On the back of a successful women’s World Cup which saw England’s Women finish fourth, Women’s football is a sport which is on the rise and is getting the attention that it deserves.
According to the BBC, Viewership figures for the 2019 Women’s World Cup Semi-final loss to eventual champions United States were just over 11 million people, with a further one billion people watching games throughout the duration of the tournament.
I spoke to Emma Marlow who plays as a goalkeeper for Fulham Women, and Lucie Wynn who plays as a defender for Fulham Women and UEL, and they revealed how the World Cup has influenced their teams and the sport.
Name: Lucie Wynn
Age: 19
Position: Defender
Previous Clubs: Tooting & Mitcham & Carshalton Athletic Ladies.
Name: Emma Marlow
Age: 28
Position: Goalkeeper
Previous Clubs: Chelsea Centre of Excellence, Hampton & Richmond, AFC Wimbledon, Carshalton Athletic.
MO: With the increase in global exposure in the 2019/20 season, do you believe that the World Cup was a crucial part in this?
LW: “I think the World Cup has had a big input, as it allowed women’s football to be seen on a global scale, encouraging more people to show support towards the women’s side.”
EM: “I think the impact of the World Cup was certainly a positive one for women’s football. The exposure of the matches on TV and in pubs and bars allowed more people to become involved in the game.”
MO: Have you noticed a change in attendance or even performance levels whist playing for Fulham or the UEL Women’s football team?
LW: “I think the attendance at training sessions have increased as well as performance levels seen in training at Fulham since the World Cup. I think the women’s world cup has shown that women play a different style of football. At Fulham, warm-ups have become more technical, and intensity is always increasing. This could also be due to the level of competitiveness found within the team, competing for game time.”
EM: “Whilst playing at Fulham there has been a positive impact in the attendances. Even at the summer trials, a lot of beginners wanted to be involved. The attendances at matches have also increased after minimal promotion, this has improved this season after the World Cup. The level of performance has improved this year with the introduction of a strength and conditioning coach taking some of the training, allowing us to focus training even more and limit the number of injuries picked up.”
MO: With many clubs now playing one-off games at the club’s official stadiums, how close do you think that Fulham are in following this trend?
LW: “I think the women’s team would need to go up a league or two in order to play at Craven Cottage, but the women’s team has been aired more on social media than in previous years. More home games are being played on the grass arena pitch rather than 3G pitch that we train on. This is a step in the direction to follow this trend.”
EM: “I think we may need to improve our team performances even more to be given the chance to play on the main pitch at Craven Cottage, however some of our matches have been moved to the main arena pitch at the training ground, which is brilliant progress for us and allows for more spectators. This step allows the women’s team to gain more exposure and certainly allows more people to watch the female game.”
West Ham’s Women already has a stadium in Rush Green, situated in Romford.
Rush Green Stadium is placed away from the London Stadium which leaves a disconnect between the women’s team, men’s team and fans alike.
With the recent regeneration of Stratford, it’s a prime opportunity for the club to implement plans in place for West Ham Women to have a stadium located close to the London Stadium.
How Do You Get There?
From Stratford, (the closet station to the London Stadium), fans would need to take the Thameslink train seven stops to Romford, before taking a bus to Rush Green Stadium.
How Does This Compare To Other Teams?
With Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City being three of England’s most successful teams in recent seasons, average attendances for each club has been less than 1,000 people. So far this season, home attendances for each club have at least trebled, with the likes of Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham playing at their club’s host stadiums.
Arsenal’s Women share Meadow Park which is the home of nonleague club Borehamwood. This is thirteen miles away from The Emirates Stadium which immediately gives a reason for fans to not attend most of their games.
In the 110 games played in the WSL in the 18/19 season, only 92,000 spectated the games. This figure is less than the capacity of the Nou Camp.
The highest attended game from the WSL 18/19 season was 1,864 to see Chelsea play at Kingsmeadow, a stadium they share with AFC Wimbledon.
What Do The Fans Think?
This season, the WSL attendance record has been broken on two occasions. Arsenal’s victory against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was watched by a record setting 38,262 spectators.
Abbey Conroy who was at the game, described the occasion. “The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. After seeing Spurs’ Women with spectator numbers of around 100 people at their games last year, it was incredible to see how the game has progressed in under a year. The game being played at the new ground just added to the occasion too.”
Ticket Prices
During the Emirates Cup, Arsenal hosted the women’s match and men’s match at the Emirates Stadium for the first time. The ticket cost £25 to watch both games.
This allowed supporters to enter for free, which enables supporters of the men’s team to experience what it’s like to watch Arsenal Women and served as a great advertisement for Women’s football.
The attendance for the game was around 28,500 which is a positive indication for the club and should give them encouragement to host games at The Emirates.
When comparing the ticket prices between teams in the WSL division 1 and division 2, West Ham offer the cheapest season ticket at £25, but Manchester City offer the most expensive costing up to £65.
Clubs do offer incentives, with Birmingham City allowing children who are aged 11 and below to enter for free with an adult.
This is beneficial because it raises attendance for clubs, it gives children a chance to see a game for free and it could inspire them to get involved in the game.
