THE RISE OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
ATTENDANCES AT WOMEN’S MATCHES HAS INCREASED CONSIDERABLY, WITH SEVERAL RECORD-BREAKING ATTENDANCES IN THE PAST DECADE
...AND INTEREST DRIVES ATTENDANCE This increased interest and engagement isn’t confined to the online world. Recent years have seen record-breaking attendance figures for women’s football globally 2 . While last season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF became the largest ever official attendance at a professional women’s match, with 91,533 present, this is by no means an anomaly. Prior to this season (2021/22), six of the seven highest-ever official attendances for women’s football matches had come in the last decade, highlighting the increasing interest in match attendance and willingness to engage directly with the women’s game as well as the increased backing from clubs and governing bodies, giving women’s matches stadia in which these capacity attendances can be achieved.
Record attendance figures for women’s football matches (prior to 2022/23)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL USA VS. CHINA
1999
90,185
LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC FOOTBALL FINAL USA VS. JAPAN
2012
80,203
2015
53,351
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL USA VS. JAPAN
11
2019
60,739
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY ENGLAND VS. GERMANY
2019
57,900
LIGA F CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID VS. FC BARCELONA
2019
77,768
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL USA VS. NETHERLANDS
UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FC BARCELONA VS. REAL MADRID CF
2022
91,553
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
2 1999 WC Final: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/20/womens-world-cup-game-changing-moments-no4-brandi-chastain-1999 Source: 1999 WC Final: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/20/womens-world-cup-game-changing-moments-no4-brandi-chastain-1999
2012 Olympic Final: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2012/08/10/158502155/womens-olympic-soccer-final-u-s-vs-japan-for-gold 2015 WC Final: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_FIFA_Women%27s_World_Cup_final#/media/File:Off_to_a_good_start_(19781364556)_(2).jpg Barca v Real: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/28508/12578437/barcelona-5-2-real-madrid-nou-camp-breaks-womens-football-attendance-record#:~:text=Barcelona%20broke%20the%20women’s%20attendance,an%20 8%2D3%20aggregate%20win.https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/the-5-biggest-attendances-in-womens-football
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator