51,000...IT’S GUNNER BE GREAT
Historic crowd set for north London derby
ARSENAL’S Katie Mccabe insists the whole club are right behind Jonas Eidevall’s side ahead of today’s north London derby – including Gunners great David Seaman.
Arsenal take on archrivals Tottenham in front of the biggest Women’s Super League crowd in history.
A whopping 51,000 tickets have been sold for the game at the Emirates... and counting.
Mccabe, who joined the club in 2015, believes the huge demand shows how far Arsenal women’s team have grown in popularity.
“The progression and the investment the club have put in over the last seven years is unbelievable,” said
Mccabe. “It’s very easy to stand still and think, ‘Oh, we’re Arsenal – we’ve won all these trophies’.
“But the real progression and the drive from the club – from the top down, even all around the training ground – there’s a real sense of one team. We’re one club.”
Versatile Ireland star Mccabe added: “It’s such a special place to be part of and having everyone feel part of it is massive. We were over there having lunch and you’ve got David Seaman wishing us luck.
“It just shows the growth and how far we’ve come as a club.”
Boss Eidevall is also looking forward to the game and was keen to emphasise how the club has achieved record ticket sales.
He said: “Remember, it’s 51,000 sold tickets – it’s not giveaways. It’s not sold for a discounted price.
“That’s really, really special because that means doing this – the way the club has done it – is sustainable. It shows the interest here is for real. We want to go out and make the most of it so it can happen more frequently.”
Arsenal hammered Brighton 4-0 in their WSL opener at Meadow Park last weekend (Stina Blackstenius celebrates with Beth Mead, above) but Tottenham also made a winning start by beating Leicester 2-1 at the King Power Stadium.
Spurs boss Rehanne Skinner accepts her side are not expected to win at the Emirates but said: “The players will relish the opportunity to play in front of a large volume of fans.
“The excitement on the pitch today in training was evident.
“We want to make life as difficult for Arsenal as we can. We’re seen as underdogs and that’s fine by us. There’s no pressure and nothing to lose.”