The tifos, drums and flags display all the hallmarks of a great European away day, and those kind of scenes started at Hammarby around a decade ago when fan Simon Sandstrom was asked by his daughter why the crowd was being “so boring.”
“My daughter looked at me with sad eyes and asked: ‘Dad, why isn’t anyone singing? Why isn’t there any drums?” he told BBC Sport. Sandstrom responded by starting a supporters’ group and jumping on a fence at the next game to get chants going. It’s fan culture at its finest.
UEFA has pledged a €1 billion investment of “competition revenue” into women’s football over the next six years, which it says will take the sport to the next level. It would be nice to see some of that money dedicated to growing and supporting fanbases. Accessibility into grassroots football is important, but so is allowing general fans to see the professional game for themselves. Maybe radical ideas are needed — can UEFA make it cheaper for fans to travel to away games through supporter clubs? Could clubs organise more fan events in foreign cities?
There is already a buoyant home support in women’s football, but there is something special about making away trips with your club, and there are ways of making that accessible.
Keogh: It’s exciting to see more clubs fostering a loyal travelling fanbase. Hammarby’s fans are some of the most devoted around and have proven this dedication by showing up in numbers from Catalonia to Manchester, to cheer on their team’s debut season.
In Manchester they were loud, dedicated, fun, and respectful, even thanking City on social media for allowing them to bring their signature drum into the stadium.
As the others say, growing fan engagement and supporting official fan clubs are essential to building a dedicated following. The success of Barcelona‘s fan culture is a prime example: last year, droves descended on Bilbao for the UWCL final, transforming the atmosphere. Clubs that partner with supporter groups to arrange travel, organise coaches, and ensure ticket availability are making a vital investment in their teams’ success. After all, cost and logistics are often the biggest hurdles for fans, and alleviating that burden to a degree can make all the difference.
The impact of loyal fans can be game-changing, especially when the team’s back is against the wall. With the new format on the horizon, let’s hope this incredible energy and commitment from fans only continues to grow.
Right now, the standings across all four groups are identical: each has one team with three wins, another with two, a third with one, and a team yet to secure a victory. This pattern shows both the gap in quality and predictability of the competition so far.
Closing the gap remains a significant challenge. Achieving a more balanced competition would require substantial financial investment across various clubs and nations to boost individual resources and overall coefficients. This would help level the playing field over time, but it’s a slow process.
The new format next season may take a step toward, as it will allow lower-ranked teams to host higher-ranked teams in single fixtures rather than home-and-away matchups. This setup might give underdogs a better chance to compete on their terms, potentially leading to a more competitive and unpredictable tournament.
Lindop: The UWCL is at a bit of a crossroads. There has long been a clamour in some quarters for the competition to be expanded but the latest round of fixtures shows there is still an enormous disparity in the quality of the teams competing in the competition.
Norwegian champions Valerenga were beaten 3-0 by Bayern, meaning their goal difference after three games played stands at -7. It is a similar story for Turkish champions Galatasaray, whose goal difference is currently -13 after heavy defeats to Lyon, Roma and Wolfsburg.
Manchester United boss Marc Skinner drew plenty of criticism last season for suggesting that some of the teams who progressed through the qualifying stages “weren’t good enough” to be in the competition. While his argument was clumsy, it is hard to argue that it was entirely unfounded. That said, the brilliance of the Champions League is the chance to watch teams who would never normally play each other facing off, and there is still scope for fairytales.
Group C is more competitive, but Juventus are top of Serie A and Arsenal beat them easily. Was anyone expecting that?
Lindop: Arsenal have enjoyed some impressive results since Renée Slegers took over as interim coach, but Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Juventus has to be the best of the lot. Max Canzi’s side are unbeaten in Serie A this season, having won eight of their first nine league games, and are also the division’s top scorers, averaging 2.9 goals per game in the Italian top flight.
For Arsenal to shut Juventus out at their home stadium, while also scoring four goals, is a big statement. It is also worth noting that the visitors could have had more, with only the heroics of Arsenal alum Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in the Juventus goal denying them an even more convincing victory.
The quality in this Arsenal team has never been in doubt; all but two of their 23-player squad have been capped at senior international level and they boast admirable depth in most positions. But by the end of Jonas Eidevall’s tenure, it seemed as if many of the club’s top stars were playing within themselves, resulting in lacklustre displays across the pitch. Now, under Slegers, Arsenal seem to have rediscovered their confidence and now are well positioned to progress from Group C.
Keogh: Arsenal’s win over Juve is a testament to their exceptional quality, which had been buried during their recent struggles. With Slegers at the helm, confidence and freedom are flowing back into the squad, and it shows. It’s clear that momentum is building and, after a slow start to the season and the resignation of Eidevall, this is exactly the boost Arsenal need to keep moving forward.
For Juventus, however, this was a stark contrast from their usual form. Despite being unbeaten in Serie A, the defeat exposed the gap between the WSL and the Italian league. Juventus struggled to keep up with Arsenal’s pace and intensity and too much faith was put in Juve’s younger players, as they left top players like Cristiana Girelli and Barbara Bonansea on the bench. There were a lot of opportunities for Juventus to exploit, but they squandered their chances.
O’Halloran: There was a lot to love about this Arsenal performance. The first goal was the highlight as a beautiful passage of play saw them seamlessly bypass the Italians with a series of one-touch passes, before it was finished off in style by Frida Maanum.
Yet the 4-0 scoreline is slightly deceiving. Juventus’ Sofia Cantore squandered a one-vs.-one inside three minutes, and Amalie Vangsgaard had a chance to equalise as late as the 66th minute before the Gunners’ ruthlessness in the final 15 minutes took over.
“Juventus had an early chance and big events in games always give them direction,” Slegers said afterwards. “Scoring the second goal was a release … that made us feel comfortable.”
There is no question that the interim boss has injected confidence into this talented Arsenal side, and she is making the case to stay in the job until at least the end of the season. This result was a shock, but after beating Brighton 5-0 last time out, Arsenal’s next opponents, arch-rivals Tottenham, should be feeling a little nervous.
