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Arnold Clark Cup: Are low crowds a concern before home Euros?
The inaugural Arnold Clark Cup tournament was a success for the hosts on the pitch – but were low attendances a cause of concern for England before July’s European Championship?
Despite the fact all four competing nations were ranked inside the world’s top 10 – and Spain fielded Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas – the six matches attracted an average crowd of just 6,300.
That figure is skewed somewhat too – England were the only nation who had a crowd of more than 1,000 at all of their games.
The Lionesses were well supported. In their opening game against Canada in Middlesbrough – during Storm Eunice – they had more than 8,700 in attendance, while the draw with Spain attracted 14,284 to Carrow Road.
England’s historic win over Germany on home soil also attracted 13,463 but the matches between the other three nations were barely watched. Was this a sign of things to come?
Why were crowds so low?
There were just 249 fans at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium last Thursday for the tournament’s opening game, as Germany drew 1-1 with Spain.
Mitigating circumstances played a part – the weather was horrible, there was disruption to public transport and tickets were sold separately despite England’s match with Canada kicking off five hours later.
It is understood plans to sell tickets as part of a double-header was always intended but Covid restrictions, including cleaning areas and shared changing rooms, meant it was not feasible.
And despite two-time world champions Germany being in town, alongside a Spain side that named nine Champions League winners in their starting XI, it was a disappointing turnout.
Germany midfielder Lina Magull said after the game: “We had hoped for a greater audience, especially in such a nice stadium. It would’ve felt much better.
“I hope [against Canada] people have more time on their hands and cheer us like they did the home team.”
| Attendances at Arnold Clark Cup matches | ||
|---|---|---|
| Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough) | Carrow Road (Norwich) | Molineux (Wolverhampton) |
| Germany 1-1 Spain – 249 | England 0-0 Spain – 14,284 | Spain 1-0 Canada – 877 |
| England 1-1 Canada – 8,769 | Canada 1-0 Germany – 119 | England 3-1 Germany – 13,463 |
By the time England played Olympic champions Canada at 19:30 GMT, more than 8,000 fans had arrived at the Riverside Stadium – a venue which attracted what was then a record domestic crowd for a Lionesses’ match away from Wembley on their last visit in 2019.
There was a great atmosphere when England defender Millie Bright scored in the first half, and it remained following Canada’s equaliser as the hosts pushed for a winner.
But Canada head coach Bev Priestman, who was assistant manager under former England boss Phil Neville, had hoped for a larger crowd.
“I expected more fans to turn out from the games I’ve had before in England. But the atmosphere was really, really good,” she added.
‘I think at the Euros, there will be crowds’
England manager Sarina Wiegman has spoken of the importance in attracting fans to the Euros.
Despite low crowds at the Arnold Clark Cup, Wiegman is confident the hype will increase as the big summer tournament approaches.
“I think at the Euros, there will be crowds. That’s the big event that everyone is looking forward to,” she said before England’s victory over Germany, which ensured they won the four-team tournament.
"This tournament is so competitive but I'm not sure if it's the weather, or the timings, and maybe coming out of Covid didn't help.I hope we at least make people enthusiastic about the games, because the level is really high."
Uefa said in November the record overall attendance for a Euros – currently 240,000 fans in the Netherlands in 2017 – is set to be eclipsed this summer.
More than 268,000 tickets had been requested from 118 countries in the latest public ballot, which followed a total of 162,000 tickets being reserved during a pre-sale period.
Canada’s Priestman believes the Lionesses will have a big following at the Euros.
Almost every England game is expected to be sold out, including their opening match at Old Trafford on 6 July.
“You would say the games that have been on have been a great advert for the women’s game and if there were fans there, you’d think they would inspire a whole group of players to go on and do well,” Priestman said after their defeat by Spain.
“Speaking openly and honestly, I thought there would be more fans at this tournament, for sure. But when the Euros come this summer, I can imagine they will come out and do their best to support the team that’s playing at home.”
Original article published 24.02.2022 on the BBC Sport website
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