Arsenal move UWCL game – where & when can it be played? | OneFootball

Arsenal have decided to prioritise the Crystal Palace Carabao Cup tie on 18 December over the Women Champions League group game against FC Bayern.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Arsenal fans hold scarfs aloft during the Barclays Women’s Super League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

This is certainly a problem that might become recurrent in the future with the club committing to have the two first teams at home at the Emirates Stadium.

I certainly think it sends a bad signal to prioritise the fourth-ranked men competition over the number-one women’s club competition in Europe.

This is due to a logistics nightmare as the men’s schedule is full as they are involved in four competitions, while the women takes part in three.

There are many moving parts in this problem – the cup draw, the TV rights and scheduling for the Premier League, pitch availability etc. But that Bayern game has been set in stone since 27 September.

There should have been another way to solve that problem.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Renee Slegers, Interim Manager of Arsenal, shakes hands with her players after the team’s victory during the UEFA Women’s Champions League match between Arsenal FC and Valerenga at Emirates Stadium on October 16, 2024. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

There is the financial aspect to take into account, and if the men’s game on the night will bring from twice to 10 times the revenue brought in by the women’s game, it is a no-brainer for the club.

There is talk about moving the game to Meadow Park where Arsenal Women have a historic home. The ground is not approved for the Group Stage games and there is also a risk that due to its small capacity, Arsenal might have already sold more seats than Meadow park capacity. That would be a huge ticketing mess.

The game has to be played on December 18th as it is the final group game and it has to be played at the same time as Juventus v Valerenga at 8pm.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Leah Williamson of Arsenal during the Barclays Women’s Super League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

I would hope UEFA would not allow the game to be played at Meadow Park as it is a clear downgrade in term of ground quality. Alternative grounds that are not in use on that night and have been approved by UEFA recently for their other competitions are Brentford FC, MK Dons, West Ham, Wembley Stadium. Fulham FC, Watford FC, Crystal Palace could also be UEFA compliant.

But of course, using any of those ground would need setting up a commercial agreement and probably would not be good in term of revenue.

It would also become a ticketing nightmare to organise the move of all those who have bought tickets already. Geographically speaking Watford or Wembley would make more sense, depending on the ticket number already sold, MK Dons that has a bigger capacity than those two grounds and would make sense except for the fact that is really far from London and going home in midweek in December would be a trek.

We are talking about the final and key game in the Champions League group stage and to see it being moved around is a poor choice by the club.

At least it is 41 days away, so fans can re-arrange their trip or hopefully will be able to get their ticket refunded if the venue does not suit them any more. But it certainly sets a negative precedent for the women’s team in term of ground sharing with the men’s team.