The WSL season got off to a flying start as a sell out crowd turned up to watch Arsenal beat Brighton 4-0 at Meadow Park.
Fears that the enthusiasm for women's football built up after England's success in the Euros might be dampened by the cancellation of last weekend's opening round of fixtures following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II were drowned out long before kick as supporters packed all four corners of the ground in Boreham Wood.
The car park outside the stadium was filled well over an hour before kick off with some fans even stating that they had got there early for fear of not being able to get a seat with demand so high.
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"I panicked and thought let me get here here early because if I don't then all the seats are gonna go," Tyrese Mulinde, a student attending a women's game for the first time told football.london . "I was reading everything online that said sold out, sold out, so I thought it's going to be pretty good.
"I watch it on the TV and I hear the crowd and I thought why not come down. It's pretty good, I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty good."
The rise in popularity since the Lionesses' success in the summer has seen the popularity of the women's game rise exponentially. Whereas last season empty seats at Meadow Park were common place, this time out it's noticeable how packed the stadium was.
"Definitely, I think there's a huge difference," Thivah Muthukumar tells football.london when comparing Friday night's match to the games she attended last year. When I came last season I felt like there was always places to sit, whereas this season it's 6pm (one and a half hours before kick off) and I'm struggling to find a seat."
The fans who turned up on the night were treated to four goals courtesy of Kim Little, Stina Blackstenius and a brace from Euros golden boot winner Beth Mead. Having seen this spike in popularity now though, the focus now turns to maintaining this interest. The England women's team has gone far in international tournaments before, but that hasn't translated into a consistent upturn in attendances at domestic matches. When it comes to this fans feel there is still more that can be done.
"I really do hope so. Looking at the number of tickets sold I think it really does have an impact," says Mulinde when discussing the impact of the Euros on crowds. "I think that clubs also need to do quite a bit to get the fans to come to the stadium. I was a little disappointed to see that there hasn't been much advertising of the game from Arsenal men's players and stuff like that to push the fans to want to come. I feel like that's something could further the game."
These thoughts are echoed by Muthukumar who feels that broadcasters can also do more to popularise the sport. "I think airing it on TV. It's not on TV tonight, it's only on the FA player," she says. "Also more support from the men's team as well. Men can encourage people to come out to games."
For now though the atmosphere at Meadow Park undoubtedly appears to have improved for the better and the players are certainly enjoying it. "It was great," captain and opening goal scorer on the night Kim Little told football.london when asked about the ambience in the stadium. "You could hear it before the match and even in the build up coming in. We just everyone to keep coming back and we're grateful for the support. We hope they enjoyed the game."
Next week Arsenal's increased support looks set to go up another level when they host Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium. 45,000 tickets have already been sold which puts the Gunners on course to smash the 38,262 record set by 2019's North London Derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Hopes that even more could turn out for the game are high and Little can't wait for the occasion.
"It's incredible as a player," she says. "We want to play and entertain and also we want to win. Getting home support from the fans and hearing them sing Arsenal songs, it doesn't get much better. As players and supporters we just want to build the game and hopefully we can get a great support at the Emirates next week and then we can sustain that going forward."
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