On the opening night of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season, a new era will begin with the end of a custom that for so long was seen as one of the many attractions of the women’s game.
Through its formative years and into the professional era, it was seen as a selling point of the WSL that matchgoing supporters felt as if they had a “closer” relationship with the players than in the men’s game, which seemed to be heading in the other directions as the rise of transfer fees and salaries further added to the sense of detachment between the pitch and the stands.
Women’s football felt more open: even the biggest names in the league, like the England internationals, seemed more authentic, as evidenced by the regular sight of playing giving time back to their supporters at the end of matches, acknowledging their presence by stopping to take pictures by the side of the pitch and signing autographs.
It is a practice that will continue at some of this weekend’s games – but not at Chelsea. The champions announced in a notice to supporters last month it was no longer “safe or sustainable” for players to sign autographs or take selfies with fans “in an uncontrolled way” after matches at Kingsmeadow. Instead, the club said that they would hold “organised opportunities” away from match day.
Of course, such a move reflects positive change, that the WSL and women’s football at the top level in England is growing to the point that players can no longer accommodate the requests of every fan at full time. Rising attendances render it impossible anyway, particularly when games are played at the club’s main stadium: Arsenal, for example, have largely left those days behind them as a virtue of committing to playing at least 11 matches at the Emirates this season. And their average attendance last season was over 35,000 – above that of half the Premier League.
But, at the same time, there may be a sense that something has been lost when Chelsea host Aston Villa on Friday night in the WSL season opener at Kingsmeadow. It was only three years ago that the former Chelsea midfielder Melanie Leupolz said in an interview with Versus: “We love to sign autographs and take pictures with [fans], we are a lot closer to them because of that … Right now, with the size of the women’s game it’s something that we can still do. I hope that doesn’t ever really go away, to be honest.” And yet, an aspect that may have attracted many to the game is no more.
The shift also comes ahead of a landmark season for the WSL, and the first under Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) since it took ownership from the FA. As an independent company, WPLL has set its sights on transforming the WSL and the Women’s Championship. Though, as WPLL styles itself as a “startup”, much of the focus in the early stages of its ownership will be on attracting investment and driving revenue across the league. The first TV deal the WPLL signs, which is likely to come this year ahead of the end of the current agreement between Sky Sports and the BBC, will be a significant marker.
When the rights go to auction, they will do so during another historic point for the WSL: the 2024-25 season will be the first where all 12 teams are also Premier League clubs, following the promotion of Crystal Palace and the relegation of Bristol City, who went in the same direction as Reading, and before them Birmingham City, Yeovil and Sunderland.
If that suggests the WSL is becoming a closed shop for those clubs benefitting from Premier League money, the London City Lionesses and the millions of new owner Michele Kang – who also owns European heavyweight Lyon and the Washington Spirit in the USA – are betting on changing that in the Championship.
On the pitch, another seismic change comes on the touchline at the champions, as Sonia Bompastor replaces Emma Hayes. Bompastor is charged with continuing Chelsea’s unprecedented dominance, Hayes having won a fifth title in a row before departing for the United States, where she duly led her new team to Olympic gold in the summer.
Those are big shoes to fill, especially when the chasing pack is getting closer and closer. Manchester City missed out on the title due to goal difference last season, while Arsenal lead the WSL in terms of attendances by some margin but have to be more competitive over the season to take the title race all the way. Arsenal and City’s opening clash at the Emirates on Sunday should be illustrative of who can lead the challenge.
Led by its chief executive Nikki Doucet, the new WPLL ownership will be watching and weighing up the decisions that could take the WSL to another level. And, like at Chelsea, the question is whether they decide to leave one era behind in order to embark on another.