Arsenal launch meet-and-greet prize draw for fans after WSL matches | OneFootball

Arsenal are formalising a post-match meet-and-greet with players for selected supporters in a move designed to manage crowd interactions following the decision to host all of their Women’s Super League games at the Emirates Stadium in the new season.

Instead of players spending time after games signing autographs and taking photos with fans on the edge of the pitch, season-ticket holders and purchasers of the six-game ticket bundle will be entered into a draw, the winners of which will be invited into the stadium, with a guest, for a more formalised interaction with some of the players. Purchasers of the six-game bundle will be entered into the draw for those six games, while guests do not need to have bought the bundle or a season ticket but must have a matchday ticket.

The relationship between fans and players in women’s football is something clubs are grappling to manage as crowds grow. For decades players have spent time signing autographs and taking photos pitchside after games but there has been a general recognition for some time that the huge number of fans now attending games and flooding to the front of barriers before the final whistle means a rethink is needed.

With so many supporters desperate to meet players and have merchandise signed post-match, players are spending longer and longer after full time parading around the edge of the pitch, sometimes in the rain and still in their kit, forced to absorb the frustrations of fans who miss out when they exit the field and having had their post-match recovery time increasingly affected. Meanwhile, the crowds of fans rushing to the barriers pose a growing safety risk in stands. It is understood fans were consulted through the club’s women’s matchday forum and supportive of the plans.

Arsenal’s proposition follows Chelsea’s decision to stop post-match autographs and photos at Kingsmeadow last season, with the club instead focusing on hosting organised opportunities for meeting players away from matches.

Header image: [Photograph: Rhianna Chadwick/PA]