[Albion] Brighton Women Final Home Game this season to be staged at the Amex on 28th April

[zeetha]

I know theres a very important match on Saturday, but for those who are interested in the Womens team, their final home game of the season has been moved to the Amex. Their opponents will be Arsenal, who currently lead the Womens Super League, and the match is at 12:15pm on Sunday 28th April.

Tickets can be bought in advance from http://www.seagullstickets.com for £3 for adults and £1 for under-18s and over 65s.

All Amex season ticket holders can claim one free ticket to the match, along with an additional ticket at no extra cost.

In addition, all FAWSL season ticket holders can claim one free ticket to the match, and up to five additional guest tickets.

Free travel to the Amex will be provided by Seagulls Travel for the first 150 people who book (may be expanded depending on demand).

The match will also be shown live on BT Sport. Would be good to have a decent crowd there to support the team and also to put on a good show for TV.

https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/news/2019/april/together-at-the-amex-for-final-fa-wsl-home-match/

UTA!

 

[rippleman]

Great news. That's where their games should be played.

I'm sure that it's purely a coincidence but there was an article / interview with Phil Neville on Beeb website yesterday imploring PL clubs to open up their grounds to allow the women to play there in order to promote the game and attract more players and supporters. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

 

[Easy 10]

Great news. That's where their games should be played.

I'm sure that it's purely a coincidence but there was an article / interview with Phil Neville on Beeb website yesterday imploring PL clubs to open up their grounds to allow the women to play there in order to promote the game and attract more players and supporters. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Nice in terms of the facilities for the players on the day, but it doesn't make much sense in terms of a few hundred people rattling around a 30,000 seater stadium. And what about Man Utd's ladies team - should they be playing in front of a handful of fans at at 75,000 seater stadium ? Obviously only 1 stand, or 1 part of a stand would be open but surely it makes more sense to play it at a local non-league ground, or at the training ground if they get a few more seats put in.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

Women’s football

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Will have a massive hangover after the Newcastle game with its bonus late kick off all day drinking sesh.

So won't be leaving my pit that day.

 

[Giraffe]

Fine to do it now and again, but not sure the pitch could cope with regular use by both teams. Also makes no sense to play the majority of games there with such low crowds. I understand it's a bit chicken and egg but doubt they will get that many more by playing at the AMEX.

 

[TheJasperCo]

I must have been one of the only people in the ground last Saturday intently watching highlights of Albion ladies taking on Yeovil (I think) on the big screen. Not sure where that game was being held but it was deathly quiet and the commentator could barely muster a shout when Brighton scored.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I'll be there. Glad for the team and they deserve our support. Arsenal will have some support too as still in the title race.

 

[hart's shirt]

Women's football has to survive and grow on its own merits. Subsidising it to football fans who follow the men's game is not the way forward.

You need to generate fans of these women's clubs, not target the average football fan who is already deeply ingrained in supporting the men's team.

Instead, focus on women and kids who maybe aren't already lifelong supporters of clubs to try and build fan allegiance.

Until the grounds are full and women actually demonstrate full support, it's a bit rich asking men to fill the void, even with the incentive of free tickets.

Playing women's league football in massive stadiums is not the answer as it simply highlights the lack of interest with thousands of empty seats.

It does nothing to dispel the impression that a professional women's game is unviable unless dependent on the largesse of the men's game.

To put it into context, if you have a band playing live who can pull in 358 people (attendance of Albion Women v Birmingham Ladies on 20th Feb 2019 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47221296), booking a venue for 30,000 would kill the atmosphere completely.

It's the same with this.

Until women start watching women’s football week-in, week-out, not just taking in the odd England game or cup final, the attendances are not going to rise by any significant margin, regardless of where the games are played.

 

[Official Old Man]

I'm waiting for the Upper West to open.




Well someone had to say it!

 

[Milano]

Newcastle will finish at 19.30, women’s match at 12.15, just leave the bars open, guaranteed 10k still there by KO.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Women’s football

I was defenestrated for a similar comment on here 15 years ago

 

[Me and my Monkey]

Women's football has to survive and grow on its own merits. Subsidising it to football fans who follow the men's game is not the way forward.

You need to generate fans of these women's clubs, not target the average football fan who is already deeply ingrained in supporting the men's team.

Instead, focus on women and kids who maybe aren't already lifelong supporters of clubs to try and build fan allegiance.

