Over the past 14 months, women’s football has seen huge changes across Europe.
A 23-year-old world record has finally been broken, major stadiums have sold out and attendance levels continue to rise.
The Women’s FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday is set to cap off an extraordinary year for women’s football in England, with the Football Association recently confirming the showpiece has been sold for the first time.
BBC Sport looks back at the key moments for which supporters flocked to the turnstiles to make history.
Barcelona at Camp Nou (March and April 2022)
Until March last year, the official attendance record for a women’s soccer match was 90,195 at the Rose Bowl for the World Cup final between the United States and China in 1999.
However, this record was broken twice in the space of a month by Barcelona last year.
First there was the Champions League quarter-final El Clasico at the Camp Nou where Barcelona beat rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in front of 91,553 fans.
And came Barcelona’s semi-final against Wolfsburg, with 91,648 fans flocking to the iconic stadium to see the Spanish side progress to the final with a resounding 5-1 win.
Barca players celebrated with their raucous fans long after the final whistle to mark their historic evening.
FA Cup Final (15 May 2022)
This year’s FA Cup final is set to eclipse last year’s showpiece, where 49,094 fans watched Chelsea beat Manchester City lift the trophy at Wembley.
It was a record attendance for the competition, surpassing the 45,423 that saw Chelsea beat Arsenal in the 2018 final, and at the time it was a record for a women’s club game in England.
Baroness Sue Campbell, the Football Association’s director of women’s football, called it a “special day” for women’s football.
She said: “It’s exactly the kind of occasion we were hoping for when we committed to hosting the final at Wembley Stadium every season.”
Euro 2022 final (July 31, 2022)
Last summer’s European Championship drew large crowds, and by the time England lifted the trophy, 574,875 people had passed through the turnstiles across the country.
He broke the previous tournament record of 240,055 fans at Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.
As Sarina Wiegman and her team were crowned champions after beating Germany 2-1 in extra time, 87,192 fans – an all-time UEFA tournament record – beat Sweet Caroline to cheering Wembley Stadium.
“The legacy of this tournament is a change in society. We brought people together, brought people to games. We want people to WSL games,” said Lionesses captain Leah Williamson.
Former England defender Alex Scott said: “In 2018 we were begging people to host Euro games in their stadiums. So many people said no. I hope they look at each other and think that they weren’t brave enough.
“I don’t stand up at corporate events to beg them to get involved in women’s football. If you’re not involved, you’ve missed the boat. You’ve missed the train, it’s finally left the station, it gathers speed.”
Arsenal v Tottenham (September 24, 2022)
Euro momentum continued with a number of WSL clubs announcing record ticket sales before the season even started.
The previous WSL attendance record was 38,262, during the North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, and it was the North London derby that set the new record in September, with The Gunners’ 4-0 thrashing of Spurs at the Emirates Stadium attended by 47,367 fans.
With no separate support for away supporters, Gunners supporters dominated all areas of the 60,000-capacity stadium and made their presence known everywhere, with deafening cries of “Arsenal, Arsenal” as they rejoiced the trust of their team.
Arsenal summer signing Lina Hurtig said the noise was “ridiculous” as she came on for Euro 2022 winner Beth Mead after 74 minutes.
Former England defender Anita Asante said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “There is a thirst for women’s football at the moment and it’s great that they can present games like this in big, big stadiums. “
Arsenal v Wolfsburg (May 1, 2023)
Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal side were at the forefront to help break attendance records, and they were once again the center of attention at the Emirates Stadium for the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League.
The Gunners had the support of the vast majority of 60,063 fans for his return match against Wolfsburg – record attendance for a women’s club match in England.
There was collective breathing around the stadium as defender Lotte Wubben-Moy offered Wolfsburg substitute Pauline Bremer a clear shot on goal in the dying seconds of extra time to put them 5-4 on aggregate.
Despite the disappointment, the crowd stayed to cheer on the Arsenal players as they took a lap of honor around the pitch.
“We’re allowed to be hurt and feel empty, but we’re also allowed to be proud of the performance and the occasion with our supporters,” Eidevall said.
