WSL derby weekend is here but glut of games could have diluting effect | OneFootball

Derby weekend has arrived in the Women’s Super League and WSL2. Not one, not two, but six local rivalries will be reignited as the divisions try to capitalise on the men’s international break.

Is it clever to schedule so many of these clashes on the same weekend though, and especially staging three top-flight ones on the same afternoon? Everton host Liverpool, Manchester United welcome Manchester City and Arsenal entertain Tottenham on Saturday, all within the space of six hours. The answer will probably lie in the attendances.

Some of the initial numbers filtering through are encouraging. More than 45,000 tickets have been sold for the north London showdown at the Emirates, including about 500 for away supporters, while there could be one of the highest second-tier attendances of the campaign with more than 10,000 fans expected at the Stadium of Light for Sunderland’s game against Newcastle on Sunday, including 1,700 travelling supporters.

It is anticipated that there could comfortably be more than 100,000 spectators across the 12 games in the top two divisions this weekend, but there remains an argument that staggering these derbies across the season may draw a greater cumulative focus.

Buildup to the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, for example, has felt somewhat low profile this time because there is a natural focus on the Manchester derby at Old Trafford given City are closing in on the title. In any normal weekend of the season, Everton v Liverpool should be the standout fixture of the round. Instead, it is only the third most interesting game on Saturday alone.

Part of that problem stems from the fact there is still comparatively little media coverage of the women’s game, and there are still relatively few reporters covering the WSL on a full-time basis. A big priority for growing the league is in the broadcasting market and Saturday has understandably been seen as a prime opportunity for the WSL to dominate the live-football running order with three top games.

Then there is the European calendar to consider. Manchester United fans will probably not thank the WSL’s scheduling department for pitting them against the league leaders in between the first and second legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, who have the comparatively kinder task of facing Nürnberg, 11th in the Frauen Bundesliga, on Saturday.

Asked about that timing, United’s head coach, Marc Skinner, said it gives City, who are not playing in Europe this season, a “massive advantage”, but he played down the impact, saying: “We’re used to fighting it now. Also, when you’re in a run of games you are more game-ready than teams that have to wait a whole week, and we’ve got to maximise that against City.”

It must also be remembered where the WSL is in its growth timeline, how dependent on stadium availability the league remains, and how dependent it is on pleasing much-needed broadcast partners, who are providing precious oxygen to a sport that was for so long starved of it. It is why the opening weekend of the season is now timed to coincide with the September men’s international window. Arguing against that strategy is difficult.

As for the matches themselves, the league standings suggest the whole weekend could offer close-fought affairs, not least with the top two going head-to-head at Old Trafford. It is fourth versus fifth at the Emirates Stadium and the visitors arrive with their head coach, Martin Ho, having signed a new long-term contract. “I want to thank the club for the trust and belief they’ve shown in me,” he said. “We want to be a team that plays with intensity, clarity and personality, and an environment where people are developed, supported and accountable. There has been progress, but we know there is much more to come.”

The hosts have also been buoyed up, by the news that Kim Little, their Champions League-winning captain, has signed a new one-year contract. Undeniably an Arsenal great, the 35-year-old midfielder has scored 177 goals in 405 appearances across two spells with the club and there will no doubt be a celebratory tone when her name is read out before kick-off on Saturday.

Additionally this weekend there is a WSL encounter between West Ham and London City in Dagenham and also the possibility of seeing the WSL2 leaders, Charlton, celebrate a guaranteed top-two finish and subsequent promotion to the top tier (subject to approval) if they beat third-placed Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. One way or another, this weekend promises to be one of the most exciting in the women’s football calendar.

Header image: [Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]