Chelsea Women’s relocation to Stamford Bridge no doubt signals the club’s intention to further underline their role in pushing the women’s game forward in this country.
The only issue is that, unlike their rivals at the far end of the Piccadilly line, Chelsea are drawing only a fraction of the crowd through their doors.
Arsenal are the pacesetters in women’s football attendances, attracting fans from all over the country, even some who support a different team in the men’s game – an allegedly divisive topic among the fanbase, and undoubtedly one for another day.
Ultimately, Arsenal’s attendances are the envy not only of the rest of England but of the world.
Barcelona Femini, the largest club on the continent, is averaging 6,711 in Liga F this season. Washington Spirit’s average attendance last year was the highest in the United States’ NWSL at 15,259. Of course, there are one-off games that blow these figures out of the water, not least Barcelona’s 91,553 gate for their Champions League match against Wolfsburg a few years ago, but these are largely the exception rather than the rule.
Arsenal Women, meanwhile, are averaging 36,521 fans this season in their first full campaign at the Emirates (which would place them 13th in the Premier League), up from 34,410 the previous season at the stadium. These crowds – exceeding those of the biggest clubs in both the NWSL and Liga F combined – have been bolstered by 17,000 full and half-season tickets sold ahead of the opening match, as the club looks to find ways to make sure fans come back.
Chelsea have played just three top-flight matches at Stamford Bridge this season, which have drawn just over 18,000 on average
Arsenal’s successful Lionesses – captain Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead – feature on as many advertising boards as their male counterparts across north London
Chelsea will no doubt be aiming to emulate these numbers at Stamford Bridge in the months and years ahead. Given the trajectory of the women’s game, there is every chance they will get there eventually, but the bigger question is whether now is the right time for change.
Chelsea Women have averaged just under 8,000 in the top flight this season. They have played just three top-flight matches at Stamford Bridge this season, against Manchester City, London City Lionesses and Arsenal, which have drawn just over 18,000 on average – still only half of Arsenal’s figure.
It begs the question whether the leap from the 4,800-capacity Kingsmeadow to the 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge next season is the right move or whether the fanbase risks being swallowed whole as a result.
Perhaps the better place to start would be to look towards a middle-ground stadium. If it can’t be along the lines of City’s purpose-built Jolie Stadium, why not Brentford’s Gtech, which feels the perfect fit at 17,250? Where the noise will carry and thousands of empty seats won’t be beamed onto televisions across the country.
Moreover, Arsenal’s huge audiences are not simply the result of their move to the Emirates, but a reciprocal perk of a purposeful and wide-ranging campaign to promote the women’s team.
Arsenal Women greet you on the Tube and on the radio. Their successful Lionesses – captain Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead – feature on as many advertising boards as their male counterparts across north London. Some of these have been known to even creep south, much to the annoyance of some of my colleagues who support other London teams.
This has been a sustained, thoughtful effort, helped in no small part by chief commercial officer Juliet Slot’s success in her previous role promoting horse racing as an experience rather than simply a sporting event.
Arsenal Women, meanwhile, are averaging 36,521 fans this season in their first full campaign at the Emirates
Spend a Saturday afternoon in a pub near Holloway Road after a match and it quickly becomes clear that it is as much about the day out as it is about the football. That is not to say it is limited to that – the passionate 3,000 or so fans who paid through the nose to travel to Lisbon for last year’s Champions League success will tell you otherwise – but it certainly helps.
These are elements still largely lacking from Chelsea Women matchdays at Stamford Bridge, and they are not alone. Other WSL clubs have been known to approach Arsenal in recent years for advice on how to improve their own attendances.
In their statement announcing the move on Wednesday morning Chelsea wrote: ‘Stamford Bridge will give CFCW a stage befitting the club’s achievements and ambition, a place to compete and win. It is more than a venue – it is a statement of intent.’
There is no doubt the players of the eight-time top-flight champions have been delivering on the pitch. Now it is time for those off it to follow suit.
