It was set to be the moment that lit the touchpaper. This weekend was expected to mark a historic moment for Women’s Super League teams enjoying a post-Euros bounce. The Lionesses’ summer success sparked a level of support which has never been seen before in the women’s game in this country – and recent history shows moments like this have to be seized, or risk slipping out of public consciousness.
Clubs had enjoyed record ticket sales in the build-up to the new season, with Chelsea confirming they had sold out their allocation of season tickets.
On the first weekend of the season, four games were set to be held at men’s stadiums to attract a larger crowd and raise the profile of the women’s league; Chelsea were to begin the defence of their title against West Ham a Stamford Bridge, Reading were due to host newly-promoted Liverpool at the Madejski, Brighton and Aston Villa were to play at the Amex, and Tottenham Hotspur were to face Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The decision has been taken across English football to postpone all fixtures this weekend as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Shortly after the Premier League released its statement, the WSL followed suit.
All press conferences had been cancelled on Friday amid uncertainty as to whether fixtures would go ahead, but preceded by a minute’s silence and with players wearing black armbands. Instead, the decision was taken to suspend games altogether, with Women’s Championship matches also scrapped – though i understands grassroots women’s activities are permitted to go ahead.
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Football has misread the mood of the nation by postponing games after the Queen's death09 September, 2022In the men’s game, the cancellation of Premier League and EFL matches is expected to have major ramifications for an already congested schedule in the build-up to the winter World Cup. There is less pressure on the WSL, at least when it comes to moving fixtures, as there are more midweek slots available and the league is not having to contend with the disruption of a major international tournament in the middle of its calendar.
Nonetheless, there is a worry at some clubs that the opportunity for a significant fillip for the domestic game will be lost, just as it was in 2019 when England reached the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
Covid then brought the following season to an early halt and there was not even the drama of a title race or a relegation battle, with the table decided on a points-per-game system. This time around, the big question was whether England’s triumph would belong to every female footballer, or just the 23 in Sarina Wiegman’s squad – and this was the first real test.
In light of football’s decision to postpone matches as a sign of respect, discussions have begun at some clubs as to whether WSL matches can still be staged at the men’s grounds when the rearranged dates are announced, or whether they will revert to the smaller grounds typically used by the women’s sides.
That will depend on fixture clashes with the men’s first teams, police resources and other scheduling considerations. If they are unable to use the grounds as planned, clubs be facing up to the prospect of giving thousands of pounds back to fans in ticket refunds, as well as incurring costs for accommodation and travel that will no longer be used.
A source told i that Tottenham had been expecting a significant crowd for their game against Manchester United, though they were not set to break the WSL record attendance (38,262) which the club holds from November 2019. Prior to Buckingham Palace’s statement on Friday, new signing Ellie Brazil had spoken of her excitement at playing at the club’s 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“My grandad is a die-hard Tottenham fan,” she said. “He’s not been to the new stadium yet but I’ll have him and all family there. He keeps texting me saying he’s excited. I don’t think he’s bothered about watching me play, just sitting in the seats!”
The record WSL attendance is still likely to be broken in the coming weeks, when Arsenal take on Tottenham in a north London derby at the Emirates Stadium on 24 September. More than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for that match.
It is not yet known whether next weekend’s WSL calendar will be affected by arrangements for the Queen’s state funeral.
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