Arsenal announce 50,000 tickets sold for WSL north London derby
By Ali Rampling
Arsenal have announced that 50,000 tickets have been sold for the WSL north London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The fixture is on course to eclipse the WSL attendance record set at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the 2019/20 campaign, which attracted a crowd of 38,262.
The game could also become the highest attended domestic women's football match in England since the ban on women playing football was lifted in 1971. The current record of 49,094 was set at the 2022 Women's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City.
Should Saturday's fixture attract a crowd of over 53,000, it will become the highest attended women's football club match in English football history, surpassing a century old record set by the legendary Dick, Kerr Ladies. An estimated attendance of 53,000 saw Dick, Kerr Ladies play St. Helens at Goodison Park in 1920.
Saturday's north London derby is one of three WSL fixtures to be played at the Emirates during the 2022/23 season. Arsenal will also host Chelsea and Manchester United at the club's main stadium over the course of the campaign.
The Gunners will also play all three of their Champions League group stage fixtures at the Emirates this term, should they progress past Ajax in their two-legged qualifier. The pair drew 2-2 at Meadow Park on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal and Tottenham both got their 2022/23 seasons off to the perfect start, with the Gunners beating 10-player Brighton 4-0, and Spurs recording a 2-1 victory over Leicester.
The north London rivals met at the Emirates for the penultimate match of the 2021/22 campaign, with a Caitlin Foord brace seeing Arsenal to a 3-0 victory. Spurs had take points off the Gunners for the first time in their history in the reverse fixture earlier in the season thanks to a 1-1 draw at the Hive.