SUFC Women - worth a watch?

[Sheffsteel]

Well arsenal and spurs women drew 46000 on a day with no prem or championship admittedly

however the self-confessed Yorkshires biggest club the wendies got 5000 less 22000 than their previous home game with ipswich 27000
so womens football is a bigger draw than Wednesday

53K tickets were sold at £12 adults and £6 kids......with a single buyer able to purchase up to 6 tickets.
So 7,000 had bought tickets but failed to turn up however in previous WSL big stadia games there's always been free tickets given away
but in this fixture for the 1st time every single customer was a paying customer with no freebies.

Interesting that the Chelsea manager Emma Hayes recently wrote an article in her newspaper column almost criticising these heavily publiscised "fill the stadium" games as it's not "real" support. Even she says there's isn't a market for large crowds every week in the WSL. She also says that cheap tickets are OK in the early days but aren't doing the WSL any favours in the long term.

Emma's says the womens development is at a crucial point to take advantage of the recent Euro success.
She believes the women league need to have a mid and long term plan.

If she was in charge of the league her vision is to expand the division (have more teams)
with each team having their own 8K-10K stadiums that they try to fill every week charging more expensive match day prices.

She thinks there is merit at playing limited matches at the large mens stadia but the WSL need to align the most attractive WSL fixtures with the mens international break.
Agree, when the PL and Championship have these short shutdowns, then with heavy promotion there is potential to attract large attendances to the women's matches.

 

[1973Blade]

I see the women's team are keeping up the proud Sheffield United tradition when it comes to penalty shootouts.

 

[BelgianBlade]

Couldn’t make it myself today, but this is great to see

 

[Foxy]

Couldn’t make it myself today, but this is great to see

 

[Katzenjammer]

They weren't worth a watch today, sadly. We're carried by two players and it's glaringly obvious.

It was nice being able to man-spread on the Kop for a change mind. The women's game is a friend to the well-endowed gentleman....

 

[Wapping Blade]

Guess which numpty forgot it was on and tried to drive down Bramall Lane just after 15:00? Duh!

 

[Davalon]

Been today and wasn't too bad a watch imho.

Sadly the team has regressed noticeably since I saw them a few times last season though.

I guess that's the part-time situation.

On the Kop so didn't have the clearest view but would like to see some footage of that early CSK penalty shout. Looked a stone waller from my vantage point.

 

[S64 Blade]

Guess which numpty forgot it was on and tried to drive down Bramall Lane just after 15:00? Duh!

Another numpty also forgot and drove down there at about 12:45 too.

It was good to see lots of families about thought! Hopefully a lot of first timers and hopefully, despite the results, they’ll be back for more.

 

[Wapping Blade]

Another numpty also forgot and drove down there at about 12:45 too.

It was good to see lots of families about thought! Hopefully a lot of first timers and hopefully, despite the results, they’ll be back for more.

Yep, thought the demographic was excellent, had plenty of time to observe!

 

[CrookesBlade]

Been today and wasn't too bad a watch imho.

Sadly the team has regressed noticeably since I saw them a few times last season though.

I guess that's the part-time situation.

On the Kop so didn't have the clearest view but would like to see some footage of that early CSK penalty shout. Looked a stone waller from my vantage point.

Was sat on H-block half way down. Absolutely nailed on.

11,000 there today. Similar numbers to Warnock’s first game in charge!

Hard to concentrate with kids in tow but liked the look of London’s number 19 up top. We struggled to get to grips with her save for a couple of meaty challenges from Ellie Wilson in the 2nd half.

 

[More Bladier than thou]

No atmosphere. Also a pretty low standard of football. I wont be returning.

 

[JohnDenver]

This lass was the highlight of the game - comfortably the best athlete and footballer on the pitch, she had our defence on toast in the first half.

Didn’t buy a programme so had no idea who she is, but turns out she’s a Scottish international and was highly rated before covid interruptions.

