Bristol City’s Olivia Clark: WSL needs to do more to sustain growth
It would appear the Women’s Super League (WSL) took a huge step forward this season.
The league set a record attendance of 54,115 at the Emirates, as Arsenal were defeated 1-0 by the visiting Liverpool.
But more needs to be done to spread the growth at a domestic level and ensure the levelling up is done sustainably.
The Sports Gazette spoke with Wales international goal-keeper Olivia Clark, who made her WSL debut on Sunday as Bristol City took on Arsenal.
The fixture had a club record attendance of 12,008 at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate. Arsenal women are a well-followed club, often bringing large travelling support, thus bolstering attendances for the sides they visit.
Bristol City’s previous home game against Leicester brought 4,132 fans. Leicester women play in the 32,262 capacity King Power Stadium, yet their opening two home games have both hosted less than 2,500 spectators.
Coventry United
Clark has previously played for Lincolnshire-based Nettleham, Huddersfield, and Coventry United during their time in the Women’s Championship.
Throughout her time there, Coventry, now Rugby Borough FC, turned fully-professional at the start 2021/22 of the season only to plan for liquidation by that Christmas.
The entire squad of players were set to have their contracts terminated, some of whom were informed on Boxing Day, before eventually being saved at the last minute.
Clark said: “I think it highlighted more needs to be done at a domestic level. Some of the girls we had played in the WSL, these are quite big players still.
“This is happening in the top two leagues of women’s football, which doesn’t make sense to me. How can a club just disappear overnight?”
Despite avoiding liquidation, Clark’s former side were deducted 10 points. The Football Association said Coventry broke WSL and Championship rules by being involved in an insolvency event.
This left the side bottom of the table with minus four points, ten behind 11th placed Watford and with 11 games to go.
Yet, with a 97th minute winner against Watford on the last day of the season, Coventry retained their Championship status against all odds.
“We stayed up and I think that’s just because people were grateful to be there in the end, and grateful to still be playing football. That fight helped us stay up.”
Clark continued: “Going forwards, that helped a lot of us in our next moves because we had that fight and determination about us to keep going.”
As for Clark now, she was recently recalled from a loan spell at the club Coventry United helped relegate that day – Watford. The Golden Girls have since returned to women’s football second tier.
Clark had praise for the careful approach of her former club, in their efforts to level up sustainably. She said: “I am happy that they are back in the Championship, I think they deserve to be there.
“They’re not actually full-time, I think they are probably the only part-time team in the league. But the club have gone about things well and you shouldn’t go full-time if you can’t do it right.
“Obviously, I learnt that at Coventry. You shouldn’t go full-time if you haven’t got the funds and structure for it. I don’t think you should run before you can walk.
“To establish yourselves first in the Championship is important, then they can look at going full-time when ready.”
Women’s Goal-Keeper Kits
Watford, as well as Bristol City, are two clubs that are in the majority of women’s clubs, in that they do not sell women’s goal-keeper kits.
This is an issue that received national headlines when Nike refused to make Mary Earps jerseys, before later U-turning.
Clark says: “I don’t think we can demand that until crowds get bigger, all across the domestic level.
“Arsenal got 50,000 odd at the Emirates but then Bristol City only get 4,000. It’s a big difference still between the big clubs, the smaller clubs and a difference between the WSL and the Championship.
“I think when crowds get bigger then these little things, like kit, will progress.”
International Duty
Clark was feeling optimistic about the Wales team, whose UEFA Nations League group is made up of three of the top 15 FIFA ranked national sides, in Group three, League A.
She said: “We’ve seen our crowds become so much bigger. For Wales, the last World Cup [qualifying] campaign our average attendance was 1,000-2,000 and then the most recent we had a record attendance of 15,000. And that’s just in the space of one, two years.
“Seeing that, then all the girls after asking for your autograph is weird. You never think you are going to be in that position.
“Even young boys look up to the female players now, after games there is boys asking for autographs too. Just as many as girls.”
Clark’s route into the Wales national team was unusual. The shot-stopper randomly saw an advert for Wales u17 trials on Twitter (now X) and her dad took her along. Before she knew it, she was around the senior team from 16. Her debut came at 19.
To any aspiring national-team athletes reading, don’t forget to check your X accounts.
She has already played against the world’s best in her starting role for country and with an injury to the Robins’ number one Fran Bentley, she is looking to take her chance in the WSL.
In her first WSL game, Clark was named in WSL Full-Time’s team of the week.
As her career goes from strength to strength, she wishes most to take Wales women to a place they have never been before. A major tournament.
