“Attendance FC? That’s your insult? You’re jealous!”

Rachel Major regularly finds herself fending off jibes from rival fans towards Arsenal’s growing attendances. A supporter of 20 years, she has enjoyed a prime seat at the club that is driving the growth of the women’s game.

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Last season, the Gunners averaged 34,000 at Emirates Stadium, almost four times the next highest average attendance set by Chelsea – and better than eight Premier League clubs.

Arsenal’s home crowds accounted for 41% of all supporters at WSL fixtures, a club success story, though one that raises questions about the overall supporter experience as both league and clubs strive to progress.

To investigate, BBC Sport asked fans how the game can keep existing followers engaged, captivate new supporters, and inspire the next generation.

What’s working?

In January 2026, a YouGov study found 28.5 million fans of WSL football globally, split equally by gender with almost half aged 18-34.

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This is notably different from the men’s game, which skews male and older.

“At a men’s game, you feel like you’re just a cog,” says Donna Jones, a season ticket-holder at London City Lionesses. “The game doesn’t care about the fans. In the women’s game, the players and staff want to build a relationship.”

Bankrolled by billionaire majority owner Michele Kang, London City is the only fully independent WSL club and averaged a home crowd of just under 3,000 at League One Bromley’s Copperjax Community Stadium in their top-flight debut.

Their efforts to entice new supporters earned the Best Fan Engagement prize at the 2026 Women’s Football Awards.

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“The club has done a fantastic job at creating an environment that’s not just about the match,” adds Jones. “They have different food options, a T-shirt cannon, foam fingers, player signings, a spin-the-wheel at half-time – there is so much.

“They are really trying to grow the fanbase.”

The family-friendly hallmark of the women’s game has been critical to its growth in England, whose back-to-back victories at the European Championships in 2022 and 2025 ignited an explosion of interest.

Pre-match activities planned for the Wembley fan park before England’s fixture against Spain in April encouraged Mark Jenkins to take his six-year-old daughters to their first professional match.

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“We did a lot of research in terms of what time to turn up and what would be going on – it was a really good atmosphere in the fan park,” he tells BBC Sport. “[My daughters] enjoyed it and the first thing they said was, ‘Can we do it again?’

“Women’s sport is more accessible now. Eventually they will know the players’ names and have posters on the wall just as I had.”

The women’s game has trialled a fan choice pilot over the past two seasons, permitting alcohol to be consumed in the stands.

Adopted by 18 clubs across the WSL and WSL2, it has been well received, with 70% of supporters now in favour of the initiative.

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“It’s absolutely brilliant,” affirms Arsenal season ticket-holder Major. “People are better behaved.

“Before, you had 15 minutes to get in the queue, to buy a drink and then down it before you got in. That can promote irresponsible drinking.”

The head of women’s football at the Football Supporters’ Association, Deborah Dilworth, says this is one of many strategies to enhance the matchday experience.

“The fan choice pilot is something that we’ve supported but this isn’t the only part,” she explains. “You need to look at food. You need to look at people going into the stadium, where they’re walking, how comfortable they feel and how safe they feel.”

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With attendances increasing, there has been a drive to create separate seating areas to accommodate both avid match-goers and casual followers.

“As different seating sections have been distinguished, there has been a drive to make it clear as to where and what each ticket is,” Dilworth explains.

“Home clubs need to have a vibrant section to create an atmosphere but equally there are new fans, neutrals, and families.”

What’s not working?

The biggest complaint from fans is scheduling.

In 2025-26, the WSL replaced the Sunday 18:45 kick-off time with more noon matches, but this also proved unpopular.

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“For an away day it’s horrible,” explains Arsenal fan Major. “You’ve got fans leaving at three o’clock in the morning or you’re going the night before and having to pay for a hotel.”

The revised time also clashes with grassroots football, played widely on a Sunday morning. It is a barrier for the younger generation to attend games.

Regular breaks throughout the season are an issue too. Earlier this year, former England defender Anita Asante suggested extended gaps between league games hamper momentum and rhythm for fans.

Another complaint from supporters is accessibility.

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While Premier League-level grounds like Emirates Stadium and Everton’s Goodison Park are well equipped, smaller venues are less accommodating.

