On March 23, Riley, Adam and I went to a UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal match between Arsenal and Wolfsburg. The match took place at Emirates Stadium, the home venue of the men’s Arsenal Football Club. The Arsenal women’s club generally plays at Meadow Park in Borehamwood but, because of the significance of the match, played in Emirates on this occasion.
At the time that this blog was written, Wolfsburg sit at spot number 1 in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the top division of women’s football in Germany. Meanwhile, Arsenal sit at spot number 2, one point behind Chelsea, in the Women’s Super League, the top division in England. The tournament and the level of competition in which these teams compete set the stage for a classic quarterfinal matchup.
The experience was definitely very unique because every attendee fit into one side of the stadium; this was definitely a positive because it meant that every seat was alongside the length of the pitch and was in the first stand (although some away supporters sat in the second). In this way, it was somewhat similar to an FA Youth Cup match that Riley and I attended in February at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Blackpool. The environment was intriguing because of the vast difference from mens’ Premier League games I had attended. The crowd was dominated by females, especially younger girls, who had an immense passion for Arsenal. This reminds me a lot of the fanbase for the U.S. women’s national team, arguably one of the best fanbases in American sport. Additionally, the Arsenal dinosaur mascot was prevalent in the crowd, and the three of us even got a picture with it.
The match itself turned out to be a good one, although I was erroneously expecting the level to be higher than the NWSL. I’m not sure why, considering the level at which the U.S. women’s national team plays, but I was mistaken in assuming the competition here would be better. Still, the players were clearly top-notch and Wolfsburg started the game out on a 19th minute goal by forward Tabea Wabmuth. This 1-0 score line seemed destined to be the final until Lotte Wubben-Moy tied it in the 89th minute on an assist from American international Tobin Heath. The assist came in the form of a free kick- it appeared to be a shot that was misstruck, but luckily fell right at the feet of her teammate to put away.
Tobin Heath was one of the players we had come to see, as she is a talented superstar for the U.S. team. However, she only came in as a substitute around the 80th minute. This made it even more fitting that she created the goal to equalize the score for Arsenal (who did end up losing out in the second leg). After the game, we attempted to get her autograph but she went the opposite direction from us. Instead, we got a picture with Beth Mead, star English forward/midfielder.
From a sport management perspective, the match is interesting to evaluate because of the circumstances of the match. There was a much smaller crowd than normal for a venue of that size, and it did not seem to attempt to try and sell much advertisement space for the match. It felt more like a family-friendly event despite being one of the highest competitions in women’s football. Regardless, the Champions League flag and anthem played before the match, assisted by the quality of the game made for a good consumer experience. I am very happy I was able to attend and wish I had made it to more women’s football matches while here.
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