Wembley National Stadium Trust was delighted to be part of a world-record breaking event for women’s football, as part of the largest ever crowd at a domestic fixture at the Women’s FA Cup final held at Wembley Stadium.
Thanks to a donation of tickets from Wembley National Stadium Ltd to be distributed within the local community, WNST was able to invite representatives from Brent sports clubs to join in the celebration of this annual showpiece of women’s football.
The crowd of 77,390 set a new benchmark and represents a remarkable achievement. The growth in the popularity of women’s football at every level over the past few years has been extraordinary and is a great reward for the efforts of a few key individuals at the FA to promote and enhance the women’s game. Clearly, the success of the Lionesses at the Women’s 2022 Euros has had a significant and lasting impact on levels of interest. But what we witnessed yesterday was incredible. The crowd was swelled by parents and children, large groups of boys and girls, as well as several generations of families all coming to watch the game together. The atmosphere inside Wembley was, as ever, electric, witnessing some of the best players in the women’s game today.
Congratulations to Chelsea, who secured their third consecutive Women’s FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United. Both sides were crammed with international players and it is interesting to see the crowd full of seasoned watchers of the game, now drawn to the quality of the product on show.
By getting local people, especially younger players (both male and female) into the Stadium, to see their heroes playing in front of them, we hope they will be inspired to improve their game and to stay involved in the beautiful game.
Locally in Brent, over the years, we have funded a number of successful projects aimed at increasing female participation in football (and other sports) – both through Middlesex FA and directly into local projects. We very much hope to continue doing so in future, to help ensure there is the maximum opportunity for everyone to get involved in grassroots sport, whether as a player, coach, volunteer or supporter.