More than 50,000 Fans Expected For Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women's Basketball Game Inside Hawkeyes Football Stadium On Sunday

Led by superstar Caitlin Clark, the Iowa women's basketball team in on-track to break an attendance record this weekend.

The record in question would be the all-time attendance mark for a women's basketball game, which currently stands at 29,619. But that record, previously set by Connecticut and Oklahoma in the 2002 National Title game in San Antonio’s Alamodome, will be shattered on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa. Thanks to some creative thinking and massive attention on the team, Iowa will face Depaul on Sunday inside Kinnick Stadium, which is home to the football team.

The event is being labeled 'Crossover at Kinnick', which comes a few months after the Nebraska volleyball team played in front of 92,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 77-73 during the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at American Airlines Center on March 31, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

How Did Iowa Game Inside Football Stadium Happen?

So how did the idea of playing a basketball game inside the football stadium come about? Well it dates back to when the Iowa women's team returned home following the loss to LSU in the national championship game.

“It really started when we came back from the trip and we had a celebration at the Pentacrest. There was 9,000 people there. I’m like 9,000 people are coming to a celebration where there’s no game or anything,” head coach Lisa Bluder noted.

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 16: The Iowa Hawkeyes team takes the field before the match-up against the Western Michigan Broncos at Kinnick Stadium on September 16, 2023 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark, who caught the attention of the sports world during their Final Four run, noted how cool it was watching the Nebraska volleyball team play in-front of that many people.

“I think it shows how excited people are about women’s sports in general," Caitlin Clark noted. "It doesn’t only have to be basketball, doesn’t only have to be volleyball, you know softball whatever it is, it’s just super cool,” the senior guard said. “I can’t imagine those girls feelings when they walked out of the tunnel to 90,000 plus and people screaming for them. I just know that had to be one of the coolest feelings,”

Even though the game is an exhibition, this is another opportunity for women's sports to break records.