Man City Women’s attendance surge drives calls for a bigger stadium

Manchester City Women’s dominant display in last month’s Manchester derby resulted in a 3-0 scoreline at halftime. The game was virtually done by the time the crowd of 17,520 supporters left the Etihad Stadium.

In what was the first of three games to be played there during the season, many fans were wondering whether a permanent move to a bigger stadium is foreseeable. 

Amgie Bolton, 54, a long-term supporter, was of the opinion it could take up to a decade until that becomes a reality. “I think we are 10 years away from it,” was her response when asked if a move to a bigger stadium was inevitable. 

Amgie also said about the WSL: “I think the league needs to be bigger so if the league is as big as the men’s league, then it would definitely warrant a bigger stadium.” Certainly, the attendance figures for City Women and the WSL in general have been in constant rise since the league was first launched back in 2011.

It grew from an average of 550 spectators per match in the league’s inaugural 2011 season to an average of 7,363 per match during the 2023-24 campaign, marking a significant increase during the course of its 14-year existence. 

This surge comes off the back of City’s commitment to invest heavily in the Women’s game, now being replicated across the league.

City Women feature heavily across the Etihad Stadium

John Elliot, 64, who is a season ticket holder for the Women’s team, said a move to a bigger stadium might come in the next five years. “Within the next five years. The attendance has just gone up and up; the ladies game has just took off,” said John. “The attendance, it’s just gone more and more. It’s bigger, it’s better.”

“I think the success of the women’s Euros certainly boosted the game a lot,” said Mark Humphrey, 43, another City fan. “It’s definitely gotten busier now.. There are more and more followers now than ever before.

“They used to give tickets away, if you had the men’s season ticket, they used to give the women’s tickets away,” recalled Mark. “It’s become a bigger game, with a lot more people now.”

The current attendance record for a single WSL game is 60,160, set at Arsenal vs Manchester United during the 2023-24 season at the Emirates in London. It’s entirely possible this record could be up for jeopardy in the next half-a-decade.

The matchday challenges, however, present another issue clubs might need to look at before the move to a bigger stadium. “Joie is much more manageable, since the capacity is smaller,” said a City representative who wished to remain anonymous. “With the Etihad, we have to hire more contractors and security needs to be tighter around the ground.

“It’s not as bad when the Women play here (at the Etihad) since you mostly have families, but the club has to take all considerations and hire more people for the entire day,” they said.

Manchester City was approached for a comment.