More games than ever before are set to be played in major stadiums in the upcoming Barclays WSL campaign, as clubs continue to adapt to the growing popularity of the game.
Arsenal broke the WSL attendance record last season as they welcomed 60,160 people to the Emirates Stadium for their clash against Manchester United in February. The 2023/24 campaign in its entirety brought in 717,721 people across all games, surpassing the season before at 689,297.
Clubs have since recognised the need to give fans increased access to games as women’s football continues to grow in popularity. Leicester City and Aston Villa will share their club’s main stadium with the respective men’s sides for every home league fixture, while Arsenal will play another eight WSL games at the Emirates Stadium and potentially at least three in the Champions League too.
Whilst not every club has made the same commitment, they’ve certainly made the necessary arrangements to house more games at their major stadiums, thus playing a part to grow the game.
Chelsea have confirmed they will play three home games at Stamford Bridge, with the rest of their fixtures hosted at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames which has a capacity of 4,850.
The club’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona last season was played in front of a sellout crowd at the Bridge, drawing in 39,398 people.
Stamford Bridge fixtures
Like Chelsea, City will host three WSL games at the club’s major venue…the Etihad Stadium.
The rest of their fixtures will be played at the Joie Stadium across the street on the Etihad Campus, a 7,000-capacity facility used by the women’s first-team and the men’s Elite Development Squad.
Etihad Stadium fixtures
Arsenal have set the standard when it comes to nurturing an engaged fanbase, drawing large crowds whenever they play at the Emirates Stadium and breaking records along the way.
The Gunners made history last season after back-to-back sellouts, taking their average league attendance to 31,428. Arsenal are current scheduled for 11 games at the Emirates in 2024/25, eight of which are in the WSL. Three others depend on qualifying for the Champions League group stage.
Meadow Park, with a 4,500 capacity will host only three WSL…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at 90min EN…