Dilip Kuner
BARCELONA’S Camp Nou stadium was packed out as a world record 91,553 fans watched the home team beat Real Madrid 5-2 in a Women’s Champions League semi-final.
The previous record for a women’s game was 90,185 at the 1999 World Cup final between the United States and China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Up until now the record for a club fixture was 60,739 supporters who saw Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano back in March 2019.
Club bosses were keen to see a bumper crowd for Wednesday’s match – which saw Barca win 8-3 on aggregate.
They allowed Barcelona’s 147,000 members four free tickets each, with non-members able to buy entrance for between €9 and €15.
Barca, who are the reigning European champions, will face either Arsenal or Wolfsburg who play their second leg on Thursday in London following a 1-1 draw in Germany.
Earlier this month the women’s football league in Spain was given official professional status.
The president of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), Jose Manuel Franco, confirmed that it will grant €16 million to league clubs.
The next step will be to have elections for a board to manage the professional league.
The new designation means clubs in the league are legally required to provide the same basic working conditions that male players currently enjoy.
According to FIFPRO, this will raise the level of working conditions for most players. It will also bring increased funds and exposure to the league, as the clubs can jointly organise to sell television rights.
The creation of a professional league was the result of a cooperative effort between the Spanish player union (AFE), the Association of Women’s Football Clubs (ACFF), the CSD, and the wider Spanish government.
The ACFF, founded by clubs in 2015, began the initiative to professionalise women’s football in Spain.
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