Beyond the Lionesses: The real catalyst behind the rise of Women's Football

✍️Gabriella Valentine

📸Gabriella Valentine

Women’s football has seen record-breaking attendances and viewership over the past three years, with growing investment and increased media attention. However, is this sudden popularity solely due to the Lionesses’ historic Euro 2022 victory or has the support for the game been there all along, yet forced to hide due to the lack of support from the FA?

The Impact of the Lionesses Euro 2022 Victory:

The Lionesses Euro 2022 victory, at Wembley, undeniably accelerated the growth of Women’s football: bringing in large amount of new fans, funds and media attention.

Sunday 31st July 2023, marked a historic moment for the football in England. The victory not only made history but also signified the mark for ground-breaking change for girls across all levels of sports.

The triumph on home soil led to an unprecedented surge in media coverage, increased attendances and inspired young children across the country.

A record-breaking crowd of 87,192 fans filled the stands of Wembley setting the highest attendance for any European Championship match, men or women’s.

This highlights the tournament’s momentum in allowing the expansion of the sport across the country.

The Club vs International Divide:

While the Euro 2022 triumph undeniably boosted Women's Football; attendance patterns reveal a more complex picture of its growth.

Less than two years later, in February 2024, Arsenal Women faced Manchester United Women, drawing in a record breaking crowd of 60,160 to the Emirates stadium.

While this seemed like a drastic increase, compared to previous seasons, attendance figures have since declined.

Surprisingly, the highest-attended Women’s Football match, in a domestic league, wasn’t a Women’s Super League (WSL) match.

Back in 2019, Atlético Madrid Women and Barcelona Women fixture at the Metropolitano Stadium drawing in an incredible 60,739 fans.

Ultimately the fact that this fixture took place, three years before the Lionesses victory highlights that the interest in Women’s football has always been present, even ahead of the 2022 Euro’s.

Was the sudden increase in popularity for Women’s Football in England a lasting shift or was it merely a temporary trend?

A striking comparison between WSL fixtures and Lionesses matches emphasises the disparity between club and international football.

In the most recent WSL match week, total attendances across all fixtures reached 72,237 fans, while this is a significant amount compared to other seasons, it is still lower than a single England game.

This match week of the WSL also included the North London Derby held at the Emirates, which attracted 56,784 fans, yet this remains as an outlier due to Arsenal’s average attendance of 32,214.

Contrastingly to the attendances across the WSL, the Lionesses last home match at Wembley, in November, saw a crowd of 78,346- exceeding the combined attendance of all twelve WSL teams in a single match week.

This poses us the question of: Why, when most people say they support their club before their country, does the England national team consistently attract more fans than WSL matches?

One pivotal factor, is the fame and influence of the players who make the England National team, the Lionesses.

Across the country name such as Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Mary Earps, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone are widely known and recognised; Compared to the lack of visibility for the many talented players in the WSL.

Familiarity is a driving factor for fan engagement. Many young supporters see the European Champions as heroes and role models, naturally attracting them to attend these international fixtures.

While club football continues to grow within modern society, closing the bridge between the WSL and Lionesses attendance remains a key challenge to keep the short term success on the path to becoming a long term movement.

Where was the game in England before 2022?

While the Lionesses victory at Euro 2022 was a huge catalyst for the growth of Women’s Football in England, the sport had already been rapidly growing on a global scale.

The turning point for Women’s Football was already in motion years before the tournament.

The foundations are deeply rooted in history, as the birth of Women’s Football in England was created in 1881 with the first ever recorded Women’s Football match.

Just 39 years later, the Dick Kerr Ladies, one of the most famous and historic women’s football teams, attracted 53,000 fans to Goodison Park in 1920, with thousands more unable to enter the stadium.

In contrast, in a modern day WSL match, Everton Women faced Chelsea Women at the same stadium however only attracted 2,109 fans.

In the early 1920s, the general public saw football as a symbol of progress, Women’s Football was breaking down gender barriers while maintaining a respectable image.

