"Switzerland were the toast of the continent this summer as hosts of the Women's European Championship. The national team reached the quarter-finals for the first time and a total of 623,088 were in attendance at the 31 matches, a tournament record. The hope within Switzerland was for a boost at club level similar to what England experienced three years previously. Those heights have not been reached, but there has been a definite bump."
"Basel's women's sporting director, Fabian Sangines, says the club are trying different things in order to encourage fans to buy tickets, including offering free popcorn to children. It has had a positive effect but, for Sangines, it is crucial progress at domestic level goes beyond gimmicks. When a country applies to host a Euros they need to have a plan, he says. The legacy programme here is about trying to ensure we increase certain standards in the youth and also get financial help for them. Everyone had a huge hype about the Euros, but hype is for a certain amount of time and we don't want to be the hype; we want to be sustainable and long term."
Switzerland hosted the Women's European Championship, with the national team reaching the quarter-finals and 623,088 attending 31 matches, a tournament record. The Women's Super League recorded a 62% increase in attendances this season, averaging 787 spectators per match. That rise is smaller than England's 172% post-Euro 2022 spike but represents clear domestic momentum. Grasshopper's average rose from 300 to 450 and Thun more than doubled from 156 to 326. Basel sold season tickets rising from 300 to 800 while matchday attendance stayed roughly unchanged. Clubs are experimenting with promotions, and the legacy programme targets youth standards and financial support for sustainability.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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