Some 47,367 football fans flocked to Emirates Stadium on Saturday to watch the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham in the Women’s Super League (WSL).
The physical crowd may have fallen below the 53,737 tickets sold for the match, but it still surpassed the 8,705 fans that watched Arsenal’s opening game against Chelsea in the WSL a year ago.
And, despite falling short of the 53,737 tickets sold, the attendance figure still beats the previous record of 38,262 set by the same fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019.
The record-beating crowd that watched Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Tottenham showcases the surge in interest in women’s football after England’s triumph at the Euros this summer.
Jonas Eidevall, the Arsenal manager, told The Telegraph: “It was a very special moment for all of us. This is what we work for, being on stages like this, playing in front of crowds like that.”
The WSL has benefitted from the success of the Lionesses at the Euro 2022, which was held in England, and has seen a major uptick in ticket sales.
Chelsea and Arsenał sold out their season ticket allocation for this season, while Manchester City and Leicester City witnessed their sales almost double.
Aston Villa also said that its ticket sales were up over 84% compared to last season.