Recently, the Lasses team appears to be on the right track — so what does the club do to retain that interest and, as a result, more people attending games?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve found the time between games to be tedious and monotonous in recent weeks. I discussed it in this week’s Editorial, but I have little affection for international football (with the exception of tournaments, which are fantastic), and all other football puts me off a little.
Aside from that, the club has been busy in other ways, particularly with our Lasses squad, which has had a fantastic start to the season in the Women’s Championship.
Sunderland team ready for a kickoff this past Sunday
The fact that this piqued my interest this morning got me thinking about how the club develops the women’s side of the club steadily over time and how they can pique the interest of fans like me, who like to see all of our sides do well without necessarily being invested in every single game – and, over time, how they convince us to get together to watch the matches and support.
Some people will never bother to support the team, which is great – if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. But not everyone feels and thinks the same way, and others who are more open to it or simply enjoy winning football may opt to go to Eppleton one afternoon to watch the squad, and if they like what they see, they may stay.
At Roker Report, we have some true SAFC Women fans who live and breathe the club and go to great lengths to support them. They adore the team and the players, and they fly across the country to see the Lasses play. Their unwavering support is remarkable, and I assume it’s been taxing in recent years as they’ve watched the team finally underachieve due to no fault of their own but incompetent, unfocused ownership.
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We have to remember that before the WSL (the Women’s top flight) was a thing, Sunderland were a big player in the women’s game and were responsible for the development of many current and former international stars – so underachievement in the women’s side of the club was relatively unheard of until recently.
As a result, bigger and wealthier teams have surpassed Sunderland in terms of general structure and development of their women’s side, and the Lasses now have some catching up to do. However, after implementing a hybrid strategy over the summer, the team’s performance on the field has improved, and recruitment has been strong.
Of course, it’s early days, but it appears like Mel Reay is getting the tools she needs to establish a real successful team that isn’t solely dependant on recruiting from the local region.
In short, the only way to capture the attention of supporters like me is to get it right on the field. They’re winning games and scoring goals, which is why I’m writing this – they have my attention, even if I’m not watching every game.
Last year, when they were losing most weeks and just avoiding relegation, it seemed highly unlikely you’d attract new fans because, well, who cares about teams that lose every week when there’s no genuine emotional tie to what you’re witnessing?
The Lasses failed to put on a double-header at the Stadium of Light last summer, with less than 1000 people in attendance. This event was a failure due to the club’s lack of momentum and the timing of the games. However, other clubs have shown that despite having a massive following for their women’s teams, it is possible to get big crowds of people to watch them if the event is properly built, properly marketed, and the timing is perfect.
If the Lasses keep up their current pace and are mounting a promotion push, fans like the author and most readers would get behind them and support, perhaps even attend a game or two, even if watching Women’s football isn’t your usual cup of tea. Newcastle Women managed to attract over 25,000 to St James Park at the end of last season as they pushed for promotion.
Building a supporter base for the Lasses has to be organic and not manufactured, and that can only happen if the team does well over a longer period of time and does all the right things both on and off the pitch. The author believes that the club should focus their efforts on retaining fans who are there for the taking and that the club should focus on getting things right in the same way the men’s team are, with a defined style of play and winning football complimenting good recruitment.
In the early days, everything seems to point towards the Lasses getting things right in the same way the men’s team are, with a defined style of play and winning football complimenting good recruitment, which will all get new eyeballs on the “product.”
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