The euro’s rebound has not spread evenly across the WSL – as the matchday in Reading proved

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WSL attendances have grown significantly this season to average more than 6,500 – including a new league-best attendance of 47,367 for September’s North London derby. Major clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea and United use their men’s pitches to host special occasions – such as European matches or derbies – and have been advertised as such with great success.

Even without big stadium game attendance, the league average is still close to 3,000 – well up from last season’s less than 2,000. But reading is on the lower end. Sunday’s low attendance dropped their average to 1,932 – 10th in the league – and is proof that playing in a bigger stadium doesn’t automatically guarantee crowds. Even their all-time attendance record is just 3,660, achieved earlier this season against Arsenal.

Reading began playing all their home games at the 25,000-seat Madejski Stadium in September 2020, the first WSL club to move permanently to their larger, normally male-dominated stadium.

It meant they were finally playing at Reading, having previously played at Wycombe Wanderers Adams Park, and was an advanced statement from the club showing their commitment to the women’s team. But as admirable as the move was, the club needs to work harder to actually fill the stadium.

‘We still have work to do’

As a match day experience, the Echoey ground is completely devoid of atmosphere with only a few sections in one stand packed with people. This is far too big a stadium for the numbers that Reading attracts and shows that when it comes to increasing attendances, no one formula works for all WSL sides.

They are not alone in visiting their men’s grounds, with Aston Villa and Leicester City also doing so. Both are averaging over 3,000 games not a staggering number, but an improvement.

While the big clubs with the proper marketing budgets understandably attract more attention at the top of the table, it is also the case that those with lionesses in their squads will naturally benefit more from the Euros. For teams like Tottenham and Reading, who do not have these players to include in their campaigns, the challenge of attracting more fans is different.

“I really think it was already a problem at the end of the Euros,” Spurs boss Rehanne Skinner told Telegraph Sport. “People naturally see them on that stage and are attracted to players playing at that level. Winning for England at home this year has made them [the Lionesses] household names.

“It’s fantastic for England and these players, but if we apply that to what we do, it’s about making sure we find ways to make our games attractive. Every club has a different history, so your fan base is different and you have to find out , what really attracts them.

“It’s up to each club to figure that out. At the end of the day, everyone’s job is to increase the average attendance in the WSL. I think we still have to work on that, to be honest.”

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