To a significant extent, they have been proven correct; nine out of 11 home games took place at the Emirates last season with the figures revealing interesting results. The demographic who attend these games is almost entirely different from those who follow the Miguel Arteta’s team. They have, though, put bums on seats.
There have been sell-outs at the stadium for bigger Champions League games with average attendance of just over 34,000. This is set to be larger in next year’s figures with all home games based at the Emirates this term.
In any case, as a result, Arsenal’s matchday revenue has risen by a whopping 35%, hitting the £6m mark. The highest attendances in Europe for a women’s club, there is no question that the name ‘Arsenal’ falls off the tongue at every major inquest to grow the women’s game.
And yet, the financial figures published this week shine a light on exactly how challenging it is to do just that.
Arsenal’s massive gains in commercial and matchday revenue last season can only be applauded – but the crux of the matter is that they remain massively reliant on funds from the club itself.
Last season Arsenal won the Champions League and finished runners-up in the WSL, almost trebling their commercial revenue in the process.
The club posted a record profit of £22k after tax - £22k. Not million. £11.9m of “group income” from parent company Arsenal FC was the biggest income source into the women’s side and provided the scaffolding for other areas of growth.
“The club continues to have the unwavering support and commitment of both its immediate parent, Arsenal Football Club Limited, and its ultimate parent company, KSE UK Inc,” read a statement from the club.
“This has allowed the club to invest strongly in its playing squad at a time when the women’s game is seeing a significant growth in interest and support.”
Arsenal enjoy pooled resources for the men’s, women’s and academy teams, such as shared commercial and marketing teams.
But the figures offer food for thought. Arsenal have led the way with the women’s game, experiencing extraordinary growth across the last decade; just 11 years ago at a Champions League tie they had just over 1000 fans watching. Their focus and supported growth has been commendable.
The report shows just how invested Arsenal are in financing that development. But if even the club with the best female attendances in Europe need a helping hand then it shows just how much work umbrella clubs need to put in to make the game viable.
Crucially, too, sponsors need to be willing to do more than simply just pay lip service to supporting the women’s game.
EKO, who sponsor Rangers, have made a concerted effort to do more than put their logo on a shirt. Taking between 15 and 20 clients to every home game, they are pushing to have an emotional connection between the club and its sponsor.
The finances that sponsorship draws is what helps to pull up the academy, add to the staff, the medics, the physios – all the scaffolding that is required for clubs to be viable.
Broadcasting rights also have to improve in terms of their financial offer. At the last Women’s World Cup in 2023, the bids for rights were staggering low. The opening offer in Italy was just under £300k; £160m was paid for the men’s tournament in 2002. In the UK, the joint offer from BBC and ITV started at €9m – around an eighth of what was paid for the rights to the men’s edition.
The philosophy taken by Arsenal seems to be that paying £11m a year to prop up the women’s team is the right thing to do. The view appears to be that this is a decent price to pay when it comes to creating visibility and growth that has societal benefits.
Until the women’s game can stand on its own feet and transfer fees start to recycle more money into clubs, this is realistically the only way that growth can take root. How many clubs are prepared to buy into that – or viably can buy into that – is the challenge.
AND ANOTHER THING
Nicole Koslova will have to endure the hell of another gruelling ACL recovery after sustaining the injury on international duty this week.
The Ukrainian internationalist has been excellent for Glasgow City this season and her loss will be keenly felt by the Petershill side as they look to go and lift the title.
The injury raises further questions about the sheer numbers of female players who are at risk of sustaining an ACL. Or more pertinently, the lack of sports science research into the multi-faceted reasons as to why this is.
AND FINALLY
Scotland take on Luxembourg tonight at Hampden at 5pm as they look to build on the emphatic start they made to their FIFA World Cup qualifiying campaign on Tuesday night. A win tonight will put six points on the board – crucial when consideration is given to the challenge that will await against Belgium and Isreal.
Andreatta has used every press conference to urge the Tartan Army to back her team as they look to make it to their first World Cup since 2019. With Steve Clarke’s side lighting the fuse ahead of this summer’s tournament, it would be nice for the women’s team to feel some of that energy.