World record attendance at the FA Cup final shows the “astounding progress” made in women’s sport in recent years, say campaigners and fans.
A crowd of 77,390 was at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon to watch Chelsea play Manchester United, breaking the world record attendance for a women’s domestic club fixture. it which previously stood at 60,739 for a 2019 match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
Baroness Campbell, FA director of women’s football, said: “To break the world record is a massive statement and a wonderful marker as to where the women’s game has come in this country.
“I’ve said before that we’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got an incredibly long way to go and we know that. But it’s another marker in the sand that the game in this country is now alive and well, flourishing and growing.”
Among the crowd were thousands of children, many of whom were taking in a match for the first time at England’s home of football.
Tickets sold out on 3 May, the first time this has happened since Wembley started hosting the Women’s FA Cup Final in 2015. It beats by a year the FA’s 2024 target for selling out a women’s final. The 77,390 attendance is almost double the 49,000 seen last year.
For campaign groups such as the charity Women in Sport, it is a sign barriers are finally beginning to fall in the struggle for gender equality.
The group said: “The progress is astounding In 1921 women’s football was banned; in 2023, we’re selling out at Wembley.”
Fans also voiced their pride at seeing a packed national stadium. Claire Butler said on Twitter: “Footage of a sold out Wembley is making me a bit emotional. This is a huge vindication for all of us who have fought for the women’s game in various ways over the years.”
Krista Leitane said it was a “huge” moment to see Wembley sold out for the match, adding: “Both teams deserve to be there.”
Prince William was at the match in his capacity as the president of the Football Association. The FA said it was the culmination of years of work to raise the profile of women’s football.
Marzena Bogdanowicz, the FA’s head of marketing for women’s football, told The Guardian the association was “immensely proud” of how far the sport had come.
She said it had been a “team effort across the whole of the FA and also the two finalists, who have showcased the importance of the fixture and the occasion to their fans.”
The Lionesses’ success during the UK-hosted Euro 2022 tournament is seen as a pivotal moment in bringing the game to a bigger audience.
Ms Bogdanowicz said their “incredible achievement” was “a major catalyst in the incredible interest we are currently seeing”.
While the prize fund for the men’s FA Cup stands at £2m, Chelsea Women took home only £100,000 for their 1-0 victory – up from the £25,000 on offer a few years ago.
Sports minister Stuart Andrew said in February that equal prize money would “level the playing field” with the men’s game.
Lewes FC Women, who have been campaigning for equal pay, highlighted the disparity on Sunday.
The team tweeted: “Two sold-out finals at Wembley Stadium. £1.9 million difference in prize money. This weekend the women’s FA Cup winners will receive £100,000, the men’s winners will receive £2,000,000. #EqualFACup.”
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