by German club Fortuna Düsseldorf made headlines this year by trialling free entry at certain home games this season, but has since been overtaken by France’s Paris FC. From the beginning of November, all of the club’s league matches, both men’s and women’s, will be free to attend until the end of the campaign.
Club president Pierre Ferracci then described the initiative as an attempt to make football more “accessible”. Perhaps most pressingly, it is also seen as a response to an “operational problem” for the club: low attendance at the Stade Charléty stadium is “one of our weak points”. The 20,000-capacity stadium, part of a multi-sports complex located in the south of the city next to the main ring road, has been occupied by the club since 2007. The men’s team attracts around 4,000 spectators per match.
According to Ferracci, immediate losses would amount to around €1 million (£860,000) over the course of the campaign, a figure he hopes to offset by bringing in new sponsors and increasing food and drink sales on match days.
The scheme has attracted new support for both the men’s team and the more successful women’s section. The effect was immediate: 13,472 people turned out to watch the men’s Ligue 2 home game against Bordeaux in November, the team’s biggest crowd since 2015.
But as Paris FC looks to step out of the shadow of its neighboring superclub (with its own Middle Eastern backing, Bahrain), it is the women’s team and its recent success that is driving the search for new fans. Considering the team was only fully absorbed by Paris FC in 2017 (having previously won six league titles as Juvisy), it has quickly become an integral and prominent part of the club’s identity.
A Women’s Champions League match against Real Madrid last week was a first indication of how successful the plan could be. Although the match was not part of the free ticket initiative due to UEFA regulations, the reduced-price ticketing program attracted 10,693 spectators, more than double the previous record.
The team produced a performance worthy of the occasion, as goals from Julie Dufour and captain Gaëtane Thiney established a commanding lead within the first six minutes. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie saved a penalty taken by Olga Carmona, although the Spanish team finally pulled one back thanks to Caroline Møller in the second half. But Paris FC held on and scored their first points of the European campaign.
Thiney, named UEFA man of the match, led a festive lap of honor around the stadium, thanking the fans for the impressive turnout. The veteran praised the “incredible energy” of the record-breaking crowd, telling Le Parisien: “It’s fantastic to show a big club like Real Madrid that we, Paris FC, can bring together almost 11,000 people for a women’s match. “I think even the Real players were happy to play in front of so many people.”
Coach Sandrine Soubeyrand stressed that her players were “emotionally interested in attracting people to the stadium.” And she added: “They don’t just want to play football, they want to be involved in the development of women’s football. They are engaged. Accommodating 10,000 people is a success for the entire club.”
The following weekend, in the derby against Paris Saint-Germain, the participation was lower: the Sunday schedule at 9:00 p.m. and the freezing temperatures would not have helped, in addition to the fact that the PSG men’s team played at same hour. However, the attendance of 4,002 people was a marked increase over the usual figure for a major meeting. Around 2,400 people attended the league match against Lyon in early November, a 6-1 defeat, just before the free ticket system came into effect.
The hosts enjoyed an equally fast start against their city rivals when Thiney converted a penalty after four minutes. PSG soon equalized with a penalty through Sandy Baltimore, before Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored the winning goal just before half-time. .
Despite some heroics from Nnadozie in the second half to stay in the game, Soubeyrand’s team were unable to equalise. Despite the result, Paris remains second, three points ahead of PSG and Lyon eight points clear at the top of the table.
Moving the Goalposts spoke to some of the derby fans and Christophe, originally from Lyon and now working in Paris, is a Charléty regular. He praised Paris FC for the work they do to “democratize women’s football” and said he considers the team more “accessible” than its rivals. “For example, you always see Gaëtane Thiney coming to thank the fans at the end of the game, and players like Clara Matéo also come,” he said.
The match also convinced some newcomers: Sandie, who had previously watched a few Paris FC matches on television, had never been to the stadium. Despite the defeat, he intends to come back, conquered by the lively atmosphere and the spectacle on the pitch. However, he points out that the free entry system cannot last forever: “It would be nice if the fans also contributed in some way.”
It remains to be seen whether the initiative will translate into sustained long-term growth, beyond the big parties. Despite a steady increase year on year, attendance figures in the French women’s top flight still lag far behind those of their English and German counterparts, averaging just 841 per game last season. The hope is that Paris FC’s plan can lead to an increase in numbers, at least in the French capital. Opening the stadium doors to all will, in any case, reinforce the club’s credentials as a humbler alternative to the bright lights of the Parc des Princes.
Talking points
New challenge: Jonatan Giráldez, Barcelona coach, has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the campaign. During the 32-year-old’s three wildly successful seasons, the team has won virtually every trophy within its reach, including the Champions League last season and an increasingly likely treble of league titles. Giráldez had been linked to a job in the NWSL, more specifically, an offer from the Washington Spirit that is five times his salary, according to the Spanish media Relevo. The Galician, for now, could only indicate that his next job will be outside of Europe: “I wouldn’t like to compete against Barça.”
Multi-club ownership strategy: Speaking of the Washington Spirit, owner Michele Kang has added Championship side London City Lionesses to a multi-club portfolio that also includes Lyon since last May. When the new entity that combines Kang’s shares in Spirit and Les Fenottes The team was created in May, with the stated goal of “acquiring additional clubs in other European countries, Asia and America.” The LCL is the third club to be part of this ambitious project and probably not the last.
Quote of the week
Definitely. I’d like to think so, I’ve been talking to Nike quite a bit throughout the year…they know they messed up and that’s why they made this correction. A big company like Nike wouldn’t do that if they didn’t know it was wrong and there was an injustice in it” – England goalkeeper and BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Mary Earps, on whether Nike had “Learned a lesson” after that his replica jersey was finally available for sale and sold out in a matter of minutes.
Recommended viewing
Having returned to action this autumn after a year-long absence due to an ACL injury, PSG’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto had been struggling to maintain her form so far this season. His Well done winner in the weekend derbyHowever, it shows that the French international is on her way to returning to her devastating best.
Recommended listening
In the latest edition of Women’s Football Weekly, Sophie Downey, Anita Asante and Chris Slegg join Faye Carruthers to talk about Spurs’ North London derby win and moments from the season so far.
Do you still want more?
An independent investigation has found no evidence of wrongdoing at Sheffield United in the lead-up to the death of their vice-captain, Maddy Cusack, in September. The investigation was initiated at the request of her family and was conducted by an independent third party.
Talking points from the latest round of WSL matches include impressive derby wins for Tottenham and Liverpool, and Khadija Shaw’s relentless scoring sequence.
Eni Aluko on what diversity should be like in women’s football.
And soccer players who play and travel more are at greater risk of ACL injuries in women’s soccer, according to a new study.
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