This Saturday sees the opening fixtures of the FA’s Women’s Football weekend – the perfect occasion to come off the back of a brilliant 3-2 win for the Lionesses against Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Following the success of the recent Women’s World Cup and the record-breaking crowds seen in the Women’s Super League, The FA have taken the opportunity of the men’s international break to give the ladies the spotlight. Local derbies and fierce rivalries are the flavour of the weekend – what more could you ask for? It promises to be a football feast for women’s fans and hopefully another landmark moment in the ever-impressive development of the ladies’ game.
This weekend fans will be treated to a Merseyside derby, North London derby and a flashback clash between FA Cup finalists Manchester City and West Ham United. Brighton host Birmingham at the Amex Stadium, Bristol City take a trip to the Madejski Stadium and trust me, there are lots more games to keep you occupied this weekend.
After Tottenham faced criticism for not hosting their women’s team at one of their stadium test events, the ladies are taking over the 62,000 capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host current champions and local rivals Arsenal. And just to add to the new stadium experience, fans will be presented with back-to-back World Cup-winning ex US coach Jill Ellis for an inspirational half-time talk.
So could it be? Could this weekend break the 31,213 WSL attendance record set by the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium in September? Or could it be the ladies crush the 62,921 attendance record set across the entire league at the start of the season? I sense another historic event on the horizon for women’s football.
A set of tasty fixtures are also taking place in FA Women’s Championship, The FA Women’s National League and various county cups. Get involved and support your local club with their FA Women’s Football Weekend game, and let’s celebrate our growth!
