“There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the European Women’s Championship 2022. It was, quite simply, a tournament for the ages,” said Aleksander Ceferin, President of the European Football Union (UEFA). The bare figures emphatically confirm this: More than 550,000 visitors passed through the turnstiles at the 31 matches in ten stadiums, and the best atmosphere came at the beginning and at the end. The opening match between hosts England and Austria (final score 1-0) had drawn more than 68,000 fans to the legendary Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, while the final between the Lionesses and Germany at Wembley (still ongoing at the time of going to print ) with a crowd of 87,192 spectators topped everything that had previously happened at national team level.
If the arena in London had a larger capacity, the record for women’s football matches would definitely have been broken. FC Barcelona holds the record, welcoming 91,648 spectators to the venerable Camp Nou in the Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg on April 22.
“There must be something left over from this EURO. This is a great opportunity to take the next steps in women’s football in all countries,” stressed DFB national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “If not now then when?”
Austria’s team boss Irene Fuhrmann sees it similarly, who after the quarter-finals against Germany (0: 2) made a flaming appeal to those responsible: “Not only the ÖFB, but every national association has to spit in their hands and step on the gas,” emphasized the 41 year old. “We have to get more girls into football. Our sport has become more attractive – faster and more athletic. That has to do with the greater professionalization. And there’s definitely more to do,” said Fuhrmann.
Ceferin was enthusiastic about the level of the matches, but not surprised. “I knew about the quality. Maybe some people should start thinking that women’s football is worth investing in.” (Alex)
Source: Nachrichten
