BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND – MAY 27: Nikita Parris of Manchester United controls the ball whilst under pressure from Taylor Hinds of Liverpool during the FA Women’s Super League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Prenton Park on May 27, 2023 in Birkenhead, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
It’s the latest installment of a historic rivalry this weekend as Manchester United host Liverpool at Leigh in the Women’s Super League.
And United head coach Marc Skinner says that local derbies and intense rivalries are important to encourage interest in women’s football.
In addition to that, he pointed out that both sides have plenty to play for this season – Liverpool fighting to get off the bottom of the table and Manchester United seeking UEFA Women’s Champions League football – which adds even more meaning to the match.
“It piques interest,” he said in a press conference on Friday morning. “So we need them.
“I think Liverpool right now with the transition they’re having, they will want to get themselves back to a space where they’re a historic team, one of only four that have won the league, so they’ll want to get back to those glory days.
“Right now [the rivalry is] probably not as strong as it is in the men’s game, but it will build. The longer we play each other, the more encounters you have, it will build.
“But I think both teams take it seriously like that, even though it’s men’s and women’s football separately. It’s a slightly different rivalry, but it’s a local rivalry. I think both teams take it that seriously.
“The reality is for interest and driving interest, it’s really important we have these head-to-heads and these derby-type feels to games to really pique interest for fans.”
“Manchester United have had so much growth”
And looking at the WSL as a whole, he praised the amount of growth the league has had – and the closeness of the competition.
“[Manchester] City are obviously out [in front] at the minute, and if they win at the weekend, for them to lose it from there would be, you know, they’d be devastated, I’m sure.
“For us to be in that [chasing] pack and into the European knockout rounds and into a League Cup final I think just shows the growth we’ve had – and I welcome the challenge of that.”
