Attendance for Islanders games “increased year-over-year for the first time in the five-year history” of UBS Arena despite the team’s “late-season collapse and failure to make the playoffs for the second straight season,” according to Ben Dickson of NEWSDAY. Fans and team officials said that the boost is “due to the arrival” of rookie D Matthew Schaefer, a “feeling of hope for the team’s future and new management.” The Islanders averaged 16,439 fans per game during their 41-game home schedule at the 17,255-seat arena this season, a 2.87% increase from last season’s average of 15,979, which was the “lowest total of the team’s five seasons in Elmont.” The Islanders sold out 21 of their final 24 home games and had 26 total sellouts. UBS Arena opened in November 2021 and averaged 17,085 fans per game in the first season, but the Islanders “experienced annual drops over the next three seasons.” Fans attributed that to the team’s “lackluster play and traffic and transportation problems that have plagued the area.” But fans said that they are “getting used to the commute and are more likely to tolerate the traffic to watch Schaefer and a winning team.” Islanders President of Business Operations Kelly Cheeseman said that the combination of Schaefer and an improved team have “helped reverse the downward attendance trend.” Dickson notes GM Mathieu Darche also has been taking a “more fan-facing, personable approach to how he runs the team” (NEWSDAY, 4/16).
