At the Camping Nou, Barcelona Femení set consecutive world records for the highest attendance in a women’s football complement, with 91, 648 fans watching the Catalans take on VfL Wolfsberg earlier this year; Britain women’s broke the record for the greatest attendance at a Lionesses’ home fixture in 2019, with seventy seven, 768 — and even Newcastle United smashed its attendance record in its first sport at St . James’ Park, with twenty two, 134 watching the match in the fourth-tier of English can certainly football.
The requirement, in Europe specifically, has never been higher, which explains why eyebrows have been raised over the stadiums selected to host the particular Women’s European Championship currently taking place in britain.
Critics argue that the English Football Organization (FA) and EUROPÄISCHER FUßBALLVERBAND, European football’s regulating body, have not seized the moment.
Although the 10 host venues consist of such behemoths since Wembley Stadium plus Old Trafford — which will host a single match each — games will also be played at the 8, 000-seat Leigh Sports Town stadium and the 12, 000-seat New York Stadium in Rotherham.
The smallest host stadium is the Manchester City Academy Stadium, portion of the English Premier League club’s state-of-the-art schooling complex, which has a capability of just 4, 700. Like the Leigh Sports Village arena, which is in Better Manchester, capacity is limited due to regulations stopping standing areas.
‘A little bit disappointed’
The first of three matches to happen at the Manchester City Academy Stadium, house to Manchester City’s women’s team, is definitely Belgium’s Group M match against Iceland on July 10.
In April, Juventus and Iceland midfielder Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir told the ‘Their Pitch’ podcast that will she was “a little bit disappointed” on the choice of stadium.
“It’s shocking. Playing in England, there are so many stadiums and we have a training ground from City using what, 4, 000 spectators? ” Gunnarsdóttir said.
“It’s embarrassing. Not necessarily the respect (we deserve). Watch ladies football today, they are filling out the stadiums. You see Barcelona plus Madrid, 95, 1000 watching the game (at the Camp Nou). They are not prepared that individuals will sell more tickets than 4, 000.
“It’s disrespectful in the direction of women’s football due to the fact it’s so much bigger than people think. You believe women’s football is getting two steps ahead, but then something comes up like that, it’s just a step back. ”
Rachel O’Sullivan, women’s football expert and co-founder associated with media outlet Girlsontheball, said that the choice associated with two sub-10, 000 capacity stadiums to get a major tournament was a “little bit unambitious. ”
“There has been a bit of a habit in the can certainly game of not expecting it to be so big instead of expecting it to develop the way it is, ” O’Sullivan, who said she was “disappointed and surprised” when she saw the stadium choices, told CNN Sport .
“If you’re looking at the evidence, it has been growing exponentially — and the 2019 World Cup really showed us that. Many were surprised by the numbers who wanted to take up football and get involved in soccer — and we really should not. We should be expecting that. ”
Since Britain made its bet to host European 2022 four years back, the landscape in women’s football has changed drastically.
There has been a global Cup which pennyless records for attendances and viewing figures — suggesting a new dawn for international women’s football has been approaching — and also massive strides consumed in the club sport, in Europe particularly.
The 2019 Planet Cup was watched by approximately 1 . 12 billion viewers across almost all platforms — a record audience for the competition. The final between USA and the Netherlands was the most watched Women’s World Cup go with ever, with an average live audience associated with 82. 18 million, up by 56% on the 2015 last audience.
However , when the initial Euro 2022 arena selection process happened in 2019, the particular FA struggled to find viable venues as clubs and councils were reluctant to put themselves forward, because FA chief executive Tag Bullingham explained last month.
“The absolute truth of it is we all did a soft process throughout each major ground plus city in the country plus there were very few that will came forward within wanting to host the particular Women’s Euros, ” Bullingham said in a Zoom interview with reporters.
“We actually needed to persuade a few clubs and cities ahead forward so we are actually very happy with exactly where we got to.
“We think we have got a few brilliant venues, but if you think people were banging our door right down to host matches, that was not the case. ”
Since 2019, women’s football has increased in revenue, fanbases and audience, catapulting the sport into a different stratosphere.
As well as Wembley (89, 000), Outdated Trafford (74, 000), the Leigh Sports activities Village and Manchester City Academy Stadium, the other host sites are Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane (30, 000), Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium (32, 000), Brighton and Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium (30, 000), Milton Keynes Dons’ Stadium MK (30, 000), Brentford’s Brentford Community Stadium (17, 000) and Rotherham United’s New York Arena.
Women’s football article writer Richard Laverty said that if the selection process was to happen today, perhaps for an forthcoming World Cup, it may be a completely different tale.
“I think if they were doing it now, maybe, they’d pick differently. I think the particular women’s game has grown so big today, and I think they possibly underestimated the requirement, maybe from journeying supporters, from fairly neutral supporters, from British supporters, ” Laverty told CNN Sport.
Given the quick growth of the sport, O’Sullivan suggested becoming ambitious was the only way forward.
“We need to expect it to grow, rather than become surprised every time, because if you look at the statistics and you look at the seeing figures over the years and each tournament, it’s just bigger and much better every time. And that’s what we should be aiming for. inch
‘Real shame’
The locations of the tournament’s stadia has also been critiqued.
While there is a cluster associated with stadiums in the northwest and the south — including London — of England, you can find none in the midlands or northeast, traditional hotbeds for the sport.
Although the unwillingness of councils and clubs to put themselves forwards restricted the FA’s choices, O’Sullivan stated it was a “real shame” that not one came forward in those regions, specifically the northeast, any with such a wealthy footballing history.
But the web host stadiums still include four Premier Little league grounds, the country’s marquee venue — Wembley — a recent top-tier ground plus two venues which host Women’s Super League matches, a criteria the FA wanted to include.
And the sell-out final in Wembley is likely to become the biggest went to Euro final of all time, men’s or ladies, surpassing the current record of 79, 115 set in the mens European Championship in 1964.
Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s soccer, informed the Independent in June that the process of arena selections was one of balance and is something they hope to study from.
“So did we have the balance right? We are going to look at it again, yet you’ve got a big stadium opening it, you’ve got a big stadium shutting it off, at Old Trafford and Wembley, ” Campbell said.
“We think we’ve got the balance about right. We’ll have a good look at it by the end and have a check and that is where we are at the moment. ”
Despite having 2 sub-10, 000 stadiums at the tournament, EUROPÄISCHER FUßBALLVERBAND told CNN it is hoping it will be the particular “biggest women’s European sporting event of all time. ”
According to the UEFA spokesperson, over 700, 000 tickets are available across 31 matches. As of a couple of days before the beginning of the competition, over 500, 000 tickets had been marketed, a record for the Can certainly Euros.
With regards to fits being held in Manchester City School, UEFA and the FA said the stadium would “generate a great atmosphere worthy of the Women’s Euro. ”
“We are confident that lots of matches will be sold-out and are looking forward to greater than doubling the total presence of UEFA Ladies Euro 2017 in the Netherlands and providing the best ever UEFA Women’s Euro, inch UEFA told CNN in an email.
From capacity smaller sites at least provide a much better TV spectacle compared to empty larger arenas.
Both O’Sullivan and Laverty made reference to games played in Nice at the 2019 World Cup which were sparsely attended.
Laverty did think there was “definitely some shortsightedness” when it came to the particular stadium selections, yet said with a good product on the pitch, plus capacity stadiums, individuals would forget the arguments.
“I think once the football starts and stadiums look complete, people probably quickly forget about it since you focus on the product to the pitch, and I think this will be the best Women’s Euros ever. ”