Sunderland head coach wants 'stadiums filled'

Mel Reay has been head coach at Sunderland Women since 2017

The head coach of Sunderland Women said she was hopeful that the success of the Lionesses will create a "ripple effect" for more fans to support local women's teams.

England secured a historic back to back European Championship win after beating Spain on penalties in Basel on the 27 July.

Mel Reay, who has been head coach at Sunderland since 2017, said the win was "massive" and hoped it would help domestic games "especially with attendances".

The Women's Championship gets under way in September with Sunderland set to play five matches at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland and Newcastle both broke attendance records for Women's Championship games last season.

In October 2024, 15,387 fans watched Newcastle win 2-1 at the Stadium of Light and in March 38,502 supporters watched the reverse leg of the Tyne-Wear derby at St James' Park.

Reay said: "We've got great support here in the North East but we'd love to see stadiums full on games that aren't just the derbies.

"These girls are professional players and they deserve a big audience, there's also nothing worse than playing in a 40,000 seat stadium and there's only one thousand fans."

The Lionesses first trophy lift in 2022 saw attendances for women's matches rise nationally

A change in the format of the Women's Super League means three teams can now achieve promotion from the championship.

"People might have wanted the rule change to come in a bit quicker but it will be exciting to see how the league changes help the game grow," Reay said.

Two of the winning Lioness squad played for Sunderland during their careers - Lucy Bronze and Beth Mead.

Reay coached Mead during her time on Wearside was "delighted" to see her former player pick up another European Championship medal.

"We always knew she (Mead) had something about her, she loves scoring goals, her roots are red and white and everyone is so proud of her."