A London derby with a difference – history is made this afternoon as West Ham Women make debut at London Stadium with Tottenham the visitors in the Women’s Super League. Kick off is at 2.30pm and tickets are on sale.
The nerves are bound to be jangling for West Ham Women as they play at the iconic 60,000-seater stadium in Stratford for the first time. The team typically play at Rush Green Stadium, on the site of West Ham’s Rush Green training ground near Romford, where 1,297 watched their first home league game of this season; a 1-0 win over Birmingham.
This afternoon some 20,000 fans are expected, which will replicate the atmosphere West Ham experienced in the Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley back in May. On that occasion the Hammers were beaten by Manchester City with 43,264 fans watching.
Today’s opponents Tottenham share the same record in the league as their hosts, both sides having 3 points with a win and a loss on their record. With the teams above them – Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton – all within three points a win for either Hammers or Spurs could well see them climb into the top three.
Ones to watch: Alisha Lehmann. The Swiss international forward made a big impression in her first season for West Ham scoring nine goals and helping the team to the FA Cup Final, also receiving a nomination for the PFA’s Young Player of the Year award. For Tottenham, England international Gemma Davison brings a wealth of experience to the side as a four-time WSL winner who has played for Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.
⏱️ Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
🎟️ Tickets in advance are available via the ‘Get Tickets’ link.
🎟️ Tickets on the gate subject to availability. Checking the West Ham Women FC Twitter feed before travelling is recommended.
About the Super League: The FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) is the top tier of women’s club football in England. Featuring 12 teams it was established in April 2011 and runs from September to May. The winner and runner-up in the league qualify to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League the following season while the team finishing bottom are relegated to the Championship. The current FA WSL champions are Arsenal Women who have won 15 top flight titles.
Teams in the Super League also take part in the SSE Women’s FA Cup which is open to all clubs competing in the top seven tiers of the women’s football pyramid in England. The current cup holders are Manchester City Women. Arsenal Women are the most successful cup team with 14 wins overall.
Once the FA WSL has been completed the teams compete against each other again (along with the teams from the Championship League) in a knockout competition to win the FA Women’s League Cup.
The FA WSL teams for the 2019-20 season are Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Birmingham City, Bristol City, Reading, West Ham United, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
In the London area there are 4 teams of interest: Chelsea (playing their home games at Kingsmeadow, Kingston-upon-Thames), Arsenal (Meadow Park, Borehamwood), Tottenham (The Hive, Edgware) and West Ham (Rush Green Stadium, Romford).