Arsenal Ladies v Chelsea Ladies, a top of the table clash, has been moved forward from a 7.45pm kick-off to a 6pm kick-off with the announcement made just two weeks before the game is played.
When you look at the FA post on their website, you can just laugh at their statement:
“Arsenal and Chelsea’s FA WSL 1 kick-off moved back”
I don’t think so, it has been moved forward to an earlier kick-off time.
“The derby game, which will be live on BT Sport, will start earlier to allow Arsenal fans to watch both their women’s and men’s teams, with Arsenal men facing West Bromwich Albion in a rescheduled game later that evening at 7.45pm.”
Again, no. The Ladies game will kick-off at 6pm and should finish by 7.45pm. I am sorry, but unless you have a Delorean car, there is absolutely no way you can make your way from Borehamwood FC to the Emirates Stadium in 0 minutes.
You also have to question what kind of attendance the game will achieve as most people with a nine-to-five job will be commuting and on their way home at that time. I don’t really expect more than about 500 to be at the game, which is about half the number a usual game would bring.
You bet the FA will then say that the club does not bring enough fans through the turnstiles when that’s the attendance.
So, the only people who will benefit from this kick-off change are the armchair viewers who will enjoy the Ladies game on BT Sport and straight after the men’s game on Sky Sports.