Vivianne Miedema calls on Arsenal to hold WSL match at the Emirates

| 08 February 2020

Vivianne Miedema calls on Arsenal to hold WSL match at the Emirates

The Gunners are defending WSL champions.

Vivianne Miedema has urged Arsenal to stage a Women's Super League fixture at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are defending WSL champions and host north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

But, whereas the reverse fixture took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal will entertain their neighbours at Meadow Park – the home of Boreham Wood.

A record-breaking WSL crowd of 38,262 fans saw Miedema score the second goal as the visitors won 2-0 back in November.

Arsenal faced north London rivals Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the season. (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Stamford Bridge, the Etihad Stadium and Anfield have also hosted WSL games so far this season as the Football Association looks to build on the growth in interest in women's fixtures.

But reigning champions Arsenal have so far resisted and Miedema, who has hit 40 goals in 42 WSL starts since joining from Bayern Munich in 2017, is keen to turn out at the Emirates Stadium at some point.

Asked by the PA news agency about the game at Spurs, Holland international Miedema replied: "Obviously it was a massive day for women's football.

"Spurs organised it really well, it was an amazing game to play in, the stadium is amazing but the main thing for us is that we won at their ground and I picked up a goal as well – it was a good day for us.

"Playing in a big stadium is nice but it isn't something I get totally buzzed about but I do think for us as a club it would be the next step for us to play at the Emirates.

"What a lot of clubs have done well this year is play a big game in their stadium and I hope that we do that too in the future.

"Liverpool v Everton was at Anfield and this weekend it is at Goodison Park so I think that is really good steps.

"If there are 40,000 people coming to the game that is a massive thing and that would be good for us if we play a good game. Then people would come back to the stadium and it is one of the things we need to improve in the league, get more people to the game."

Sunday's meeting will be just the second WSL clash between Arsenal and Tottenham.

Arsenal currently play their WSL matches at nearby Boreham Wood. (Bradley Collyer/PA)

While Miedema's goals were firing Arsenal to the title last season, Spurs were earning promotion to the top-flight for the first time.

"I'm not going to say it (the women's derby) is as big as on the men's side but you know what the club is about so you are going to want to win this game extra because it is a club rivalry thing," added Miedema.

"Especially the game we played in the Tottenham Stadium, you do feel that even for us. A lot of the people who came to the game instead of being neutrals were actually Arsenal fans and you do feel that."