Fan Walks, Pints And... Free Tote Bags? This Is What Women's Football Looks Like In 2023
Fan Walks, Pints And... Free Tote Bags? This Is What Women's Football Looks Like In 2023
You wouldn't typically associate a police escort with women's football. After all, only two arrests were made for public order offences at the 2022 Women's Euro final at Wembley, down from 86 at the men's final at the same venue a year earlier. But if you were paying attention at Arsenal women's games this season, you would know that pre-match fan-walks attracting vast numbers (and having to be policed accordingly – purely for crowd-control reasons), have become synonymous with attendance record breaking games at Emirates Stadium this year.
Having to be up bright and early to make it to North London in time for the Sunday lunchtime kickoff, I did not attend the pre-match meetup at the Coronet pub – which I am reliably informed was packed full of morning drinkers attempting to settle their nerves before a season-defining game. I caught the end of the fan-walk as I clicked through the turnstile by block two at Emirates Stadium, which houses Arsenal women's most vocal supporters. With a good 45 minutes to go until kickoff, the majority of those who make up the 'atmosphere block' had arrived in plenty of time to further inebriate themselves/warm up the vocal chords with further chanting.
A quick check on the team news answered the question that had dominated the pre-match build-up - who would manager Jonas Eidevall who pick in his midfield? (the answer was Lia Walti and Victoria Pelova). Despite Chelsea's imperious start to the season (played 8, won 7, drawn 1, lost 0), the confidence among the supporters that inhabited the bowels of Emirates Stadium grew with each swig of Camden Hells. Chelsea had failed to win at the Emirates on each of their previous 3 visits. Even in last season's 1-1 draw, Arsenal, but for profligacy in front of goal, would’ve been out of sight long before Chelsea's equaliser. In fairness, this was something they corrected a couple months later in a 3-1 Conti Cup final victory.
Thanks to the work of various supporters groups, coordinated efforts have been made this season to house the most vocal Arsenal fans in one block, bringing a little slice of Meadow Park to N5. While transport chaos and queues at the turnstiles meant that a record 59,000 tickets sold was not quite reflected in the crowd numbers, there was not an empty seat in sight inside block two. The exact demographic of women's football match-goers can be hard to pin down, particularly for what BBC research and the Women's Sport Trust have coined 'big eventers' like Sunday's game. You can broadly fit the 59,000 who purchased tickets into three categories.
Group one is the most well documented of the three - the families. Rightly or wrongly, these are people who subscribe to the mainstream view that women's football is a more sanitised product than the men's game (anecdotally, I can tell you right now that you could have heard a pin drop at a few of the Premier League games I have attended this season) and ergo one that is more suited to a younger demographic. It is certainly true that Gunnersaurus has his work cut out for women's games at the Emirates with more children in the ground than usual. The Lionesses in particular are synonymous with this group, where player specific fandom is king. Because of this, a match involving the likes of Beth Mead, Fran Kirby, Alessia Russo and Lauren James among others was always going to be an easy sell.
Group two are what I am coining 'crossover casuals'. These are people who primarily follow the men's team but may pick up a ticket for a big women's game. Marketing for women's games at Emirates Stadium has been very visible at men's home games in recent seasons, with Arsenal recognising that the market they tap into doesn’t have to exclusively be one made up of people who are entirely new to football as a whole. This category of supporter may not have an in-depth knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of Frida Maanum, but they know that Arsenal getting one over Chelsea can only be a good thing.
Finally, there is group three, the diehard supporters who will tell you that the North Bank is a terraced stand at Meadow Park as opposed to an all seater section of the Emirates (though there is crossover with men's team support within this group too). These are the people who will have avoided even thinking about the game in the days leading up to it for the sake of their own mental serenity. This brings us back to block two, where the majority of supporters from this group are housed.
After a hearty rendition of The Angel (North London Forever), the goonerette ultras wasted no time in getting stuck into the Meadow Park songbook, from the more generic chants like "what do we think of [insert London rival]?" to player specific numbers. It's a shame that block two at the Emirates; overlooking the home dugout, is out of shot of the main TV cameras, because any recorded footage of the pandemonium that ensued following Beth Mead's 8th minute opener would have put to bed once and for all the pervading myth that women's football is nothing more than a fun day out for all the family. I have been involved in a lot of 'limbs' supporting Arsenal over the years and the celebrations that followed each goal on Sunday were up there with the last minute winners and derby day goals I have witnessed following the men's team – in fact, I very nearly ended up on the floor in the human dominos that followed Amanda Illestedt heading Arsenal back into the lead.
.Pre-match, I spoke to people who felt sick with nerves ahead of a game could come to define Arsenal's season. As the gunners roared into a two-goal lead before the break, a small pocket of supporters chanting "3-1, on your big day out" were quickly shouted down – a wariness of hubris is something that transcends the men's and women's games. It wasn't until Russo slotted away a penalty with 15 minutes to go that any lingering doubts that the WSL champions might claw their way back into the contest were truly quashed. Only now was it safe to chant "Emma, what's the score?", followed by "We can see you sneaking out!" to the Chelsea fans, as the Union Jack that had adorned the away end was torn down in a symbolic admission of defeat.
Not all stereotypes are unfounded and one truth of the women's game is that there is a closer connection between players and supporters. This has led to some overstepping the fine line between fervent support and entitlement – the abundance of "can I have your shirt/boots/goalkeeper gloves?" signs has become a contentious topic among regular matchgoers, but by and large, the keenness of players to reciprocate the love shown to them by those in the stands is refreshing. After every game at Emirates Stadium this season, even the chastening defeat to Liverpool, the players have done a 'lap of appreciation'. On Sunday afternoon, it was a lap of celebration.
Anyone who has attended a men's home win in the last couple of years will know that the stadium DJ does not miss a trick when it comes to concocting a post-match playlist. With three big points in the bag (specifically, one the free tote bags placed on every seat – brands never miss an opportunity to align themselves with the women's game), players and fans could celebrate in unison to the unmistakable strains of Freed From Desire (Beth Mead's on fire), Glad All Over (We've got: *clap*, *clap*, Lessi Russo!) and of course, the unavoidably infectious Sweet Caroline. Going from the compact and atmospheric Meadow Park to the cavernous bowl that is the Emirates has jarred at times, but the atmosphere generated against Chelsea felt like a marked improved compared to previous games played North London. For the women's team, the Emirates, in some respects, doesn't quite feel like home just yet, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.
There is no prescribed matchday ritual – everyone's habits are unique. Some people go purely for the football itself, attending on their own and heading straight for Arsenal underground station after the game; others will come with a specific friend or family member; some will routinely attend as part of a large group of friends – going for the social aspect as much as the football itself. I fall into the latter category here, so naturally, after a win that had restored local pride and reinvigorated title hopes, we made our way to the Tollington pub. Technically, we made our way to the front door of the Tollington, where we had to queue to get in, as the place was absolutely rammed. Football and alcohol – together in perpetuity.
The chants in the pub continued well into the afternoon, at one point someone from a group sat at a table nearby got up on to the table to lead an anti-Chelsea chant, they swiftly told by a member of staff to get down immediately. As I would be driving later on, I took a pass on the celebratory Jaeger bombs, despite what I just said in the paragraph above, it is in fact possible to go to a pub and soak up the post-match vibes without a drink in hand – Chelsea tears will do just fine for me.