Arsenal and Tottenham’s clash at the Emirates Stadium this weekend is set to break the Women’s Super League attendance record.
The North London Derby isn’t the only WSL game to draw huge crowds, however, with games across the women’s ties seeing a surge in ticket sales after a successful summer for the Lionesses.
More than 50,000 people are expected to be there to watch European champions Leah Williams and Beth Mead in Saturday’s derby – which you can follow with live commentary on talkSPORT.
The game is expected to break the previous record set in the reverse game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, which drew a crowd of 38,262.
The WSL season is just one game away after the opening weekend was delayed due to the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But although there wasn’t much to do in Saturday’s game other than bragging rights, tickets were sold out in no time, England Women’s Euro victory 2022 causing an increased appetite for women’s football.
Arsenal’s home women’s ground, National League Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park, has a capacity of 4,500 and season tickets sold out in early August.
This weekend’s game will see the Gunners play in front of more than ten times their usual home crowd.
“You can really feel the excitement around the game right now, so it’s amazing to see that translate into record attendance,” said Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall.
“Now it’s up to us to reward that enthusiasm with a great performance in this crucial clash for our supporters.”
Arsenal are set to play two more games at the Emirates and use the stadium for their Champions League group stage fixtures if they beat Ajax in their final qualifier.
Tottenham’s fan base has also seen a surge in numbers this quarter, with their subscriptions to Leyton Orient’s new home ground, Brisbane Road, also sold out this week.
Arsenal aren’t the only women’s side to play in their club’s men’s stadiums either, with women’s football teams using the large grounds for a few of their matches.
WSL champions Chelsea were due to play at Stamford Bridge on the opening day against London rivals West Ham in front of a bumper crowd, although that match was postponed due to the death of the late Queen.
If this weekend’s attendance broke the WSL record, it would add to the growing list of achievements for women’s football this year, along with the crowds in England’s win over Germany at Wembley of 87,192 breaking the record for any European Championship game.
Tune in to talkSPORT for LIVE commentary of Arsenal v Tottenham in the Women’s Super League, Saturday 24 September, kick off: 1.30pm