Women’s Super League clubs look to hold more games in men’s stadiums after 47,000 fans watched the north London derby at the Emirates, with close to 90,000 at matches across the weekend
- Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-0 in front of a big crowd at the Emirates on Saturday
- Nearly 28,000 fans also turned up at Anfield to watch the Merseyside derby
- WSL clubs are now looking to host more games in men’s stadiums in the future
Women’s Super League clubs are planning to hold more matches at men’s stadiums this season after record crowds made for the most attended weekend in the competition’s history.
A total of 89,381 people watched matches in stadiums, with 47,367 inside the Emirates for the north London derby on Saturday.
Arsenal have already committed to hosting six games at their men’s ground this season but they could hold more should they progress to the latter stages of the Champions League.
Almost 48,000 fans turned up at the Emirates for the WSL north London derby on Saturday
Lionesses forward Beth Mead was on the scoresheet as Arsenal beat their local rivals 4-0
A crowd of 27,574 were in attendance at Anfield as Liverpool hosted Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday. While the Toffees came away with a 3-0 victory, the Reds are keen to play another game at Anfield later in the season.
Every team in the WSL have committed to hosting at least one game in their men’s ground this season. But clubs have to factor in the expense of opening up bigger stadiums and the extra staffing that is required.
One WSL club told Sportsmail that playing at their men’s ground involved ‘huge costs’ in comparison to hosting fixtures at their usual home.
A further 27,000 fans were in attendance at Anfield for Everton’s win in the Merseyside derby
It would be expected that the number of stewards required for women’s games would be lower given the lack of crowd trouble.
However, there were three separate pitch invasions at Anfield, with two sets of children and one adult entering the field of play.
Clubs do not make a profit from playing at men’s stadiums but recognise the importance of giving a bigger platform to the women’s game.
Advertisement
Share or comment on this article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11252261/WSL-clubs-look-hold-games-mens-stadiums-90-000-fans-watched-weekend.html
