Dramatic drop in St James’ Park crowd – A concern for Newcastle United Women’s team? | OneFootball

Last month the Newcastle United Women’s team make their seventh appearance at St James’ Park, as they took on Southampton in the Barclays Women’s Championship.

However, the attendance of 11,620 was a lot lower than we have been used to in recent years, leading some to question whether the ‘novelty has worn off’.

If we take a look back at each of the previous games, we have seen records being set.

The inaugural Newcastle United Women’s team match at St James’ Park took place in April 2022, where technically it was an Alnwick Town home game, but was certainly an occasion to remember, as the Lady Mags recorded an emphatic 4-0 victory in the FA Women’s National League Division One North. They posted a then record crowd of 22,134, which was incredible for a fourth-tier side. But one that was perhaps always going to attract great interest, being the first time that Becky Langley’s side played at the iconic stadium.

The following season saw Barnsley visit in the second round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup. It was a hard-fought 2-1 win against a then promotion rival and riding off the back of what was an excellent debut appearance the season before, many more passed through the turnstiles. More than 28,000 supporters were there that day, setting what was a new record for the competition outside of the final.

Later that same season, Newcastle played their final league game of the 2022-23 campaign. Given their promotion battle with local rivals Durham Cestria was eventually settled on goal difference, many fans wanted to witness what was a goal fest as Bradford City were dispatched 6-1 in front of 24,092 fans.

Next came a pre-season friendly win over West Brom, which was part of the club’s Sela Cup weekend. For one it was difficult to tell how many were still inside the stadium after the men had played, while it being a friendly would perhaps not exactly have the same pull as a meaningful game with something important riding on it.

Last season, Newcastle hosted Portsmouth in what was a dramatic 2-1 win in the FAWN League Cup semi-final, 22,307 fans were there to see Newcastle earn a place in a National Cup Final.

Most recently, AC Milan were the visitors for another pre-season game as part of the Sela Cup, only this time the Lady Mags had the honour of opening the weekend with the first game. Again it was hard to tell just how many fans were there, but my guess would be somewhere between 10-15,000. Nothing to be sniffed at, especially as the men rarely pack out the stadium for friendly games.

But November 2024 saw their lowest ever St James’ Park attendance for a Newcastle United Women’s team competitive game. It was somewhat surprising granted, but maybe it was more a case of a run-of-the-mill league game during mid-season with not as much riding on the outcome, the cold weather perhaps didn’t help either.

Personally I don’t believe it is anything to be too concerned about and by the time they make their next visit to the Cathedral on the Hill, it will be to take on arch rivals Sunderland in a first ever lasses Tyne-Wear derby.

Arsenal were setting records in the WSL last season and sold out the Emirates Stadium whenever they played there. But since announcing they will play home games there on a full time basis, it has seen the average crowd fall by 25%.

But if you look at Newcastle’s attendances for this season they are by far and away the best supported club outside of the top flight.

Their average overall attendance (that includes games at St James’ Park, Kingston Park and away games) comes to around 5,000. More than double that of Sunderland and well over 2,000 more than Southampton who have the second most. Even then those figures are probably flattering, due to playing Newcastle with big attendances at the Stadium of Light and St James’ Park. The league average for the other teams is probably around the 1,000 mark.

Newcastle’s average home attendance is also the highest in the league with Sunderland second and Bristol City and Southampton next best around the 2,000 mark.

So all things considered, I think Newcastle have a loyal fan base who will continue to regularly attend home games. While their away support must surely be better than most WSL sides.

The people who watch the Lady Mags are forming something of a separate community from the men’s club, which is unique. Although that isn’t the case for everyone and there are plenty who either watch both teams, or will attend games for both.

Watching the Women’s team is certainly good value for money and with a large section of the crowd made up of younger fans, would it be as easy to acquire tickets to watch the men, let alone afford them? It probably does play a part in attracting younger fans to attend. That and the fact the players are much more approachable, especially for girls who will see the women players as role models and something to aspire to themselves one day.

Going back to the crowds, there were times last season where Kingston Park was getting close to full at some games. Particularly during the run-in as they edged closer to clinching promotion. Which begged the question: could the Lady Mags outgrow the venue?

Well if and when the club do reach the WSL they may have to. Given that one of the rules is artificial pitches can’t be used, which is currently what they play on at Kingston Park.

All that is a year or so away for now anyway. With performances on the pitch maybe most important. After a couple of tough seasons getting out of the fourth tier, Newcastle walked through their first year in the Premier Division North. A series of quality signings along with going full-time professional, saw dominant performances on a weekly basis.

Did that generate greater expectations for this season? Almost certainly, some fans and national media alike had the club already in the WSL. But it was never going to be that easy, not at this level, where more often than not, newly promoted sides often go straight back down. Watford did last year and you only have to check Portsmouth’s results this season for evidence of that.

Newcastle strengthened again over the summer, and that was without Amanda Staveley in charge, who was a big supporter of the women’s team during her time here. Manager Becky Langley was backed with major signings such as last season’s best player in the Championship, Claudia Moan, Northern Ireland’s all-time appearance holder, Rachel Furness, and Euro 2022 winner Demi Stokes.

But amongst those big names are players who started this journey when the club was in the fourth tier. You simply can’t just go out and sign 10-20 international players in one go. The existing players may need time to adjust, and remember for some, they have only been professional for a year.

The club is one of eight sides who have a genuine shot at the sole promotion spot. So come the end of the season Newcastle could well be in the WSL. However, a more realistic approach is that whatever happens, this season the club proved they could be competitive from day one and if they do miss out on promotion, they will be in a much stronger position next year, given the invaluable knowledge they have gained.

This is still just the beginning of the journey for the Lady Mags. Howay the Lasses!