Mastercard has offered supporters a look into how football can affect the local economy in its report on the Arsenal Women’s team.
The payments giant’s report analyses six matches played by Arsenal Women at the Emirates during the 2023/24 season. It found that local bar spending increased by an average of 16%, while restaurant spending rose by 15% compared to non-match days.
Notably, the most significant restaurant spending boost occurred during the match against Liverpool, where it surged by 27%, followed by 22% against Chelsea and 18% against both Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester Women’s teams.
In terms of local bar spending, the increase reached 44% for the match against Manchester United, 31% against Tottenham Hotspur, 25% against Chelsea and 22% against Liverpool Women’s teams. This shows that rivalries significantly influenced spending patterns during these games.
Natalia Lechmanova, Chief Economist of Europe at Mastercard Economics Institute, said: “In today’s ‘experience economy’, interest in sports tournaments and other live events continues to grow. Football remains the most popular sport globally, and in recent years we have seen a growing interest in women’s football in particular.
“Our event analysis of Arsenal Women’s games played in the UK last season showed that the matches significantly lifted the bar and restaurant spend within 1km of the stadium by 16% and 15%, respectively. Those are impressive figures, and we look forward to seeing what the next season brings.”
Mastercard, a long-time sponsor of Arsenal Women’s team since 2019, believes that supporters will continue to prioritise spending on live experiences and with more home games at the Emirates than ever this season, local businesses are set for further groth with an anticipated rise in sales.
“Mastercard has been part of our women’s team journey for more than five years and during this time we’ve seen an extraordinary increase in our matchday attendances, especially at Emirates Stadium,” commented Juliet Slot, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer.
“Last season, our average attendance across six WSL games at the Emirates was more than 52,000, and this research brings to light the shared pride that’s felt across our club and our local community as we continue to grow the women’s game.
“This season, we take another step forward with 11 women’s matches coming to Emirates Stadium, making it the main home of our women’s team. We want to bring even more supporters to Islington to connect with our home and drive our team forwards.”
