Attendances in the Women’s Super League (WSL) are up 200% on last season, FA Director of the Women’s Professional Game Kelly Simmons said, as women’s football continues to break records.
A new WSL record attendance was set in September when 47,367 spectators turned out to watch Arsenal beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium. This followed a record-breaking women’s Euros campaign which saw 87,192 fans pack into Wembley Stadium to see England win the tournament.
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Built on the foundation of the Lionesses’ success, Simmons said the WSL had the perfect opportunity to grow and is delighted to see a growing interest in the women’s game.
“Coming into the 2022/23 season, we knew that we had an extraordinary opportunity to introduce the Barclays Women’s Super League and the Barclays Women’s Championship to new audiences,” Simmons said.
“The Lionesses’ victory propelled the women’s game in this country to new levels, and it was important for us to capture and capitalise on that momentum.
“It has often been said that a successful women’s England team will help generate interest in the domestic game. This is certainly true, and I have been really overwhelmed by the response we have seen from fans — new and old — in the first half of the season.
“I am delighted to reveal that since the season commenced, we have seen almost 300,000 spectators attend matches across the Barclays Women’s Super League. This just highlights how much appetite there is for world-class women’s league football.
“We are currently averaging almost 6,000 fans a week in the Barclays Women’s Super League as we go into the final league fixtures of 2022 — which is up over 200% on this time last year.
“The Barclays Women’s Championship is also performing brilliantly, with the average attendance up over 85% on this time last year.”
Chelsea are top of the WSL after picking up 24 points in nine matches.
