Spurs 'trying as much as possible' to host WSL games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Published
Spurs beat Leicester at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May - a result Rehanne Skinner hopes to repeat when her side visit the Foxes on Sunday
Spurs manager Rehanne Skinner says the club want to host women's games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium "as much as possible".
They were set to play Manchester United at the ground before the WSL was halted to honour Queen Elizabeth II.
"The intent from the club is to get us in for as many games as we can," said Skinner, who added that double-headers with the men's side are an option.
"That links into broadening the fanbase and getting more fans to those games."
Four of the six matches on the scheduled opening weekend had been due to take place at stadiums used by the clubs' men's teams, with WSL clubs and football leaders collaborating in an effort to build on the enhanced popularity of the game following the success of Euro 2022.
There is now uncertainty over when those postponed games will be played and the availability of the stadiums and resources needed to accommodate matches with large crowds.
Tottenham are expected to be part of a record-breaking north London derby attendance when they visit Arsenal later this month, beating the crowd of 38,262 who saw the reverse fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019.
"Everyone can appreciate that the scheduling around it, with men's games, broadcast games and so on, is a logistical challenge," Skinner added.
"An affinity to the stadium draws more people - that side of it is something that we want to keep evolving.
"We've got the potential to think outside of the box a little bit with it. Ultimately, there are a lot of moving parts with it, and that's the challenge.
"I don't envy the person who will try to bring all of that together."
Skinner pointed to the example of Arsenal's pre-season friendlies against Chelsea in August 2021, when the women's side played directly before the men's team at Emirates Stadium.
"If there's an opportunity to do double-headers, I can see why that would bring in a crowd and keep the fans in for both games, for sure," she said.
"There are lots of different ideas that we could potentially use to explore ways of raising the profile of the game.
"It's just the logistics of it - there are a few little hurdles to overcome."