have challenges with crowd noise, as fewer players are allowed to wear headsets to hear play calls in their helmet.

Linebacker Pita Taumoepenu confirmed it was true Saturday night.

“It was so loud, I’m not gonna lie. The first half you couldn’t even hear the plays..we were out here…what’s the plays? It was so loud,” he said.

In his first season with St. Louis after playing with Seattle last season, Taumoepenu had two sacks to lead the Battlehawks defense, and nearly had a third. A terror on the field, Taumoepenu is soft-spoken off it. But he had high praise for his new fanbase that made an impression on him as soon as he got off the team bus for the club’s “Battlewalk” into the Dome.