If the men get promoted I hope we can afford to make the women professional. The difference in speed, power and organisation was pretty obvious today, though that early penalty decision looked a horror and would have changed things.

 

[Nesh Blade]

This lass was the highlight of the game - comfortably the best athlete and footballer on the pitch, she had our defence on toast in the first half.

Didn’t buy a programme so had no idea who she is, but turns out she’s a Scottish international and was highly rated before covid interruptions.

If the men get promoted I hope we can afford to make the women professional. The difference in speed, power and organisation was pretty obvious today, though that early penalty decision looked a horror and would have changed things.

We’ve had this ref a few times this season and she’s not great. Many referees in the women’s game are also not professional, something that needs sorting as soon as possible.

 

[Revolution]

How much was admission?

 

[Sheffsteel]

How much was admission?

Normally match day prices are £8 for adults and £6 for kids.

But this one was a special promotion with free tickets made available. Hence the attendance increased from the usual 1K to a record breaking 11K. Will be interesting to see how many of the 10,000 fans with free tickets return to pay for matches.

Some might say there’s little benefit in promoting/ subsidising the women’s game but there is a theory that the ladies team might attract young kids, especially girls and this can be a gateway for those young girls to also support and attend games for the men’s team. So it could have the effect of increasing our fan base, bringing extra revenue into SUFC.

Season tickets for the 11 league game plus cup matches are £60 for adults and £40 for kids.

However if you’re currently a season ticket holder for the men’s team then you’re allowed a 20% discount taking an adult season ticket down to £48.

 

[JohnDenver]

We’ve had this ref a few times this season and she’s not great. Many referees in the women’s game are also not professional, something that needs sorting as soon as possible.

I thought the ref looked very young. She could have let a few more advantages run, and the penalty call looked wrong from my angle, but otherwise she did ok. Appreciate it’s all about the big calls though.

The men’s game has had professional refs for years and they still struggle, so I’m at the acceptance stage when it comes to refereeing.

 

[BladeByChoice]

I had 4 visitors on Sunday who wanted to go to the match but didn’t want to sit on the kop, had a look at the ticketing site 9am, showing 1 seat left in South Stand and 2 in John Street, so we didn’t bother. Form the pictures both were less than half full.

So that’s 35 quid the club has binned because they can’t advertise empty seats correctly.

 

[Nesh Blade]

I had 4 visitors on Sunday who wanted to go to the match but didn’t want to sit on the kop, had a look at the ticketing site 9am, showing 1 seat left in South Stand and 2 in John Street, so we didn’t bother. Form the pictures both were less than half full.

So that’s 35 quid the club has binned because they can’t advertise empty seats correctly.

Ticketing was a bit mad this weekend. Club gave away lots of free tickets to grassroots clubs and schools, which I think explains why so much was booked up because they won’t have known who was coming and who wasn’t.

It did feel a bit at the detriment to paying customers though. We have season tickets for the women. We had to go and collect a paper ticket because the cards don’t have chips and can’t be used at the turnstile. Service at the booth to collect was less than polite, and we were told we needed to go the Kop. So I’d paid for a season ticket but had then been made to sit in the worst section of the ground in terms of facilities. Queue at half time was mad, I can’t imagine what it would be like when the ground is full. For context we sit in the BL corner for the mens games and it’s miles better on the concourse.

 

[Sheffsteel]

I had 4 visitors on Sunday who wanted to go to the match but didn’t want to sit on the kop, had a look at the ticketing site 9am, showing 1 seat left in South Stand and 2 in John Street, so we didn’t bother. Form the pictures both were less than half full.

So that’s 35 quid the club has binned because they can’t advertise empty seats correctly.

This has happened with other teams in WSL and also in the early days for England women's games.

When there's a free ticket promotion, some people are greedy (owt for nowt) and tickets are just given to all and sundry.
Then when it comes to the day of the game, can depend on the weather, but more than half the issued tickets aren't used.