Jones, a wheelchair user, was frustrated by the lack of Blue Badge parking information when trying to attend London City’s away trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

“A lot of the issues I experience are with communication,” she says. “Every club has an accessibility section on their website but for Tottenham it is only for the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, not Brisbane Road [where Tottenham women play].”

Jones told BBC Sport the onus was on her to seek further information via email, to which she received a reply stating Blue Badge parking had sold out. Only after she spoke to Tottenham’s disability co-ordinator did she learn the venue did not have Blue Badge parking as it was in a residential area.

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To compound matters, the wheelchair accessible allocation was on the opposite side of the ground to the away section, leaving Jones isolated.

Tottenham Hotspur told BBC Sport information for the venue is available on the website via the ‘Ask Spurs’ chatbot. However, after an internal investigation, they are making improvements.

Brisbane Road-specific guidance has since been added to their event day accessible parking section on ‘Ask Spurs’, while a matchday-specific guide is in the works.

A spokesperson for the club confirmed: “We’re working on a full Brisbane Road matchday guide for the website for next season to give parity with our Tottenham Hotspur Stadium information.”

Smaller stadiums pose further difficulties given lower quality facilities on offer, larger distances to travel, and more complex journeys to navigate.

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Major, who travels home and away with Arsenal, highlighted unfavorable conditions when visiting West Ham’s Chigwell Construction Stadium, shared with National League club Dagenham & Redbridge.

“There are no seats, so if there’s someone who is less able to stand, if they’re old, if they’re injured, if they’re disabled, it’s not a good experience,” she says.

“The whole stand is not covered. It’s not a problem in the summer, but [in winter] people are out in the rain.”

What next for clubs looking to grow their fanbase?

For most WSL teams, a key strategy to grow their fanbase is to capture the interest of fans already invested in the men’s side.

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Manchester City and Arsenal held parades at the end of 2025-26 to celebrate the successes of their women’s, men’s, and academy sides.

Gunners fan Major highlights the use of “real fans” in promotional campaigns as an example of the club’s ongoing efforts to foster a collective identity.

There are pitfalls to aligning too closely, however, as Reading and Charlton Athletic have previously discovered. In 2024, the Royals were demoted from tier two to tier five after the club fell into financial difficulty, while the Addicks were disbanded entirely in 2007 after the men’s team suffered relegation.

Next season, Charlton will play top-flight football for the first time since that era.

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This means Dilworth at the Football Supporters Association is cautious about clubs simply seeking to “copy and paste from the men’s game.”

“Are there opportunities to do things differently?” she asks. “Everybody’s desperately trying to do the right thing. Innovation is key but not to potentially compromise what people really love about the game.”

Another sticking point with the ‘one club’ approach is the home venue.

“There’s something really powerful in the narrative around a stadium for both men’s and women’s first teams,” says Dilworth.

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However, if beneath that there is still a tone and culture of primacy to the men, that’s when you run into difficulties.

Brighton’s statement answer, erecting Europe’s first purpose-built women’s football stadium, is one solution, but many WSL clubs do not have the space, money, or resources to do likewise.

From next season, Chelsea will play all home WSL fixtures at Stamford Bridge, joining Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Everton in committing to home venues with improved transport links and better facilities.

Tottenham, Manchester United, and Brighton will host marquee fixtures at their main stadiums, though the majority of matches will be at their smaller grounds.

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To engage fans when they are in the stadium or at home, clubs need to refine communication and marketing strategies.

BBC Sport’s 2025 Summer of Sport research revealed social media is the principal way to reach younger audiences, with 35% of 18-24-year-olds using social networks as their primary method of keeping up to date with women’s football.

Social media also ranks highly among 25-34-year-old fans, second only to watching live.

“I’ll go to social media before Google or somewhere else. Everyone is already talking about it,” affirms Major.

WSL fixtures are set to be released on Thursday, 30 July, and with the expanded 14-team format, there is potential to draw more eyes than ever in the 2026-27 season.

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Then there is the Lionesses factor.

The success and visibility of Sarina Wiegman’s side has had a huge impact on fan engagement domestically, with Chloe Kelly’s penalty heroics in last summer’s Euro 2025 final triumph a “watershed moment” for women’s football marketing.

Next summer’s World Cup in Brazil will further bolster excitement, though England must navigate two play-off rounds to guarantee their place.

For now, it is up to the clubs to see if they can rectify existing issues and harness the power of the national team to push growth to the next level.