With the Lionesses’ World-Cup send-off game, versus Portugal, at Milton Keynes Stadium selling out, we took a deep-dive into the ever-growing attention to the women’s side of football.
It is evident that the women’s game is becoming more and more supported and visible to the wider audience of sport. 15.3 million UK viewers have watched Barclays WSL live action on TV, up from 14.6 million for the 2021-22 season, with average match audiences up 36% season-on-season.
This year also saw the sell-out of Wembley Stadium for the Women’s Finalissima, between England and Brazil, in which the home fans would see their nation claim their second trophy in one year, after winning the European Championships in July 2022, also at Wembley. These finals brought the highest attendances England has ever seen for women’s football matches.
However, it wasn’t just the Lionesses that would bring these huge, record-breaking, crowds to Wembley. On May 14th, 2023, Wembley hosted the Women’s FA Cup final, with it the biggest ever attendance for a club game in a domestic competition.
The Women’s Champions League was not one to disappoint either, as the Emirates Stadium hosted a sell-out semi-final, between Wolfsburg and Arsenal. Although the home side failed to impress their impressive crowd, it was still a huge night to be proud, being able to play in a sold-out stadium, it is a huge step in the right direction for the female side of the sport.
Not only does this shine a huge light on the women’s side of football, but it also shines a huge light on women in sport in general. This season has been a huge statement, in terms of battering away the haters and showing that women can draw in great crowds, provide good entertainment, and show an outstanding quality, of which they should all be immensely proud of.
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