 

[BladeByChoice]

This has happened with other teams in WSL and also in the early days for England women's games.

When there's a free ticket promotion, some people are greedy (owt for nowt) and tickets are just given to all and sundry.
Then when it comes to the day of the game, can depend on the weather, but more than half the issued tickets aren't used.

Easy fix 1: stop giving tickets away.

Easy fix 2: sell the tickets and refund any that are scanned at the turnstile.

If the 11,137 was tickets issued and not bums on seats it falsely boosts the attendance which in turn falsely promotes womens football (not a dig I enjoyed the Euros) so the club will be happy to do nothing.

 

[JohnDenver]

I had 4 visitors on Sunday who wanted to go to the match but didn’t want to sit on the kop, had a look at the ticketing site 9am, showing 1 seat left in South Stand and 2 in John Street, so we didn’t bother. Form the pictures both were less than half full.

So that’s 35 quid the club has binned because they can’t advertise empty seats correctly.

I saw that too when I bought mine. My theory was they’d restricted online sales to distribute the crowd into blocks all around the ground so it would be nicely spread out. I’m sure you could have bought tickets at the ground on the day.

The alternative theory is they weren’t staffed to cope with full stands so it was artificially capped.

Weird either way.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Easy fix 1: stop giving tickets away.

Easy fix 2: sell the tickets and refund any that are scanned at the turnstile.

If the 11,137 was tickets issued and not bums on seats it falsely boosts the attendance which in turn falsely promotes womens football (not a dig I enjoyed the Euros) so the club will be happy to do nothing.

For the other games in the WSL with free ticket promotions they’ve counted the number of atttndees not tickets given away.

If they charged then gave refunds it would put loads of people off. The whole point of free ticket exercises is to encourage as many as possible.

 

[sheff_blade90]

so Sheffield united women are looking for a new manager

 

[Bladesthorpe]

Bye Neil, can you take the crappy team with you and leave the pitch in good nick for a proper men's team.

 

[Nesh Blade]

What the hells happened there then? Carla Ward also left in a hurry. Something not right in the club?

 

[McDonagh Blade]

What the hells happened there then? Carla Ward also left in a hurry. Something not right in the club?

Erm best players well recruited, allowed to leave for better contracts at full time set ups. A couple of players carrying the others, both of whom very media savvy who will move on soon.
United aren't really serious about the women's side, more a PR statement, prove me wrong however if we as a club have £500,000 to spend where do we spend it? Personally we sign a strong midfield player for the men's team
If United men go up this season may be the money would enable us to subsidise the women's team to go full time.
In all of this i feel genuinely sorry for Redfearn who is a good coach and an even better man.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Personally I have no interest in the women's game whatsoever. It's perhaps inevitable in the future that issues of disparity in funding, pay etc rear their pretty heads and the club finds itself under pressure to invest more to compete.

If women's football wants to be taken seriously then it needs to finance itself.

 

[Old Programme seller]

The womens game is the next big investment in the beautiful game if a sky deal was to amount to the same as the mens game then you have potentially 2 clubs getting 2 x £100+ million for being in the Premier Leagues.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

The women's side average about 1000 fans and only since moving bs k into Sheffield this summer. No club averaging that could go pro without a owner willing to lose money. Why would the football club spend money on something that is a loss leader Vs the men's side which is a promotion away from bringing in 170 million?

 

[Uncle mick]

Erm best players well recruited, allowed to leave for better contracts at full time set ups. A couple of players carrying the others, both of whom very media savvy who will move on soon.
United aren't really serious about the women's side, more a PR statement, prove me wrong however if we as a club have £500,000 to spend where do we spend it? Personally we sign a strong midfield player for the men's team
If United men go up this season may be the money would enable us to subsidise the women's team to go full time.
In all of this i feel genuinely sorry for Redfearn who is a good coach and an even better man.

Why should the men subsidise the women's team they should stand on their own two feet they always want equality.