The outgoing Manchester City manager Nick Cushing has criticised the fixture clash that means his women’s team travel to Arsenal on Wednesday night at the same time as Manchester City men’s team host Manchester United, both in League Cup semi-finals.
“I think it would definitely help if we didn’t play on the same day,” said Cushing, who leaves City to take up the position of assistant coach at New York City FC in the MLS after Sunday’s Women’s Super League home game against Arsenal. “I consistently talk with our fans; we have a group of fans that travel to every game, men’s and women’s, and I think when you have to ask them to choose it puts them in a place where they don’t really want to be in because they want to watch both teams. If we’re going to grow the game it’s not ideal.”
This is not the first time clashes have drawn the ire of managers, players and clubs. Last May the Premier League was criticised for turning down West Ham’s request to move their home game against Southampton so it would not coincide with the club’s first Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
Fifa’s decision to allow the Copa América and Gold Cup finals to take place on the same day of the Women’s World Cup final prompted questions over the governing body’s commitment to the women’s game.
“If we’re playing Arsenal we want to have a full crowd,” Cushing said. “We’re probably not going to take as many away fans as we would if the men’s team weren’t playing, so it’s not ideal. I think the problem you’ve got is you’ve got an FA and the Premier League that aren’t the same organisation so I don’t know if you’ll ever get that coordination.”
Manchester City played back-to-back games against Arsenal in 2016 and Cushing’s strategy will again be the same for both matches. “For me you do exactly the same thing again and either do what you have done really well in the first game and hope to win again or do everything that you didn’t do in the first game and do it better. I always think you shouldn’t lose twice across those two games really.”
