[Albion] Women’s Football

[Is it PotG?]

Having now watched this back on the highlights rather than in the corner of the stadium, I do think its a very harsh red card.

I think you may have a point there.

 

[A1X]

WSL attendances: What's going on with falling numbers in 2024-25?

After Women's Super League average attendances dropped by 10% last season, BBC Sport takes a closer look at what might be behind the numbers.

www.bbc.co.uk

Amusingly much of the blame is put down to Crystal Palace being promoted and none of their fans showing up

 

[Commander]

Could we really not find a different thread to discuss women's football on?

 

[The Clamp]

Women don’t really like women’s football, do they?

They certainly don’t seem to support it much.

It is a bit of a “Yay! Go Women”!! every couple of years.

It’s a shame. It’s not the players fault.

But it’s not supported enough by women so it’s bound to stay fairly much a side show.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Women don’t really like women’s football, do they?

They certainly don’t seem to support it much.

It is a bit of a “Yay! Go Women”!! every couple of years.

It’s a shame. It’s not the players fault.

But it’s not supported enough by women so it’s bound to stay fairly much a side show.

Mrs Earle has no interest in it at all. She likes good looking men like Calde, Ferdi and the like (all the way back to Sully) playing mens football.

 

[Simster]

Women don’t really like women’s football, do they?

They certainly don’t seem to support it much.

It is a bit of a “Yay! Go Women”!! every couple of years.

It’s a shame. It’s not the players fault.

But it’s not supported enough by women so it’s bound to stay fairly much a side show.

You say that, but you've got to ask why more clubs aren't look at Arsenal and wondering what they do right. It seems odd that they're averaging 3 times what closest attendance challengers Chelsea and Man Utd can manage. Arsenal get nearly 30,000 every game, which is befitting for what is these days the most popular sport among females.

 

[rippleman]

You say that, but you've got to ask why more clubs aren't look at Arsenal and wondering what they do right. It seems odd that they're averaging 3 times what closest attendance challengers Chelsea and Man Utd can manage. Arsenal get nearly 30,000 every game, which is befitting for what is these days the most popular sport among females.

Well, one very good reason is that Arsenal women played nearly all their home WSL (and all their WCL home legs) at the Emirates. Its why I'm baffled why we are going to build a womens' stadium rather than investing those funds in paying higher transfer fees, higher wages and for longer contracts...and play our womens home games at the Amex. If Arsenal can do it (with both their men and women in Europe last season) then I'd like to hear Barber explain why we can't.

Arsenal are probably the senior womens team in the country for longevity at the top. They are the only English club to have been European Champions (twice) and they have a very high profile ex-player in Ian Wright, promoting the womens side, which of course helps. Their front line are all Euro winning Lionesses (Kelly, Mead, Russo)and I think their entire first team squad are all current internationals.

We have got off to a bad start consigning our womens team to the arse end of the county to play at a shoddy ground with poor public transport links, particularly on a Sunday. You are going to struggle to build a significant core base so far removed from where the men play.

 

[Commander]

You say that, but you've got to ask why more clubs aren't look at Arsenal and wondering what they do right. It seems odd that they're averaging 3 times what closest attendance challengers Chelsea and Man Utd can manage. Arsenal get nearly 30,000 every game, which is befitting for what is these days the most popular sport among females.

Are they making MONEY from it though? You can get a season ticket at the Emirates for £100. Just over half the price of one at Burgess Hill Town.

I don't see how Arsenal are getting it so right, when they have to pretty much give tickets away. And until they actually start making money from it, it's unsustainable in the long run, isn't it?

Well, one very good reason is that Arsenal women played nearly all their home WSL (and all their WCL home legs) at the Emirates. Its why I'm baffled why we are going to build a womens' stadium rather than investing those funds in paying higher transfer fees, higher wages and for longer contracts...and play our womens home games at the Amex. If Arsenal can do it (with both their men and women in Europe last season) then I'd like to hear Barber explain why we can't.

Because it is absolutely painful watching the women play on an enormous pitch in front of a near-empty stadium. It feels like the kids 'play on the pitch' thing they do at the end of the season. A smaller ground is definitely the way forward. It would be so much better, and presumably much more cost effective in the long run.

 

[ozzygull]

Women don’t really like women’s football, do they?

They certainly don’t seem to support it much.

It is a bit of a “Yay! Go Women”!! every couple of years.

It’s a shame. It’s not the players fault.

But it’s not supported enough by women so it’s bound to stay fairly much a side show.

Not totally true, it just up until recently we had no other choice but to get our football fix watching the men's game. So I have invested all my time and support following the men's game. I don't have the capacity of time to support the women's team as well. I have watched the WSL games that were on telly and enjoyed them, but if I watched the men on Saturday and then told my husband that I was swanning off to watch the women on Sunday, he might get the huff. It is difficult to build up a whole new following and the fact they get as many as they do when playing in Crawley it shows they are doing something right.

 

[Diablo]

Are they making MONEY from it though? You can get a season ticket at the Emirates for £100. Just over half the price of one at Burgess Hill Town.

I don't see how Arsenal are getting it so right, when they have to pretty much give tickets away. And until they actually start making money from it, it's unsustainable in the long run, isn't it?

