by England were in superb form on Friday night as they dismantled European quarter-finalists Austria 7-2, but there was only one disappointment on what was a crucial World Cup finals night: if only more people had in the stadium. to witness it.
Only 949 tickets were sold for this friendly in Algeciras in southern Spain and frankly it didn’t look like they had all turned up. But then, considering that this game was only announced on January 31st, just over three weeks before the game was staged abroad for both teams, it’s no wonder the attendance was so low.
If the game had been played in Austria or England — where the Lionesses have repeatedly played in front of huge crowds, such as the 71,632 who saw their most recent home game at Wembley in December — then how many more thousands who might enjoy this. back nine frenzy? Which raises the question of whether the international games being played abroad are good for the women’s game at all.
It’s not hard to see why this warm weather camp is a big advantage for the Lionesses in terms of performance; Perfect conditions last week ensured they were able to spend as much time on the training ground together as they wanted at a time of year when the weather in England can be very reliable, and a relaxed nature can the team’s hotel above the sea help the squad to be even more closely-knit.
The pitches at their training base in Marbella – the La Quinta Football Center – look immaculate and the players are clearly enjoying themselves. In the long run, if that helps this team achieve success at Euro 2025 and, in turn, facilitates the further growth of the women’s game, then many will believe the trade-off was worth it.
England head coach Sarina Wiegman explained some of the benefits of traveling south when asked if she was disappointed that more people weren’t there to see her side’s big win, saying: “It was the choice us for this camp is to go abroad, and we have the perfect circumstances. The pitch we are training on is very good, the weather is very good. So if we want to practice some things where the team is standing a little more [on the training ground] then that’s what you can do, too. So, the whole picture here gave us a bit of an advantage, we thought. And of course, when we go back to England, we want a full stadium and we want that here too but we know we’re a bit far away, so [about] finding that balance.”
In the immediate term, however, the near-empty stands at the Estadio Nuevo Mirador, broadcast live on ITV1, look dire. There was something cruelly ironic that England’s Nations League games, such as the nerve-jangling 3-2 win over the Netherlands in front of a raucous Wembley crowd in December, were shown on ITV4, and then the friendly with empty stands behind both goals. . which was picked up for prime channel ITV in a prime Friday night slot.
As for the women’s game, it’s disappointing after the huge positive of the Emirates Stadium sell-out crowd of 60,000++ for the Women’s Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United last Saturday, although there was something of a reality check for the WSL. 24 hours later when only 997 fans attended Everton’s win over West Ham.
Attendances for the Lionesses’ games have increased since they won Euro 2022 and yet, in terms of friendship abroad, for fans of the games, both teams involved, games of this nature are somewhat insignificant, to say the least. Then you enter the short notice. Every three weeks of it. Logistically, how many people leave it until January 31st to make their plans for February half term? These games should have been announced earlier.
Then there is the carbon footprint of games played abroad. To be fair to women’s football, it leaves a much smaller impact on the planet than the men’s game does with its unnecessary private flights to home games in the Premier League, for example. But for either side to be at home guarantees an extra mile of air at a time when all sports are supposed to be trying to reduce carbon emissions.
So while this February event could make a big difference to the Lionesses’ success on the field in the long run, there’s no escaping the reality that this kind of fixture is, at the same time, bad for fans, bad for the environment. , and ultimately bad for women’s football.
