What do the weekend’s attendances tell us after WSL took centre stage? | Suzanne Wrack | OneFootball

There was apprehension among home supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. A fear of defeat, a regret that this fixture, the north London derby, was not being played a month earlier when Arsenal were limping towards the exit of Jonas Eidevall as manager. The mood was up too; 28,852 fans were in attendance and in good spirits, regardless of the result they may have expected.

That’s only 46% of the stadium’s capacity but it felt comfortably full, the lower tier packed and a spray of fans extending into the upper. The large pocket of Arsenal followers in the corner were in full voice, scarves spinning, a block of red and white set against the deep blue and white around them. It was a normal matchday, the rivalry there, but as with most women’s football matches there was a family-friendly feel. It’s not manufactured – it doesn’t need to be. It is just a natural consequence of cheaper tickets that would likely extend to men’s matches if people could afford to take their families.

Shortly before the final whistle in a game that ended 3-0 to the visitors there was an exodus – when attendances are up in the tens of thousands, beating the post-match traffic becomes a thing. But there was also a need to rush away for those hopping south for the day’s top-of-the table clash between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. The Baller FC and Women’s Professional Game collaboration, taking 50 fans between the two fixtures, gathered outside to pose for photographs as music blared from a speaker. It was a little gimmicky, but who cares?

Coming out of Fulham Broadway station, sweaty and stretching, sardines spilling from a can on to the platform, that speaker could be heard again, acting the pied piper as fans swarmed towards the Bridge. The attendance for the subsequent encounter, that Chelsea won 2-0 after breaking the deadlock in the 75th minute, was 19,499. The atmosphere was tense, fraught with emotion, the crowd keenly engaged with the chess match taking place before them.

Further south, at the Amex Stadium, 4,638 fans saw Brighton’s thrilling 3-2 victory over West Ham. And on Sunday it was the turn of Goodison Park, Villa Park and the King Power Stadium to host Women’s Super League action, with every WSL and Championship game taking place at main stadiums on the same weekend for the first time. There were 9,823 at the Merseyside derby, 2,673 at Villa Park and 5,405 in attendance for Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Leicester.

These figures were below the heights reached by Arsenal as a patient three-year plan to move from three to eight WSL games a season at the Emirates paid dividends. The record for a WSL match was set in February, when 60,160 fans saw Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United. That was followed by 60,050 at the same venue a month later for the visit of Tottenham, which also topped the previous record of 59,042 in December 2023 for Arsenal’s 4-1 defeat of Chelsea.

A concerted marketing, commercial and ticketing strategy has guided the Gunners to this point. The commitment to hosting the women’s team at the Emirates with increasing frequency makes a statement about how Arsenal value their female players and sets a tone that says fans should do so too. The rest of the league are closer to the start of this journey.

However, with eight WSL games and a minimum of three Champions League matches at the Emirates this season, there has been a dip in attendances – 41,818 for Arsenal’s opening-day 2-2 draw with Manchester City, 25,480 for the 0-0 with Everton, 45,860 for the 2-1 loss to Chelsea and 22,467 for the 5-0 defeat of Brighton. These are respectable figures but should we be worried that Arsenal are no longer selling out the ground, and that other teams are struggling to hit the 10,000-attendance figure?

For Arsenal, games at the Emirates becoming the norm will naturally see some fans picking and choosing which they attend before they are fully invested in the journey of the team. And that will come as the relationship between the team and fanbase strengthens. It takes time. Arsenal are three steps ahead of the rest, but they show what is possible and demonstrate how to get there.

With no major tournament for the Lionesses last summer there was no post-tournament boost, and selling out big stadiums is not something that will happen overnight. Rather it will take focused and patient work. Establishing a fanbase that is emotionally and financially invested is no mean feat. No growth goes upwards in a straight line; there will be dips and moments when progress slows. As long as the overall trajectory is up, there is nothing to worry about.

Header image: [Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images]