And it begins: the 2024-25 attendance wars.
Chelsea Women began the Sonia Bompastor era (European edition) on Tuesday night with a positive, albeit ultimately nervy, 3-2 Champions League group stage win against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge, with their goals arriving from Sjoeke Nusken, Guro Reiten and Mayra Ramirez.
The result stretched Chelsea’s unbeaten group stage home record to 10 games. It gave Bompastor, who replaced Emma Hayes in the summer after the long-time Chelsea boss took charge of the United States women’s national team (USWNT), her first European victory on the Chelsea touchline and continued her flawless start to life in west London. Despite signs of defensive fragility, the Women’s Super League champions did the job.
But first, let’s talk attendance. All 3,832 of it.
This conversation is not new, but it is one that arises when images of an empty Stamford Bridge proliferate on social media, accompanied by taunting claims that other clubs would do more with such a spectacle. Manchester City have sold out their Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday night at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium. Arsenal regularly fill the Emirates Stadium for their Champions League games. In the social media age, these are battlegrounds in their own…
