Arsenal Women have announced their intention to make Emirates Stadium their main home next season. The club plans to play eight of their 11 WSL home games at the stadium, as well as their Champions League home games should they negotiate the qualifying rounds. If Arsenal do not qualify for the Champions League group stages, they will endeavour to play all 11 WSL home games at the Emirates.
Domestic cup games as well as three WSL home games will continue to be played at their long term groundshare with Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park.
Arsenal have played six WSL home games at the Emirates this season, giving Arsenal Women the 11th highest average crowd (32,618) of any team in the country.
Vinai Venkatesham, Chief Executive Officer, said: “For almost four decades, we’ve been at the forefront of the women’s game. We’ve recently seen extraordinary growth in supporters coming to Emirates Stadium for games held here, which include two complete sell-outs this season.
“The next step in our journey is to make Emirates Stadium our main home for Arsenal Women. We’re looking forward to giving more supporters the chance to watch our women’s team play.
“This is part of a collective drive across the club to take the women’s game forward and support sustainable growth of the game so it can thrive in the long term.”
Sporting Director, Edu Gaspar, added: “There’s great passion for our women’s team right across our club. We are one club, with a vision to win major trophies across our men’s and women’s teams. This move supports this ambition and we can’t wait to continue this amazing journey with our supporters.”
Arsenal Women head coach, Jonas Eidevall, said: “We have a special connection with our supporters, who have shown up in huge numbers and pushed us forward every step of the way.
“To everyone who has followed us so far, thank you. You have played a key part in our progress and growth, helping us write this story.
“Next season, Emirates Stadium becomes our main home and we’re all excited to play in front of bigger crowds every week. We can’t wait to see you all there.”
The club have confirmed they will continue to offer the Home Advantage Pack, with an option to buy all eight WSL home games at the Emirates at a discounted rate, or a version that allows supporters to buy five WSL Emirates home games at a discounted rate.
Great news! This will elevate the team even higher, and I’m delighted Arsenal are at the forefront of the womens game (..as well! 🙂
Brilliant news.
Especially for those of us who are abroad, it would be amazing if the club managed a Saturday/Sunday, both mens & women’s teams at home on the same weekend.
This is great news,
could do with some after the news of Viv,
and on the same week I am being forced to want a Spuds win.
Great news. Hope the club get more income. But I doubt this Jonas guy can win us any big trophies. We have a good team but I feel we are underperforming.
Great news. This is another bold move, not without risk, but huge potential rewards in having 40,000-50,000 for 11 match days at the Emirates. if the fans come in the anticipated numbers, this should get us a larger slice of the general Arsenal sponsorship pie and more of our own dedicated sponsors. Hoping for another Stella McCartney bespoke kit…
Excellent decision. Happy for the ladies, it’s the stage they deserve.
This is very good news! Of course a little bit with how much the club cares about equality of genders and a lot to do with what makes money or brings a good image. But still, if I find myself in London in the next years, it would be really nice to be able to visit a game of Arsenal Women at the Emirates.
Assuming you can get a ticket! 😉 In fairness to the club, I think they do care about equality of the sexes and this is a way to help the women’s side achieve financial parity.
Wouldn’t this CEO Vinai Venkatesham leave Arsenal? All they need now is for them to definitively qualify for the WCL then yes it will be perfect
On balance this is good news and ample reward to the team and the amazing supporters who have placed AWFC one of the best supported teams, men and women, in England (Maybe further afield). Let’s hope they can make it a packed out fortress.
Not one of…. ‘THE’
IF we make champions league group stage, will interesting what the attendance levels will be. Last time it was east stand lower only setup for under 10000, I was at the Lyon game in below freezing temps
Yes, I reckon the mid-week fixtures will be a big test. Let’s hope we get that far!
leaves season tickets in odd position of buying based on where they want in MP + where at the emirates. but then all games could be at the emirates
That’s why there’s such a long waiting list for season tickets. Im 500 and something in the queue, moving permanently to the Emirates will hopefully open that up a bit 🤞
The domestic Cup games will be played at Meadow Park, which is good for all the local, long-time Arsenal Women fans.
Appreciate the commercial reasons and also giving the team the opportunity to play on a stage worthy of them, but I cannot help feeling this is the beginning of the end of what has made women’s football so attractive over the years. It will just become the same as the Premier League but played by women instead of men.
Yea, I wonder the same thing…
Agree
It definitely is the beginning of the end. Losing distinctive qualities is one of the risks. But there is no alternative to trying to grow the game and increase the money in it. It’s grow or die. I’ve been saying for a few years now that we should enjoy the comparative intimacy of the women’s game because everything would change very soon. The challenge is to get bigger but still keep some of the attributes that appeal to fans. For me personally, just seeing women playing football is enough. That is always going to make me happy.