The Scottish Women’s Premier League has announced record-breaking attendances for the start of the new season.
The number of people attending SWPL matches in August was up 30 per cent on the same period in 2022, with just over 8,000 people turning out.
Rangers’ home game against champions Glasgow City attracted the biggest crowd last month with 1,196 watching the 1-1 draw at Broadwood Stadium.
More than 100,000 fans watched SWPL matches across last season, while the domestic record attendance for a single game was also broken on three occasions.
Celtic hold that record with 15,822 turning out to watch their 2-0 win over Hearts on the final day.
SWPL Managing Director, Fiona McIntyre, said: “We are thrilled, at this early stage in the season, to observe a significant increase of nearly 30 per cent in attendances across the league. The SWPL and our clubs strive to continually improve the product on and off the pitch and we are delighted that more people than ever before are choosing to attend ScottishPower Women’s Premier League matches.
“Last season, total attendances exceeded 100,000, which was a huge milestone for the league to reach in its inaugural year. We know that games moving to major stadiums over the course of last season played a significant part in breaking the 100,000 mark. We are confident, given these strong opening numbers and the success of matches in major stadiums last season, we’ll see even more in 2023/24.
Glasgow City won the SWPL title last season
“It’s fantastic that Tynecastle and Easter Road have already been confirmed as the venues for the upcoming derby matches between Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. This Sunday’s match between the two sides at Tynecastle provides a fantastic opportunity for fans to watch elite women’s football in one of the best stadiums in the country.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank fans for their continued support of the SWPL, their clubs, and the whole women’s game. For anyone who has never been to a game before, there has never been a better time to get involved.”
Key dates for the 2023/24 SWPL season
Winter break – December 18 to January 13
First post-split fixtures – March 17, 2024
Final round of matches – May 19, 2024
Play-off finals – May 23/24, 2024
Sky Sports Cup final – March 23 or 24, 2024
Scottish Premiership and SWPL on Sky Sports
Sky Sports – Next season up to 48 cinch Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports’ flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership will be live on Sky Sports, in addition to the SWPL.
Sky Sports News – Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News’ (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.
Sky Sports Digital – Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.
Sky Sports Social – Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports’ main social media channels, the bespoke Twitter channel @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.
Highlights show – Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.
To download the Sky Sports app click here, to visit Sky Sports website click here.
Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with more than 400 games per season across the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Women’s Premier League, Premier League, WSL, and EFL.