Until the grounds are full and women actually demonstrate full support, it's a bit rich asking men to fill the void, even with the incentive of free tickets.

Playing women's league football in massive stadiums is not the answer as it simply highlights the lack of interest with thousands of empty seats.

It does nothing to dispel the impression that a professional women's game is unviable unless dependent on the largesse of the men's game.

To put it into context, if you have a band playing live who can pull in 358 people (attendance of Albion Women v Birmingham Ladies on 20th Feb 2019 https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47221296), booking a venue for 30,000 would kill the atmosphere completely.

It's the same with this.

Until women start watching women’s football week-in, week-out, not just taking in the odd England game or cup final, the attendances are not going to rise by any significant margin, regardless of where the games are played.

I might go. I’d ask my husband to come along too, but he might be doing some rather more manly things, such as watching MEN’S football, down the PUB, with his BLOKEY mates. Perhaps I can borrow someone’s children to take with me, and we can sit in awe and gratitude as we wonder at the magnanimity of the club allowing the Albion to play at the testosterone temple that is the Amex.

In reality, I think you’ve overanalysed things, and you’re talking out of your arse. My husband and I frequently traipse over to Crawley to watch the women’s team, it’s a different game from the men’s, but refreshing and entertaining, and my husband is as enthusiastic as I am to go and watch. It’s a treat that the last game of the season will be played at the Amex, and the club aren’t so thick that they imagine offering incentives will make it a sell out, any more than the (men’s) U23s tomorrow will be. Your thinly disguised mysogyny is quite depressing.

 

[father_and_son]

I might go. I’d ask my husband to come along too, but he might be doing some rather more manly things, such as watching MEN’S football, down the PUB, with his BLOKEY mates. Perhaps I can borrow someone’s children to take with me, and we can sit in awe and gratitude as we wonder at the magnanimity of the club allowing the Albion to play at the testosterone temple that is the Amex.

In reality, I think you’ve overanalysed things, and you’re talking out of your arse. My husband and I frequently traipse over to Crawley to watch the women’s team, it’s a different game from the men’s, but refreshing and entertaining, and my husband is as enthusiastic as I am to go and watch. It’s a treat that the last game of the season will be played at the Amex, and the club aren’t so thick that they imagine offering incentives will make it a sell out, any more than the (men’s) U23s tomorrow will be. Your thinly disguised mysogyny is quite depressing.

Excellent response. Well said.

I would have just gone "Dick!" But your response was far more entertaining.

 

[Me and my Monkey]

Excellent response. Well said.

I would have just gone "Dick!" But your response was far more entertaining.

Thank you.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

I was defenestrated for a similar comment on here 15 years ago

Oh well.

I love football, womens football however holds no interest for me.
Same as womens rugby and womens boxing, love both sports but FFS....they are MENS sports.
And womens cricket.

Stick to netball girls

 

[Easy 10]

I might go. I’d ask my husband to come along too, but he might be doing some rather more manly things, such as watching MEN’S football, down the PUB, with his BLOKEY mates. Perhaps I can borrow someone’s children to take with me, and we can sit in awe and gratitude as we wonder at the magnanimity of the club allowing the Albion to play at the testosterone temple that is the Amex.

In reality, I think you’ve overanalysed things, and you’re talking out of your arse. My husband and I frequently traipse over to Crawley to watch the women’s team, it’s a different game from the men’s, but refreshing and entertaining, and my husband is as enthusiastic as I am to go and watch. It’s a treat that the last game of the season will be played at the Amex, and the club aren’t so thick that they imagine offering incentives will make it a sell out, any more than the (men’s) U23s tomorrow will be. Your thinly disguised mysogyny is quite depressing.

Actually I think [MENTION=325]hart's shirt[/MENTION] made some valid points, backed up with some relevant stats on attendances. Its not misogyny, its realism. There really is no need to stage an event that will attract numbers in their hundreds to a 30,000 capacity venue. And if your husband chose to watch mens football down the pub instead, then wouldn't be because he's trying to be "manly with his blokey mates" - it'd be because he's not really very interested in womens football, or at least he's more interested in whatever game is on TV at the same time. Which would hardly be an unreasonable position.

I don't begrudge the womens team playing their last game of the season at the Amex. They'll enjoy the pitch and facilities I guess. But playing in an almost empty 30,000 seater stadium really doesn't make much sense, does it.