The sport’s growing popularity and increasing demand reflected the wider societal shift towards the role of women.

However, the Football Association (FA) saw the rise in enthusiasm as a threat to the Men’s professional leagues, which were struggling financially after the war.

Male officials and clubs dismissed the Women’s game as a novelty rather than a serious professional sport, reinforcing outdated gender stereotypes that football was ‘too strenuous’ for women.

In 1921, Women’s Football was officially banned by the FA prohibiting matches from being played on FA affiliated pitches due to it being ‘unsuitable for females’.

This decision stalled the growth of the game, forcing it into a period of unofficial, poorly supported competitions for the next 50 years.

Despite the ban being lifted in 1971, the recovery was slow due to the lack of funding, recognition and structural support.

However, through decades of resilience and grassroots efforts, Women’s football gradually grew once again eventually leading to the establishment of leagues and international tournaments.

The ban caused many setbacks but the resilience of players and fans kept the sport alive, allowing a path to be paved for the professional leagues we see today.

The global rise of Women’s Football:

One year prior to the FA lifting the ban on Women’s Football, the first unofficial Women’s World Cup was held in Italy in 1970, followed by another in Mexico in 1971.

The final attracted 110,000 fans, 22,808 more than the Euro 2022 final, demonstrating the strong demand for Women’s Football even in its early days without media coverage and global recognition.

In 1980, FIFA officially recognised Women’s Football, marking a turning point for the sport.

Eleven years later, the First ever FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in China in 1991, a crucial milestone in the global expansion of the game.

The USA emerged victorious and soon became a catalyst for the development of Women’s Football in North America.

While the 1991 tournament wasn’t globally broadcasted, it proved that the worldwide appeal for the game already existed.

The inclusion of Women’s football in the Olympics in 1996, boosted its credibility and visibility on an even wider global scale.

Eight years later, after their first triumph, the USA hosted the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

This marked a landmark moment for the turning point of the game as it featured sell-out stadiums and record-breaking TV viewership.

The event solidified corporate sponsorship, media interest and mainstream recognition of Women’s Football as the USA became tournament winners once again.

The rise of professional club football:

While these international tournaments marked a crucial role in the growth of Women’s Football, the rise of professional club football played an even more significant role in developing the sport, increasing fan engagement and increasing the visibility worldwide.

In 2011, the WSL launched as a semi professional league, it eventually becoming fully

professional in 2018.

Just two years later the NWSL was founded in the USA, replacing the previous failed leagues and bringing stability to Women’s Club Football.

European teams soon followed with greater investment, leading to pivotal moments which increased the sponsorship and tv deals, further expanding the sport’s reach.

These developments allowed for the standard of the competition to be raised, allowing players to become fully professional and many clubs to attract global talent.

The Catalyst: 2019 Women’s World Cup

Beyond the 2022 Euro’s, the most historic tournament globally for Women’s Football was the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup which allowed for a huge momentum to drive the impact on improving club football.

This moment, in Women’s Football allowed for an accelerated growth in terms of investment, attendance and cultural impact.

While it may just have been seen as a football tournament to many- it was the start of the global movement for modern equality and opportunities within Women’s Football.

The tournament attracted over 1.12 billion viewers globally with attendance records being broken, as an average of 21,756 fans packed into stadiums across France.

The tournament also saw the rise of female athletes as icons and activists of equality.

As the players used their platforms to speak out about equal pay, facilities and respect for the game, they forced pressure onto federations and clubs to invest into the sport.

This shift transformed women’s football from just a sport into a movement of female

empowerment, setting the stage for the game’s continued expansion and success.

While Women’s Football has seen a rise in popularity over the past three years, it is not just a sudden trend: It is a result of decades of resilience, talent and unwavering support. The Lionesses have played a pivotal role in accelerating the growth further and bringing the sport into the media’s spotlight, but the foundations were already in place. Ultimately the passion and support from fans has always been there - it was the lack of acknowledgement and investment which forced it to be hidden.