The SWPL sees over 100k spectators in a single season for the first time ever

The SWPL has confirmed over 100,000 spectators were in attendance during the 2022/23 season for the first time ever.

A total of 106,781 fans attended either a SWPL1, SWPL2 or a Sky Sports Cup game during the last campaign. This is just another sign that the women’s game is an ever-expanding industry in Scotland as more and more people now enter through the turnstiles to get a glimpse of the ongoing action.

Hibs and Hearts certainly played their part in breaking this record with both multiple Edinburgh derbies having a significant amount of spectators. The first one of the 2022/23 season broke the SWPL attendance record at the time as 8,066 watched the game at Easter Road in November. This was followed up with another impressive turnout at Tynecastle in February with another 7,024 fans showing their support for the teams. Hearts also helped to break the SWPL attendance record again on the final day of the season as 15,822 people were present in Glasgow as Celtic beat Hearts 2-0 at Celtic Park.

“We are delighted to confirm a record-breaking season for spectators attending across our competitions,” SWPL Managing Director, Fiona McIntyre stated. “The idea of having over 100,000 people in one season watching the women’s game was unimaginable only a few seasons ago, so these numbers are a testament to the growth of the game and the work of our clubs.

The attendance record was broken multiple times in the SWPL last season. Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

“These figures illustrate the increasing awareness and appetite for women’s football in Scotland and I hope we can continue to see attendances increase season after season. The women’s game is affordable, family-friendly, competitive and provides an opportunity to watch top-level, elite athletes across communities in Scotland.

“Playing inside main club stadiums also helps, there’s no doubt about that and this is best-illustrated in the matches where we saw attendance records broken last season. We hope this is something that can become more common in Scotland and as a league, we can support this where possible.”

The new season is set to get underway in just over a month with the opening fixture scheduled for August 13th. Hibs and Hearts are set to travel to Glasgow for their opening game as they take on Glasgow City and Hamilton. Spartans will stay in the capital for their first fixture as they face Rangers.