Arsenal to play all their WSL fixtures at the Emirates Stadium next season
Scarves with faces of Arsenal Women players being sold outside the Emirates Stadium before the visit of Tottenham in February.
Scarves with faces of Arsenal Women players being sold outside the Emirates Stadium before the visit of Tottenham in February. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA
Arsenal have announced that all of the club's Women's Super League matches will be played at the Emirates Stadium next season.
The Champions League winners embarked on a long-term strategy that has seen them steadily increase their league presence at the main stadium with three games played at the Emirates in the 2022-23 season, six played there in the 2023-24 season and nine taking place at the ground last season. The campaign ended with 13 games being played at the Emirates in total, with two Champions League group games and two knockout games also hosted there.
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'I'm so proud of the journey we've been on with our supporters this season,' said manager Renée Slegers. 'For us this is just the beginning, and bringing every WSL match to the Emirates is another step for more supporters to be part of this special journey. We'll come back next season with fire in our hearts, more determined, more ambitious, and more together than ever'. Despite their European success, Arsenal fell short in the league, finishing 12 points behind champions Chelsea.
The Arsenal Women Supporters' Club said in statement: 'We are delighted to hear that all WSL home games will be played at Emirates Stadium next season. This allows more people than ever to experience a WSL matchday and help Arsenal to build on the success we achieved in Lisbon.'
Arsenal hold the top-four record attendances in the WSL, with the record most recently broken last February when 60,160 people attended a league game against Manchester United.
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Alongside the announcement of the move to host all WSL games at the Emirates comes the introduction of a new season ticket for the women's team to allow fans to have a reserved seat in the ground for the first time. They, alongside six-game bundles, go on sale on 4 July.
'It's the start of another chapter in the story of our women's team just two weeks on from us lifting the Champions League trophy with our community here in Islington,' said Arsenal's managing director, Richard Garlick. 'We keep moving forward together, and we'll continue to fuel and inspire each other.'
Director of women's football, Clare Wheatley, added: 'Our players and staff know what it means to walk out in front of a packed Emirates Stadium. It brings a sense of pride and belonging to all of us. It fuels a relentless drive to win and is a crucial part of how we create the best conditions for our women's team to succeed.'
Having struggled to fill the Emirates for midweek Champions League group games, and following consultation with fans, Arsenal will play their Champions League group matches next season at Meadow Park, with knockout fixtures to be played at the Emirates should the holders progress. Meadow Park will also still host FA Cup and League Cup fixtures.
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