English women’s football uses men’s stadiums – 03/31/2023 – Marina Izidro

Champions League in London, quarterfinal second leg. Arsenal vs Bayern Munich at Emirates. With two goals in seven minutes, the home team secured the classification and faces Wolfsburg in the semifinals. On a rainy night, last Wednesday (29), coach Mikel Arteta was among the more than 21,000 present, but in the stands, cheering. The match was from the Women’s Champions League.

After the game, Arsenal women’s manager, Swede Jonas Eidevall, said the mood at the club was so positive and there was so much support that he believed sending every game to the Emirates in the future could become a reality. Today, the 60,000-seat stadium is home to the men’s, Premier League leader. The women’s team normally plays in a 4,500-seat stadium owned by a 5th division club.

On Thursday night (30), at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea against the super champions Lyon had all the elements of a dramatic and emotional game. The home team’s goal in the last seconds of extra time left the aggregate score tied and took the decision for a place in the other semifinal to penalties. Chelsea won and eliminated the French team, which has eight Champions League titles and has dominated European women’s football for the last decade. Now the English compete for a place in the final against Barcelona.

The clashes were another example of the high level of the Women’s Champions League, with all the quarter-final games in the main stadiums of their clubs: Allianz Arena, Camp Nou, Parc des Princes…

The possibility of a final with English teams is no coincidence: there are years of investment in women’s football, which has been revamped and over the years has gained sponsorship and exposure on TV. The Women’s Super League (WSL) –first division– has existed in this format since 2011. It has 12 fully professional teams and this season the title dispute between Manchester United and Manchester City is so close that it can be decided on the basis of a tiebreaker difference of goals.

Last year, Arsenal and Tottenham via the WSL had an impressive 47,367 fans in the Emirates. More and more people are watching women’s football and this stimulates debate. Last week, United women beat West Ham at Old Trafford in front of almost 28,000 people. Lucy Parker, a West Ham and England player, questioned why her club won’t let the women’s team play in the same stadium as the men.

It’s even surreal to think that for 50 years, until 1971, women’s football was banned in stadiums in England by the country’s football federation, as it was considered “inappropriate for women.”

Next week, the Brazilian women’s team plays in Wembley against England in the Finalissima, a confrontation between the champions of the Copa América and the Eurocopa. In July, it disputes the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The reality of the rich English football may seem distant for most countries, including Brazil, but that does not mean that Brazilian leaders can only admire it from afar.

What good practices can serve as an example? What can be adapted from what is done in Europe in terms of infrastructure in relation to what already exists for the men’s team? If the doors open to women’s football, fans and sponsors will come in.

The moment is positive and opportune. It is necessary to take advantage of it.

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