ST. LOUIS—The XFL’s Battlehawks made more than 38,000 fans go home happy from the Dome at America’s Center Sunday following a 24-11 win for the first league game in St. Louis since the pandemic-interrupted 2020 campaign.

The 38,310 in attendance broke the record the BattleHawks set that year, and according to the league, is a new record for any modern-era spring pro football game.

Parking lots were full of tailgating fans as early as 8am for the 3pm kickoff. Police reported no major incidents, including car break-ins.

The team announced Sunday morning that it had reached its “sellable capacity” after opening a portion of the 400 level.

“This community owns this team, and has been waiting for this team to return,” XFL co-owner Dany Garcia told Spectrum News in a one-on-one interview before the game. “This team, and this city, they've been waiting. That excitement that deep buy in, it's almost like the Battlehawks have been here for 15-20 years even though it was five weeks and then this our next iteration,” she said.

A lot has changed since 2020. The Rams’ departure is further in the rearview mirror. The St. Louis region now has $500 million, not including legal fees, of the NFL’s money as a result of Stan Kroenke’s scorched-Earth shuffle off to Southern California. 

Outside the stadium, fans said their support was for football and something they could call their own.

Inside the stadium, it was clear that fans have a long memory when it comes to Kroenke.

But XFL 3.0 is not the same as 2.0. There are some loose ties to the NFL, and a centralized hub structure where teams live and train in the Dallas Metroplex, before flying to game locations. 

While Garcia touts game-over-game league attendance growth, the early returns in 2023 appear to show a clear line of difference between attendance in St. Louis, San Antonio and Washington and the rest of the league.

Would that change if the league returned to a traditional model where teams were based in their markets? Garcia and Brandon both said player performance and care were the driving factors, and that parity when it comes to addressing those issues longer term would determine when teams would be market-based.

A new record?

Fans had to wait three years to break the existing attendance record. Is it possible they’d only need six days to set a new one?

The Battlehawks host DC, just two weeks after St. Louis suffered its first loss of the season in a game that ended with a fight, ejections and fines. Any reference to the Renegades Sunday at the Dome drew the ire of fans. If bad blood juices ticket sales, it would appear St. Louis would be ripe for Saturday’s 6pm kickoff.

As of Monday afternoon, the 400 level was not yet open for sale, a move that didn’t come until Friday for Sunday’s game.

Brian Hall, Chief Marketing Officer for Explore St. Louis, said the Dome At America’s Center expected roughly 36,000 fans, and that capacity shifted to the final total with less than 48 hours notice. The experience exceeded expecations, Hall said.

Hall acknowledged that there were staffing issues facing sports arenas around the country that fans noted Sunday, but said that recruiting efforts would be stepped up to meet what is now expected to be more fan demand.

“We’re committed to making sure there are no constraints on capacity based on labor,” Hall said, adding that there will “absolutely” be improvement in service as the building gets back into the rhythm of hosting gamedays after a three-year absence from having football at the Dome. 

There will also be competition for the sports fan’s dollar Saturday night. City SC hosts the San Jose Earthquakes at CityPark for just the second MLS contest as St. Louis looks to become the first MLS expansion team to win its first 4 games.

Kickoff on the CityPark pitch is at 7:30pm.