WNBA in Montreal: Record Crowd Expected at Bell Center

Montreal could still make history next summer. The Bell Center will host professional women’s basketball games. The Toronto Tempo will play two WNBA games against the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty on July 10 and 12.

I’m so looking forward to these meetings! The Montreal fans are extraordinary. We’ve had great experiences with different sports and we hope the WNBA experience will be a success too.says team co-owner Geoff Molson.

The Bell Center already holds the attendance record for a women’s hockey game. No fewer than 21,105 people watched the Toronto Scepters beat the Montreal Victory in overtime on April 20, 2024.

I was at the LPHF game and it was greatremembers France Margaret Bélanger, also co-owner of Tempo. I believe it will be a similar feeling for basketball. It’s very exciting! We will start selling tickets soon. We want to fill the building.

The WNBA has just had the best season in its history at the box office, during which more than three million spectators attended the games. The Golden State Valkyries averaged over 18,000 fans per game.

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The record for a single game belongs to the Washington Mystics, who attracted 20,711 spectators for a duel against the Indiana Fever in September 2024.

It would be very special [de battre ce record]! Montreal is a big basketball marketcontinues Ms. Bélanger. We presented Raptors games in Montreal and the G League in Laval. We see the enthusiasm, it’s always full. Every time we have the opportunity to present basketball, we do it.

We are lucky to have built the largest arena in the country several years ago. We would be very proud to break the record in July. We will do everything we can to fill the arena and make the WNBA look good in Montrealthis Geoff Molson.

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It is the largest building for hockey and basketball. Opening our doors for Tempo is a great opportunity for women and sport. It has to be done here.

The owners specify that tickets will soon be offered to the public and that interest is already present for the two summer events. As for the possibility of seeing a WNBA franchise settle in the Quebec metropolis, we will have to wait a while longer.

We take small steps (baby step). We’re going to do our best with the Tempo to make it big. It’s not in the plans [d’établir une franchise]. Who knows what will happen next, if the project is a success. We are always looking for opportunities to bring more sports to Montrealconcludes Geoff Molson.

With reporting from CBC’s Kwabena Oduro