BY MANAS GERA
In April 2011, 2,510 fans are in the stands to watch the first-ever game of the Women’s Super League, a London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. The game took place at Imperial Fields in South London, and the match report on the Arsenal website described it as a ‘difficult pitch which did not suit either side.’
In December 2023, a record-breaking 59,042 fans are in the stands to witness a Barclays Women’s Super League fixture, a London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. The game took place at the home of Arsenal, the Emirates Stadium, on a pitch so immaculate that it’s often referred to as, ‘The Carpet.’
In just over a decade, they’ve added sponsors, spectators, and a stage that does justice to the occasion—the women’s game has come leaps and bounds. The same can be said for a man who has chronicled the Arsenal Women’s journey for nearly two decades, and has played a pivotal role in their ascent. Arsenal journalist, Tim Stillman, has carved a niche and duly earned his own version of sponsors, spectators and stage along the way.
Stillman interviewing Arsenal legend, Alex Scott minutes after her final professional game.
“I think it was around the time they won the Champions League in 2007, and I was like, ‘No one is writing about it? Why is no one writing about it?’ So I thought, ‘Well, why don’t I just write about it,” Stillman explained with a chuckle.
“So I started doing bits and pieces, and then when I joined Arseblog in 2011, the club got in touch about interviewing players, and we were like, ‘Yeah, of course!’”
“And it just grew from there. Then we went to the Patreon model in 2018 which brought a little more income for the site. At that point, we started covering every single game, press box, press conferences, full-on correspondent role.”
Stillman’s efforts were duly recognised by Arsenal.
One could sense the relentless rise of women’s football over the past decade, but during Arsenal’s 2023/24 season, you could see it. Six WSL games played at the Emirates last season saw an average crowd of just over 52,000, which included two sell-outs and three WSL attendance records.
Furthermore, the club has taken the local economy along with it on their upward trend. That’s exemplified by a Mastercard report that found that local bar spending increased by an average of 16% on matchdays during the last campaign.
It saw a notable 44% hike when Man United paid a visit and a 22% rise when Liverpool came to the Emirates. The former was a comfortable 3-1 Arsenal win while the Scousers handed the Gunners a 1-0 defeat. Those numbers make sense now.
North London pub, The Tollington Arms, often swells beyond capacity on matchday.
One man who may or may not have had a role to play in those bar spendings is Stillman, who has seen his attachment with the club grow over this period in more ways than one. If you rewind to 2011, the club was pushing the women’s game and trying to sell more match tickets.
“At that point, every time there was a big game, they sent an email, ‘We’re playing this game next week, does anyone want to interview a player?’ After a while, they figured out I was the only one saying yes every single time,” Stillman explained.
“So then they started emailing me directly, and eventually, it got to a stage where I started emailing them. So it was just because I was always saying yes basically.”
Stillman rarely stood still. From a fan and season ticket holder in 1992-93 to a ‘professional fan’ today according to his Arseblog bio. He’s followed the club, built connections, and sometimes gone viral for his culinary hot takes on Twitter.
“Emotionally, I feel the same as a fan, and I feel the same as I do around the men’s team. For me, it would mean a little bit extra because there’s a professional layer to it. I know some of the players – although that’s happening less and less – so there’s a bit more of an attachment there.”
“With the women’s team now, because it means more to more people, there’s a multiplying effect. When it means so much to so many more people, it then means more to you. That’s one of the things where the growth becomes perpetual.”
The tailwinds of the rocket ship that is Arsenal Women have propelled everything around it to a higher level too. It’s a trend that is not expected to relent soon, with Arsenal setting the standards yet again by naming the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal Women’s main home this season. The crowds shall keep swelling, bars will keep brewing and Stillman shall continue defending the infamous Cheese and Onion Cob.
