Lots of teams & fans, all in one place, over one weekend, watching top level action & celebrating their sport…
We at She Kicks have chatted about this concept in the office since the FA WSL’s inception in 2011 (it was Aussie Anth’s ace suggestion), so we were really pleased/intrigued when Alex Wolstenholme (from http://affordablefootball.blogspot.co.uk) reached out to share his similar thoughts on the matter…
Rugby League’s ‘Magic Weekend’ recently marked its 10th anniversary with all twelve Super League teams in action, in six matches across the two days, in one stadium, St James’ Park in Newcastle hosting for a second successive year after previous weekends away in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester.
The concept is to showcase the ‘family-friendly’ atmosphere of the sport, provide an enjoyable atmosphere for partisan and non-partisan fans alike and allow supporters to come and go from the stadium as they please in order to enjoy the events outside as well.
On the same weekend, around 40,000 spectators watched a double-header at Wembley Stadium where the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals were played on the same day for the first time.
That figure was helped by the participation of Hereford FC in the Vase final but ‘Non-League Finals Day’ can hopefully build on the success of its first hosting to become a regular event in the football calendar.
Looking forward, I feel the idea of playing multiple matches at the same venue and offering a low-cost ticket to the whole event could be perfectly suited to Women’s Super League as it continues to establish itself as a competition.
Much has been made of the boost to the Women’s game from the 2015 World Cup and this season’s FA Cup final at Wembley was another occasion which gave a positive image of the sport to those watching live on the BBC.
There is no doubt now that the cup final is here to stay at the national stadium, together with its attractively-priced tickets that this year included free admission for accompanied children.
But, having followed WSL from afar since writing a blog on Affordable Football and covering the excellent work done by clubs to engage their local support, I would say it still suffers from a disjointed calendar (and this season in WSL1 an uneven number of clubs as it moves towards a 20-team competition) and that the league itself may need an ‘event’ of its own to provide a focal point that showcases its quality to a wider audience.
So, how about next year, when it has a full complement of 10 teams, having five WSL1 matches at one venue (in the Midlands perhaps given the geographical spread of teams) on a weekend that doesn’t clash with any other domestic football?
It could be the last round of matches before a break for Euro 2017, providing those players who are off to the tournament in the Netherlands with another welcome taste of big-match action in a setting that is closer to the conditions they will experience in Holland.
The football itself would be the centrepiece, of course, but the weekend could incorporate a host of family-friendly activities to encourage participation in the game and spread the word even further about the progress being made in establishing WSL as a fully-fledged professional league but one that involves and engages and is easily accessible to its supporters.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
