MY ACCOUNT
Arsenal skipper Kim Little wants to see the Women’s Super League make a huge splash on the back of England’s Euro 2022 glory.
The new WSL season kicks off at the weekend with more eyes than ever on the competition following the Lionesses’ first major trophy success earlier this summer.
Winning the Euros on home soil at a sold-out Wembley introduced a host of new fans to the sport.
And Little, 32, insists clubs must now do even more to ensure the game continues to grow.
The Scottish midfielder said: “Major tournaments, all football matches in a way, are so fleeting. They’re a moment in time, they’re such a big occasion but then they’re gone.
“What will be the biggest legacy? I don’t think you’ll see that for a little bit of time.
“But I think it’s for me and people who in general are involved with the women’s game to keep saying, ‘What does that mean? How do we want to use that success and the feeling around it for the domestic game here in the UK?’.
“It is driving attendances, the marketing and commercial side, but also the fundamentals of the game.
“I think across the board, all clubs are not good enough at that, or not at the standard they should be.
“Because of the global popularity of football, that organic evolving of the game always happens.
“So I think that naturally allows the game to progress in the sense of people watching, more girls getting involved, playing, so then it changes the participation and then performance levels.
“But I think to make it sustainable, I suppose it’s about about being a bit more detailed strategically and putting plans in place so that all departments within the game sustain and improve longer term, that’s important.”
While the majority of England’s European champions will be playing for the major WSL sides and some of the biggest teams across the continent this season, Little wants to see the whole of the league benefit.
She added: “I’m playing at a club like Arsenal where the fanbase and support and the infrastructure is far greater, superior than other clubs.
“So it’s really important to understand the needs relative to the club. We’ll get more people at games and so will Chelsea, so will Manchester City, Manchester United.
“But then to make the league what it is, it is all the teams where there needs to be a focus on not just driving those kind of key numbers that certain teams will get but also having a real focus on keeping improving and focus on the teams that maybe don’t have quite the same resources for different reasons as well.”
Arsenal being their WSL campaign at Manchester City on Sunday night.
WSL Matchday 1 fixtures
Tottenham vs Manchester United (Saturday, 12.30pm)
Chelsea vs West Ham (Sunday, 12.30pm)
Everton vs Leicester (Sunday, 1pm)
Reading vs Liverpool (Sunday, 2pm)
Brighton vs Aston Villa (Sunday, 2pm)
Manchester City vs Arsenal (Sunday, 7pm)
