Arsenal news: Leah Williamson says it's a 'realistic' aim to have women play every game at Emirates
- Planet Sport writer
- 30 March 2023
Leah Williamson believes it is a realistic aim for Arsenal to play all of their matches at the Emirates Stadium in the future.
The England captain starred in a 2-0 Women's Champions League quarter-final win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, a result which takes Arsenal into the last four for the first time in a decade.
The game was watched by a crowd of 21,307 at the Emirates and Jonas Eidevall's side have already played in front of attendances in excess of 40,000 on three previous occasions this season.
Eidevall himself said hosting all women's fixtures at the 60,000-seater stadium, rather than occasionally moving from Meadow Park, should now be the target.
Williamson echoed the sentiments of her manager having put in a fine midfield performance with the captain's armband against Bayern on her 26th birthday following Kim Little's early injury.
"I think that is one of my favourites," she said of the Emirates performance.
"Beating Spurs the first time here was pretty special, but this is probably up there with one of my favourite nights.
"Every time we come here this is a professional environment, the pitch is incredible, the fans, how much you take from that atmosphere as well.
"As much as we can get it here, as much as we can keep pushing, we will keep trying to do our job and win those games and create good football. Then hopefully the club can join us in that as well."
The second leg of the Champions League semi-final will be played at the Emirates on May 1 and, asked if she shared Eidevall's view that every game could be hosted there, Williamson added: "For sure.
"I mean, if you asked me five years ago it would have been completely different again.
"But the fact that, what the club do, the fanbase that we have and how much of a following Arsenal Women have - which we have always had and we have always needed to…this is a historic football club and people know about us and have always known about us.
"We need to just get them in. So it feels realistic."
