Jonas Eidevall hails Arsenal ticket sales after record crowd: 'That's how you run a football club'
By Ali Rampling
Jonas Eidevall has re-emphasised the significance of Arsenal breaking the WSL attendance record through ticket sales alone, as opposed to handing out freebies or offering discounts.
The Gunners ran out 4-0 winners over north London rivals Spurs at the Emirates on Saturday in front of a WSL record crowd of 47,367, with Beth Mead, Rafaelle and Vivianne Miedema on the scoresheet.
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This comfortable eclipsed the previous record of 38,262 set at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the WSL's maiden north London derby in November 2019.
WSL and Champions League matches hosted in clubs' main stadiums have frequently attracted five-figure crowds, but this has often been with the caveat of supporters receiving free or heavily discounted tickets. Ticket prices for the north London derby started at £12 for adults and £6, with a total of 53,757 sold for the fixture.
"I don't want to sound arrogant, but I don't think we should compare attendance figures with giveaway tickets and sold tickets," said Eidevall. "I don't think it's fair when you're doing that comparison.
"If you giveaway tickets, it's something else. When you sell tickets, that's how you run a football club."
The breaking of the attendance record in the second weekend of the WSL builds on the momentum of Euro 2022, where TV viewing figures and crowd sizes hit new heights in the women's game in the UK.
Arsenal committed to a huge push for ticket sales for Saturday's fixture, with the ticket office remaining open into the first half to ensure the club could get as many people through the gates as possible.
"That's not only that the work of the Euros was such a big success, that's the club really investing a lot of time and energy and commitment into that," added Eidevall.
"And I think that is so important, because then we don't leave things to chance and you are really trying to build the game and to increase the revenues and increase the sporting success.
"It's very special. It was a very special moment for all of us. This is what we worked for, being in stages like this, playing in front of crowds like that, so I think it's very special."