WSL attendance is on the rise as clubs continue to break records

The GIST: The Women’s Super League (WSL) is enjoying a 43% attendance boost YoY, with Arsenal leading the way in proving that the league deserves a bigger stage. While popularity and crowd sizes do vary among clubs, the overall numbers show upward trends across the board. Time for an elevated pitch.

7.5K: The average WSL crowd size this season, a major jump from last season’s average of 5.2K. Rising attendance was spurred by a move to play more games in English Premier League venues and increased general interest in UK women’s soccer since the Lionesses’ 2022 Euros win.

280K: The number of tickets Arsenal has sold for its home matches this season, up 63% from last year. Average ticket sales per game are up from 15.6K to 35K, which jumps to 54K when factoring in only Emirates Stadium games — despite obvious demand, Arsenal’s home pitch Meadow Park still holds only 4.5K. Stars need space.

7.7K: The average crowd size at Bristol City, one of only two WSL teams who share a stadium full-time with its men’s affiliate. When big-name challengers roll into town, that number goes way up: The women’s side has broken its attendance record at Ashton Gate twice this season, most recently hosting 14K for a Man U matchup.

3.3K: Manchester City’s average crowd, an outlier considering it currently sits second place in the WSL. Its main stadium has a capacity of just 7K, but an upcoming game against Man U in Etihad Stadium should bump City’s crowd numbers — a match between these two sides last year set a club attendance record of 44.3K.

7: The number of WSL clubs (out of 12) who have brought in at least one five-figure home crowd this season. Aside from Arsenal, Manchester United welcomed 43.6K to Old Trafford, Liverpool hosted 23K fans vs. Everton, and Chelsea saw 20.4K vs. Man U. And as mentioned above, clubs like Man City have yet to play a match in the larger men’s stadiums. Let the games begin.