by By the time the Manchester United fan coach pulls into the south end of Watford Gap Services at 10.30am, there will be Taylor Swift’s songwriting prowess, chatter about Spain midfielder Irene Guerrero’s perceived lack of game time and singing by Katie Zelem. that “falsa tan” rhymes with “Zidane” can somehow be heard on board. And instead of cans of beer, delicious home baking has been passed around during the tour which started at 8am. This is an away day, Women’s Super League style.
Arriving at Chigwell Stadium in Dagenham – the home of West Ham’s women’s team – two and a half hours later, the smell of chicken and mushroom pie wafts through the cold air, wardens advise. standing in the walkway to “move on” and the queue for the women’s toilet stretched well out the door although there are no queues at all for the men.
The away side is packed and the fans – roughly half male, half female – are in good voice despite United’s 1-1 draw. Before the start, more than a dozen supporters tell separately Sports telegraph how much they hope the club will not allow English youngster Grace Clinton – currently on loan at Tottenham – to leave the club this summer, and some have brought a “Skinner Out” sign with them (more more on that later). But they are also very concerned about many issues that concern all WSL supporters who agree with them.
Ruthless start times and short notice fixtures
Among their biggest concerns are start times that prioritize broadcasting over viewership and the lack of notice given to match dates. The WSL March 30-31 fixture dates and times were only confirmed on Friday when the TV picks were announced.
In November, Manchester United were handed a 6.45pm Sunday afternoon kick-off for their away trip to Brighton. Most people seem to like this visit of West Ham for a 3pm kick-off, but they remember that this game was played at 6.45pm last season.
“Just before Christmas, we played Tottenham away in the afternoon slot and, on the same day, Arsenal and Chelsea played each other at lunchtime. Why? They didn’t have to travel far,” says one disgruntled fan.
Sports telegraph understands that more regular WSL fixtures on Friday nights and Saturday evenings are on the cards for next season and that the prospect receives a mixed reception. Hannah, who has supported the United women’s team since they reformed in 2018 and travels to games from Wales, said: “You have to look at whether people have to take annual leave, or whether they have families. It would have an impact.
“The dedication of the people is there, but the initial times are difficult and it affects people being able to go. But football is supposed to be for fans. And we always seem to find out in a few more weeks.”
Lack of dedicated parts away
Deborah Henry from the supporters’ club is also working hard to ensure that every game – like this one – provides an away end. “There has to be an away section for every away team so we don’t mix unless people specifically choose to mix. It can create tense moments in a game that take the fun out of it,” she says.
“It’s about being comfortable and being able to stand with the team’s fans and being happy to celebrate a goal. Out in Leicester, for example, we were singing and there was a group of kids who you could tell were uncomfortable and could have been avoided if they were in the home section and we were in the away section.”
Facilities built for the men
Various fans recall terrifying episodes involving the toilet. There was a time when the lights didn’t work in the women’s facilities at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium for a game against Aston Villa – “We used our phone torch lights to see” – and a trip to Paris St-Germain in the Women’s Champions League when the women’s toilets in the away section didn’t even qualify. However, it is the reliance on “horrendous” portable toilets at Arsenal’s and Borehamwood and Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow grounds respectively that is being equally lamented. At least West Ham has permanent toilet structures.
Some fans seem to enjoy the rough feel of these small grounds, like Norway’s Kristoffer, who lives in London and has been a Manchester United fan since the 1990s. He says: “It’s a bit more intimate, it brings the fans closer to the players. It is good compared to the big stadiums. I also like the ticket prices – which makes it possible for me as a Manchester United supporter to go to Manchester United games.”
Andy Slater, who founded the women’s team fan “Barmy Article” in May 2021, was a season ticket holder for the men’s team for 21 years until 2017 and says: “As a fan of men’s football, I was to big shiny stadiums. , but as a fan of women’s football I was in lands I would never have been, and I like that. But some of them are quite poor.
“When you go to a closure on top of the WSL and there are porta-cabins for toilets, it has to be better, there’s no excuse. These clubs have the money to put together basic facilities.”
One female supporter says: “It’s safe to say that these foundations are aimed at men only.”
Fan messages for Sir Jim Ratcliffe – and Marc Skinner
Since Manchester United revamped their senior women’s team in 2018, the supporters’ club has grown from a nine-seater minibus to often requiring an 88-seater double-decker coach for away games. They also took seven coaches to the FA Women’s Cup final last May at Wembley.
However, these fans feel that the Glazers have not matched that surge in interest with enough attention on the women’s program and so have a clear message for new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Connor Roberts, who hosts the All for United WFC podcast, has a simple plea: “Just invest. We already have a great team, with so many good young people coming through, so put a proper structure above the manager and give it a try. because the foundations are there.”
Andy agrees, expecting a team of women’s football specialists to find high-level non-football roles, and says: “Put people in a position where they know what they’re doing. Let football people do football jobs.”
Ratcliffe has suggested that if he were to build a new stadium for the men’s team, the women’s team could make Old Trafford their home. Zoe seems to sum up the general sentiment on the matter when she says: “I’d love that. OT has so much history and such a legacy that I would hate to see it completely gone, for a potentially soulless rebuild, so if we could keep it and dedicate it to the women, that would be that’s great.”
A controversial topic of discussion is the future of head coach Marc Skinner, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
Speaking ahead of the game, Conner says: “It’s tough. You will find shared opinions whoever you ask. My mind is made up enough that it’s probably time for a change. I think a fresh start is probably better.”
One fan from Greater Manchester says: “The way he always talks about needing more investment, instead everyone should feel valued. You see players looking much happier on international duty. I think that comes down to it, a lot.”
A group of fans brought hand-made “Skinner Out” signs to the game, which were erected at full-time as discontent grew. Wythensawe’s AJ said: “We want the players to know we support them but we no longer support the manager.”
Returning to the coach after the game, three fans say, almost simultaneously: “He has to go.”
The coach definitely has to go and, after a debriefing about the game, laughter provides the soundtrack for the five-hour journey back to the meeting place in the car park at Old Trafford.
