With interest in the Women’s Super League on the rise and more clubs playing at their main stadiums, there are questions over whether to separate supporters into stricter home and away sections, as in the men’s game, or to continue with mixed seating and optional away ends. From the 2023-24 season, new league regulations required clubs to include an away-ticketing policy in their licensing agreements, a move backed by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA). The issue became a bigger talking point following the expedited growth of women’s football after Euro 2022.
The SheGulls supporters’ club for Brighton Women said: “Now there are bigger and more passionate crowds with louder voices commanding more respect and attention. Put two sets of them together, and you can expect issues as we see on occasions at the moment.” Under the policy, travelling fans wishing to sit with their own supporters can do so in a designated area, while others retain the choice of where they want to sit. Some supporters believe separation is a foregone conclusion.
SheGulls added: “It would be nice to live in a world where it isn’t required, but the truth is it can be hard enough to generate an atmosphere at home from within our own fan base, never mind if they’re interspersed with Arsenal or Chelsea fans, for example. It feels inevitable.” Dedicated away seating has been welcomed by, among others, Manchester City Women Official Supporters Club (MCWFC OSC), who cite an “increase in Manchester City supporters at away matches” as having “given a real boost to the atmosphere in stadiums”. The FSA has taken a keen interest in developments and a spokesperson said: “The FSA and its members helped advocate for dedicated away sections, to help create community, atmosphere and allow travelling fans to connect, and to have a visible travelling fan section for away players to look towards.” The infrastructure is already in place to segregate fan bases in most stadiums, where it is established for men’s games, but there is no stipulated away-ticket allocation owing to varying stadium sizes.
Manchester United Women’s Supporters Club (MUWSC) feels supporter segregation could be a good move. Some experiments have taken place, with the WSL-run League Cup final using “club ends” behind the goals with mixed seating in the other stands, a model also used at FA Cup finals and at the 2025 Euros. The FSA added: “It is important now to look at whether home-only sections might be helpful for the same reasons: visibility, community and atmosphere.
For us, this is about fan choice rather than ‘segregation’, and that choice is really important to an enjoyable matchday experience for all. It is important to consider general and neutral fans in the conversation, too, and there may not be a one-size-fits-all answer for every club.” The current policies used in the league were developed through dialogue among the league, its member clubs and fans, through the FSA. This collaboration has enabled initiatives such as the Fan Choice trial and the Stadium Design Guidance.
The belief is that the women’s game requires a distinct approach as its fanbase grows. Tottenham, for example, have embraced the mixed home and away seating format. The club is understood to view its flexibility and family-friendly environment as a way to maintain atmosphere.
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