 

[hart's shirt]

I might go. I’d ask my husband to come along too, but he might be doing some rather more manly things, such as watching MEN’S football, down the PUB, with his BLOKEY mates. Perhaps I can borrow someone’s children to take with me, and we can sit in awe and gratitude as we wonder at the magnanimity of the club allowing the Albion to play at the testosterone temple that is the Amex.

In reality, I think you’ve overanalysed things, and you’re talking out of your arse. My husband and I frequently traipse over to Crawley to watch the women’s team, it’s a different game from the men’s, but refreshing and entertaining, and my husband is as enthusiastic as I am to go and watch. It’s a treat that the last game of the season will be played at the Amex, and the club aren’t so thick that they imagine offering incentives will make it a sell out, any more than the (men’s) U23s tomorrow will be. Your thinly disguised mysogyny is quite depressing.

Respectfully, you've failed to address what I've argued here either about organically growing attendances at women's games, or the suitability of a stadium with a capacity over 83 times larger than the last home attendance.

If you think I'm being deliberately selective choosing a midweek game, the last Sunday home game (v Everton, Sun 13th January 2019) had 454 at the game. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46772730#tab-0

As someone who’s both coached and sponsored a women’s team for 4 years over here in DWFA (Dubai Women’s Football Association) with ladies ranging in ages from 14-52, it’s fair to say that I’ve done my bit with growing the women’s game, if only in a relatively small sense. I’m aware this revelation may not quite fit a ‘misogynist’ narrative, but it’s probably worth disclosing at this juncture.

It’s a shame that objective criticism is often viewed as vitriol. Most supporters of the beautiful game would probably love to see women's football succeed. To succeed properly though it needs to do what football, rugby union and league and all other sports did to get to where they are, and that's to grow from the bottom up. Money, attention and success follow popularity not the other way round.

It will be very interesting to see what effect that the recently-announced 3 year, £10m sponsorship of the WSL by Barclays will have. With WSL Yeovil going into administration due to financial difficulties in the last week and currently sitting on a points total of -3, it probably can’t come too soon. They follow on the heels of Notts County Ladies who folded on the eve of the Spring Series in 2017, just two days before their first scheduled match of that campaign. Last summer, Sunderland dropped down two divisions, from the WSL to the Women's National League North, after they were unsuccessful in their bid for a licence to play in one of the top two divisions. Sheffield FC and last season's second-tier winners Doncaster Rovers Belles both withdrew from the Championship last summer for financial reasons.

Even one of the best side in the women’s domestic game, Manchester City, haven't made it financially sustainable without support:
“Since integration with the men's team and a subsequent relaunch in 2014, City have come a long way, but in order to get this far, a loss of almost £1.5m has been incurred.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/manchester-united-womens-super-league-city-arsenal-liverpool-everton-a8270911.html

The reality is that a large percentage of supporters of football clubs across the country currently have no interest in watching their women's team. The gate figures consistently bear this out. They also have no interest in watching the youth team, reserves, or age group teams: again, the gate figures bear this out. Just because you put the women's team in the same kit doesn't mean that everyone will jump on the bandwagon. That’s why it’s important to grow the attendances away from the usual traditionally male fanbase. Similar to netball which has greatly increased its public visibility since the Commonwealth Games, the natural fanbase of women’s football are girls in schools. Reach out to them and the rest will follow.

Women's football has to survive and grow on its own merits. Subsidizing it and force-feeding it down football fans who only follow the men's game is not the way forward. Playing women's football regularly in massive stadiums is not the answer - it will simply highlight the lack of substance to the commerciality of the sport. Until women en masse choose to support women's football it will struggle.

And no amount of comments blaming men or perceived misogyny will change reality.

 

[hart's shirt]

I would have just gone "Dick!" But your response was far more entertaining.

Rather than resorting to lazy, throwaway insults, perhaps you'd like to counter the points raised and debate in an orderly manner?

 

[father_and_son]

Rather than resorting to lazy, throwaway insults, perhaps you'd like to counter the points raised and debate in an orderly manner?

Your erroneous assumption than the men's game is watched only by men and the women's game is of lesser value because it is watched by women and children makes you a dick. If you don't see why, then I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain it to you.

As for deleting the previous comment? F**k off, dick!