Should women’s football teams be building their own stadiums?
Amid booming attendances and ahead of the Women’s FA Cup final, Becky Stormer of CBRE examines the case for women’s football teams to get their own new-build stadiums.
31 July 2022 was a pivotal day for women’s football. Since that time, with England’s historic victory over Germany in the Euros, interest, investment, participation and attendance at women’s football has grown significantly.
Average attendance at Women’s Super League matches has increased from less than 2,000 in the season prior to the Euros, to 7,500 in the 2023-24 season. The fourfold increase could have been higher, but many women’s games are played at smaller stadiums. Still, such has been the increase in demand, that many women’s teams are growing out of their small stadium spaces.
Take Arsenal Women, for example – they traditionally played home games at Meadow Park (shared with Borehamwood FC), which has a capacity of under 5,000. But in the post-Euro euphoria, Arsenal Women tested demand, playing some games at the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium.
One such match, in September 2022, played against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, achieved a new WSL attendance record of 47,367. In the season just gone, Arsenal Women are playing all their home league games at the Emirates.
While this means more fans can go along, sharing a stadium with the men’s team brings with it challenges.
Arsenal Women were due to play Bayern Munich in the Champions League in December at the Emirates and had sold a significant number of tickets. But when the Carabao Cup quarter-final draw took place, it meant Arsenal’s men were scheduled to host their game at home on the same day.
The women’s fixture was subsequently moved to Meadow Park. Not only is this a setback for the thousands of ticket holders who needed to reapply, but for Arsenal Women who have been pioneers in attracting more fans, it is a shame to be thwarted in their quest.
So, is the option for Arsenal Women to have their own stadium? If only building a new venue was that simple a solution.
Challenges of building new football stadiums
Finding suitable land is a huge challenge, particularly when it needs to be large enough to accommodate not only the stadium but also its associated facilities like parking and transport links.
Urban locations are typically preferred, not least for their accessibility, but acquiring urban land comes with higher costs. And building a stadium certainly isn’t cheap. A 50,000-seater stadium can cost up to £1bn for a brand new, ground-up development.
Moreover, the upfront costs of a new stadium are substantial, and the construction industry is experiencing increasing costs for materials and labour, which can significantly inflate the bill.
It is estimated that the cost of building Everton’s new stadium is upwards of £750m. It also takes time; the design alone can take two years, with three to four years of actual construction.
To ensure the commercial viability of any stadium development requires a creative approach to revenue streams. For example, a new stadium would likely need to be multi-purpose rather than just built for sport.
Many stadiums across the UK have already adapted; Tottenham’s stadium has hosted concerts for the likes of Beyonce, and the Allianz Stadium (formerly Twickenham) is frequently used for corporate events.
Being able to accommodate more than just sport not only increases revenue, but it also ensures the stadium can be used all year round and not just during a specific sports season.
What a women’s football stadium would need
What then would a versatile stadium need? Attracting a wider audience means ensuring inclusivity, whether that is through ensuring the correct provision of facilities to suit a different demographic, or considering the different purchasing habits of a more diverse group of fans. There is a huge opportunity for innovation and no need to follow the traditional men’s stadium approach.
The benefits of building a new stadium would go far beyond accommodating more fans and hosting a wider range of events. Stadiums can boost local economies through job creation and attracting visitors.
It is estimated that the development of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has created 1,700 jobs on site and a further 980 jobs locally, and will pump £293m into the local economy each year.
New stadiums can also contribute to the wider regeneration of an area through investment into local transport infrastructure and improving public realm.
And they can be designed with their environmental impact in mind, utilising energy efficient systems, renewable energy sources and sustainable materials.
The Women’s FA Cup final today between Chelsea and Manchester United will be a further demonstration of the growth of the women’s game that we’ve witnessed over recent years, as fans flock to Wembley Stadium to see the two giants of the game compete for the domestic trophy.
This week Everton announced they are repurposing Goodison Park to become the home of their women’s team, while Brighton have already pushed the button and will be the first team in the Women’s Super League with a dedicated new-build stadium.
So, where they lead, will others follow?
Becky Stormer is Head of UK Sports Sector at CBRE.