It’s no secret that one of the goals for those who administer the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is to increase attendance at preliminary-round sites.

The 2008 tournament was a step in the right direction, as 25,497 more fans attended first- and second-round games this year than in 2007, an increase of 22 percent.

Besides the attendance increase, television ratings on ESPN and ESPN2 also rose 37 and 26 percent, respectively. The championship game between Tennessee and Stanford drew a 3.0 rating, which was up 30 percent from the 2.3 earned for the 2007 finale between the Lady Vols and Rutgers.

Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president for Division I women’s basketball, saw firsthand how the momentum built for the entire three weeks of the championship.

“I was at four different first- and second-round sites and they all had that championship feel they should have,” Donohoe said. “It’s a great year when your ratings are up and the attendance is up, too.”

Some of the attendance growth can be attributed to recent marketing efforts. The Division I Women’s Basketball Discussion Group, which was chaired by NCAA President Myles Brand, was behind grass-roots growth efforts such as a $750,000 grant program for promotion and marketing, and a “Pack the House Challenge” that drew more than 592,000 fans to women’s basketball games at 198 different arenas this year.

That momentum carried not only through the tournament’s first and second rounds, but also to the regionals. Almost 4,000 more fans attended the regional semifinals in 2008 than the previous year. The average session attendance was 6,718, with the Oklahoma City regional drawing a high of 10,032. The combined total attendance for the four regional finals was up more than 5,000 fans. Again, the Oklahoma City regional, which featured Tennessee and Texas A&M, drew the highest number at 9,341. The average attendance of the four regional finals was 6,463.

Total attendance for the tournament was 236,464, an 18 percent increase from the 199,932 fans who attended the event in 2007.

“There was a sense of excitement with this tournament from the first tip to the championship,” Donohoe said. “There were many dramatic, hard-fought battles. It was fun to see and good for women’s basketball.”

Donohoe said the increased parity among teams and the efforts individual campuses are devoting to promoting their teams are attracting crowds.

“The depth of the talent is starting to penetrate deeper into the field,” Donohoe said. “More and more No. 7 or 8 seeds are capable of making some noise these days.”

Women’s basketball fans also were treated to some compelling storylines this year. The Final Four featured four first-team all-Americans in Tennessee’s Candace Parker, Stanford’s Candice Wiggins, LSU’s Sylvia Fowles and Connecticut’s Maya Moore.

“People wanted to see those young women perform,” Donohoe said.

Next year’s first and second rounds will be held at 16 predetermined sites, which is a change from the eight predetermined sites used the last four years. The Division I Women’s Basketball Committee modified the format to enhance preliminary-round attendance. Donohoe hopes this year’s success acts as a springboard for next year.

“We believe going to the 16-site format based on our demographic is going to allow us to continue that upward turn,” Donohoe said. “Certainly we made a one-year turnaround, but it has to be a sustained improvement.

“Our most well-attended and highest-rated NCAA tournament was in 2004, which is the last year we were at 16 predetermined sites for the first and second rounds. It has been the most successful format so far.”