Arsenal have made a historial big step for English women’s football, announcing all home Women’s Super League (WSL) games for the 2024/25 season will be staged at the Emirates Stadium. The announcement is the first one that a WSL club has made in committing to play an entire season of a league at a main stadium.
The club announced the decision officially on June 10, saying it fits with its long-term plans to build the women’s game. Arsenal Women previously shared home matches between the Emirates and Meadow Park in Borehamwood. A handful of high-profile games at the Emirates have enjoyed significant attendances in recent years, but this move now makes the ground the permanent base for Renée Slegers’ side for league matches.
🚨🏟 BREAKING: Arsenal will host all 11 home Barclays WSL matches in the 2025/26 season at the Emirates Stadium. pic.twitter.com/ylMakU4qVF
Arsenal have done an amazing job in getting bums on seats at the Emirates in recent years. Four WSL matches at the stadium last year attracted an average crowd of more than 50,000, including record turnouts for games against Chelsea and Manchester United. Arsenal want to capitalise on this by further increasing the visibility, accessibility and centrality of top-level women’s football to the club.
The then-CEO Vinai Venkatesham, who left the role in mid-2024, praised the decision ahead of the move, describing it as “a tipping-point moment” for the club and women’s football. “By making this commitment to play all our WSL matches at Emirates Stadium throughout the season, we can send a clear message to our people and our fans, Arsenal Women are an important part of our club and deserve their space on the big stage” he said.
The Gunners will kick off their 2024/25 WSL campaign at the Emirates this September, with fixtures and ticketing information expected to be released soon.
This will be a high-stakes decision both on and off the field. For players, training and playing regularly in world-class facilities like the Emirates promotes professionalism and raises performance standards. Now Arsenal Women will be able to enjoy some of the same facilities, environment and infrastructure as their male counterparts, facilities not offered by most WSL clubs currently.
For the fan, the adjustment can be a neat, clear one. Followers will no longer have to switch back and forth among two venues and can instead look forward to a unified matchday experience in North London. From better transport links and enhanced hospitality options to greater seating, Arsenal are doing more than ever to enable fans to connect with the women’s game.
🏟️ Next season’s plan remains to play as many WSL games as possible at Emirates Stadium, while Meadow Park will be used for cup games.
[@Stillmanator] pic.twitter.com/Fkmxr6cNz8
What’s more, it’s an indication of the encouragement that Arsenal gives women’s football innovators. Bestowing the WSL side with equal billing at their premium venue, the club has raised the bar for others to match. It also tallies with an increasing commercial market in the women’s game, sponsors and broadcasters being the foreseeable beneficiaries of the enhanced branding and media opportunities that the Emirates can offer.
The announcement is striking as the WSL is aggressively advocating, like other women’s professional leagues, for more visibility, investment and independence. Arsenal’s move may prompt other teams to consider doing the same, which could change the Premier League’s landscape over the next few years.
Arsenal’s announcement that they will play all WSL home games at the Emirates is more than a logistical move. It’s a statement of intent. It signals the club’s willingness to support its women’s team with the same ambition and resources as its men’s team.
There will be issues along the way, not least how best to fill a stadium that big with any regularity, but the willingness to take action makes Arsenal particularly well-placed. This could drive a wider cultural shift in English football, where parity between men’s and women’s teams remains patchy at best.
Most importantly, the move is testament to the growing interest and passion for women’s football, not only from international followers, but also from the general public. If they pull it off, this shift could be a model for sustainable growth and exposure in the WSL.
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