Because it is absolutely painful watching the women play on an enormous pitch in front of a near-empty stadium. It feels like the kids 'play on the pitch' thing they do at the end of the season. A smaller ground is definitely the way forward. It would be so much better, and presumably much more cost effective in the long run.

Do you really believe womens game would be less painful to watch with smaller goals or on smaller pitch. I doubt it !!

 

[rippleman]

Are they making MONEY from it though? You can get a season ticket at the Emirates for £100. Just over half the price of one at Burgess Hill Town.

I don't see how Arsenal are getting it so right, when they have to pretty much give tickets away. And until they actually start making money from it, it's unsustainable in the long run, isn't it?

Because it is absolutely painful watching the women play on an enormous pitch in front of a near-empty stadium. It feels like the kids 'play on the pitch' thing they do at the end of the season. A smaller ground is definitely the way forward. It would be so much better, and presumably much more cost effective in the long run.

Then maybe Barber should be asking his counterpart at Arsenal how they are managing to do it!

Like any new venture there will probably be a lot of discounting going on to get bums on seats. No difference really to early round LC games at the Amex with the "tickets for a tenner" (and the ground still half closed / empty).

We need to be attracting better players if we intend to challenge the big four and that means being prepared to pay higher wages on longer contracts. I'm struggling to see the point of building a new ground at the price of attracting the big name internationals which will pull in the crowds. Super Fran was certainly a step in the right direction. We need to continue down that road (see also Welbeck, Lalana, Milner)

 

[rippleman]

Do you really believe womens game would be less painful to watch with smaller goals or on smaller pitch. I doubt it !!

seen that argument so many times from dinosaurs who really don't enjoy watching womens football at all. All you can really do is remind them that if they don't enjoy watching women play, there is no law obliging them to do so!!

 

[The Clamp]

As Bill Burr pointed out, most women would rather spend their time watching women tear strips off each other in horrid reality tv programs than go and support women’s football.

 

[hart's shirt]

...I have invested all my time and support following the men's game. I don't have the capacity of time to support the women's team as well....

Unless there's another ozzygull, your comments on the BBC Sport HYS didn't escape my notice.

 

[Diablo]

seen that argument so many times from dinosaurs who really don't enjoy watching womens football at all. All you can really do is remind them that if they don't enjoy watching women play, there is no law obliging them to do so!!

To be fair never seen a dinosaur watching mens game either !!

 

[hart's shirt]

Women don’t really like women’s football, do they?

They certainly don’t seem to support it much.

It is a bit of a “Yay! Go Women”!! every couple of years.

It’s a shame. It’s not the players fault.

But it’s not supported enough by women so it’s bound to stay fairly much a side show.

With almost 2,400 upvotes and less than 300 downvotes, here's the most liked response to the article's question of 'What's going on with falling WSL attendances?"

"Because it’s not as interesting, like it or not and despite what the BBC would like you to believe."

Even if this can be attributed to an anti-BBC Sport pile-on, if the WSL has to permanently rely on the Lionesses delivering on the international stage to boost domestic attendances, it's not unreasonable to suggest that there's an underlying cause for concern for now at least.

 

[Commander]

Do you really believe womens game would be less painful to watch with smaller goals or on smaller pitch. I doubt it !!

Yes I do, definitely. I don't see why it's controversial to say that a goalkeeper who is 5"5 has a massive disadvantage over a goalkeeper who is 6"5 when in the same goal, and that the game would be better adjusted for the former. But quite apart from that, the Amex is a particularly big pitch, it's the 3rd or 4th biggest in the country, isn't it? If we build a stadium specifically for the women then I can't imagine we wouldn't make the pitch a bit smaller.

seen that argument so many times from dinosaurs who really don't enjoy watching womens football at all. All you can really do is remind them that if they don't enjoy watching women play, there is no law obliging them to do so!!

I really don't see why that makes me a dinosaur. The men's game has had many changes over the years, I'd say being open to the idea of evolving and adapting the rules to make the game better is the opposite of being a dinosaur.

I'm also definitely too young to be a dinosaur.

 

[chip]

Nice story in the Guardian today, possibly other benefits for a womens team that just money.

Brighton’s trailblazer Aisha Masaka: ‘It was my dream to play in Europe’

Tanzanian’s career has been defined by a series of firsts and the 21-year-old is keen to make a mark at her first Wafcon

www.theguardian.com

 

[ozzygull]

Unless there's another ozzygull, your comments on the BBC Sport HYS didn't escape my notice.

Is there?

 

[jackalbion]

With almost 2,400 upvotes and less than 300 downvotes, here's the most liked response to the article's question of 'What's going on with falling WSL attendances?"

"Because it’s not as interesting, like it or not and despite what the BBC would like you to believe."

Even if this cam be attributed to an anti-BBC Sport pile-on, if the WSL has to permanently rely on the Lionesses delivering on the international stage to boost domestic attendances, it's not unreasonable to suggest that there's an underlying cause for concern for now at least.

They've needed a league restructure for a while I feel, ultimately most of the teams aren't playing for anything from January onwards.