England women’s first ever match at Wembley Stadium will be played in front of a bigger crowd than their male counterparts’ clash with Norway at the start of September, according to The Observer .
Roy Hodgson’s men were watched by just 40,181 spectators against the Norwegians—the lowest ever international crowd since the national stadium was rebuilt—and the ladies are set to surpass that measly total.
It seems that the desirability of international football in England is getting lower by the match, but while the men’s game may be in a slump, women’s football is very much on the rise.
After England women qualified for the 2015 Women’s World Cup with a 100 per cent record, national pride at optimism is at a high, and The Observer’s report states that ticket sales for the upcoming friendly with Germany were hovering just below the 41,000 mark on Friday.
That figure is only going up, too, and England Women’s striker Natasha Dowie told BBC Sport that she’s looking forward to playing in front of such large numbers:
"Hopefully we can get more, and I'm sure the girls will be bringing a lot of people to the game, but just to be able to play in front of that kind of atmosphere and that number of people the girls are all buzzing and can't wait for that game to come."
The previous best women’s crowd was set way back in 2005, as 29,092 spectators took to the Etihad Stadium for the visit of Finland in the European Championships, and the game has been growing in stature and following since then.
As for the England men, something needs to be done to bring back the lure of watching international football on the hallowed turf of Wembley.
Let’s face it, the nation simply loves club football too much. International breaks are seen as an inconvenience that just get in the way of Saturday afternoons in the terraces.
Admittedly, friendlies against Norway and European Championship qualifiers against part-time footballers doesn’t scream sell-out, but the passionate, patriotic air of England internationals has been lacking for too long.
Hopefully, the men can learn from the women, and realise that Wembley occasions are far more than 90 minutes of trying to stay awake.
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1DGbBoT
via IFTTT November 01, 2014 at 05:33AM
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