Arsenal To Create Matchday Forum For Supporters Of Women’s Team

Arsenal are to create a new formal space for supporters to raise issues specific to their women’s team as Women’s Super League (WSL) fans increasingly demand more accountability from their clubs.

Arsenal believe they require a specific space, alongside the club’s Fans Forum and Arsenal Advisory Board, in which supporters can raise specific issues relating to Arsenal Women’s matches. “The forum will allow supporter representatives to come together throughout the season to discuss matters relating specifically to Arsenal Women matchdays.”

Over the last few years, the club has worked closely with the Arsenal Women’s Supporters Club, a voluntary organisation formed by fans in 2015, but now want to create a more formal space to make sure they continue to put supporters at the heart of the decisions the club make.

The winners of the FA Continental Cup last season, Arsenal made headlines around the world by setting English attendance records in both the Women’s Super League (47,367 against Tottenham Hotspur) and UEFA Champions League (60,063 against VfL Wolfsburg), a game in which they sold out the Emirates Stadium for the first time.

As a consequence, they had the highest average crowd figure in the country of 16,149, more than AFC Bournemouth in the men’s Premier League. They have already committed to playing almost half their league matches and all their potential Champions League group-stage matches at the 60,704-capacity Emirates Stadium next season.

In a statement they acknowledged “we recognise the importance of working closely with our supporters to optimise the experience for all.” Whether the remit of this new forum, limited to the matchday experience, goes far enough for some fans is a matter of conjecture.

With women’s soccer broadcasters shaping when and where matches are played to suit their own television schedules, fans around the country have increasingly voiced their concerns about the danger of the WSL following the path of the men’s Premier League where kick-off times are rescheduled at short notice leaving matchday supporters out of pocket as their travel plans are scuppered.

In addition, the fact that Arsenal’s women’s team have to play the majority of their WSL games at Meadow Park, a ground shared with non-league men’s team Boreham Wood FC, means fixtures have often been fitted in around their commitments and after a home win over Liverpool in March, head coach Jonas Eidevall raised questions about the standard of the facilties there stating “we didn’t have a scoreboard that worked during the game, and broadcast production I think was absolutely out of order.”

In January, Arsenal’s game away to Brighton was postponed less than two hours before kick-off, a time after many of the team’s travelling support had left London for the game. It was a decision which led to much debate about how the club communicates with fans and the lack of the use of undersoil heating in the Women’s Super League. Many supporters are also demanding for mandatory sections for away fans at every WSL game so travelling fans can all sit together and generate a better atmosphere during games.

This forum will allow supporters to highlight any concerns about ticketing, pricing, matchday experience, access and community projects. Club representatives from a range of departments will also participate in the forum, which Arsenal believe will become an important part of their interaction with supporters each season.

“We have received unbelievable backing from our supporters over many seasons and even more so in recent times,” said Arsenal Head of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley speaking about the launch of the new Women’s Matchday Forum.

“With confirmed plans to play five WSL matches at Emirates Stadium this season alongside matches at Meadow Park, it’s crucial that we continue to work closely with our valued supporters to ensure that we are able to deliver the best possible experience for all. The Arsenal Women Matchday Forum will provide our supporters with a space in which to ask questions, raise issues and work with us as we continue to move forward together.”

Any fans who wish to apply for the Supporter’s Forum have until July 6 to register their interest. Once the deadline has passed, the club will select a group of representatives with the aim of establishing a forum which reflects the diverse community that supports Arsenal Women every week.