Arsenal Women Average Home Attendances Exceed 35,000 For WSL Season

In London, England on March 3, supporters of Arsenal waved their scarves in the air before the Barclays Women's Super League game against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. This event was captured in a photograph by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images.

Following yet another full house at Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal Women faced Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby today, their average attendance for this season has now surpassed 35,000.

Arsenal, ranking third in Women's Super League table following Manchester City and Chelsea, has successfully attracted over 280,048 supporters after playing eight out of eleven league matches this season.

During the game, Alessia Russo scored the only goal, which caused a difference between the two teams and made up for Arsenal's unexpected defeat against Spurs with a score of 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last December. Thanks to this victory, Arsenal is currently on the same level as Chelsea in terms of points, although they have played one game less, and they are three points behind the current leaders, Manchester City.

In London, England, Beth Mead from Arsenal was seen celebrating after Alessia Russo of Arsenal scored her team's first goal in the Barclays Women's Super League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on March 3, 2024. The photo captured the joyous moment and was taken by David Price, for Arsenal FC via Getty Images.

Today's match marks the fifth out of six Women's Super League (WSL) games that are scheduled to take place at the Emirates Stadium, which can accommodate up to 60,704 people. It's also the second game in a row to be sold-out, following the match against Manchester United three weeks ago, where 60,160 fans turned out to cheer on the team.

Their average number of spectators per game this season has reached an impressive 35,006, which is a massive improvement from the 15,046 they had last season. Back then, they had only played three league games at the Emirates Stadium, the most significant of which was during last year's North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur in September 2022. This game drew in a record crowd of 47,367, which was the most ever seen in the Women's Super League at the time.

During this season, they have set a new record on three occasions. The first was when they played against Liverpool on the first day of the season, the second was in December against Chelsea, and the third was when they played against Manchester United. Once again, they managed to sell out the stadium before the game. They sold 60,050 tickets for today's match.

In London, England on February 18, 2024, during the match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, a scoreboard was displayed with the message "New Barclays WSL Record... 60,160" indicating that a new record was set in the Barclays Women's Super League. The image of the scoreboard was captured by Paul Harding/Getty Images.

Arsenal still shows their attendance figures based on the number of tickets sold instead of the actual number of people who showed up for the game. Due to the heavy traffic and long lines at the Arsenal underground station during today's early start time, some seats were empty at the start of the match. However, as the game progressed, very few seats were left unoccupied.

The number shows that there are only ten male clubs across the nation that have drawn bigger audiences than Arsenal this season. Manchester United is at the top with a crowd of 73,250. Arsenal's male team is ranked fourth in England with an average attendance of 60,196. All the games were played at the Emirates Stadium. As for Arsenal Women, they are presently ranked eleventh.

Arsenal has three league games left this season. One game will be played at the Emirates Stadium against Leicester City, while the other two games will be held at the smaller Meadow Park stadium in Borehamwood. Even if we are cautious about the number of people who will attend these games, Arsenal's average attendance for the entire season will still exceed 25,000.

Despite Arsenal's impressive statistics in terms of attendance, the same cannot be said for the rest of the teams in the league. Everton, who have a long-standing history in women's football, have only managed to attract an average of 1,280 spectators per game at their Walton Hall Park stadium, which has a capacity of 2,200. Even worse, their game against West Ham United on December 10th had the lowest attendance of the entire Women's Super League season, with only 614 people showing up.

On December 10, 2023, there was a Barclays Women's Super League match between West Ham United and Everton FC held at Chigwell Construction Stadium in Dagenham, England. Amber Tysiak from West Ham United tried to score a goal by heading the ball. A picture of this moment was taken by Henry Browne and can be seen above.

When asked what has been attracting large crowds to Arsenal matches this season, the coach of the women's team, Jonas Eidevall, stated that it's the sense of community and the relationship with the fans that sets Arsenal apart. He mentioned that this feeling is unique to Arsenal due to their rich history and strong ties to the local community. Eidevall also believes that other clubs should strive to create a similar connection with their supporters in order to achieve the same level of success. Overall, he believes that this sense of belonging is invaluable and cannot be replicated easily.

In my opinion, everything begins with the entire club showing commitment. This is the initial step, and from there, the focus should be on developing a sense of attachment and enthusiasm towards the team. All clubs need to establish their own unique identity and culture, which will undoubtedly differ from what Arsenal or any other team may have.