Manchester United Women take on Everton this weekend in a historic first game at Old Trafford with fans in attendance.
The Red Devils, who usually play at Leigh Sports Village, will be playing at the Theatre of Dreams for only the second time ever this Sunday.
However, this will be the first fixture they are playing in front of a crowd with last season’s 2-0 win over West Ham being staged behind closed doors.
United will be following in the footsteps of rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal who have all had several Women’s Super League fixtures at their respective men’s stadiums in recent seasons.
Most notably, a famous Manchester derby took place in September 2019 when United travelled across the city to face their local rivals in front of over 31,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium.
Women’s football has continued to grow in recent years as it gains more coverage and becomes more accessible to supporters, especially this season with Sky Sports and BBC both obtaining TV rights to broadcast WSL games live across their channels.
This weekend’s fixture will give United’s ladies side an opportunity to gain further exposure as they take on the Toffees in one of their most significant games since being founded in 2018.
With the men’s team being away for the international break, thousands will be attendance at Old Trafford and even more will be tuning in to Sky Sport’s live coverage.
Marc Skinner’s side will be eager to get back to winning ways after conceding an injury time equaliser in their 1-1 draw away against West Ham last time out.
United will look to maintain their third-place spot to secure Champions League qualification for next season, but their position is at risk with Manchester City only three points behind, and Tottenham Hotspur four points behind, both chasing with a game in hand on the Reds.
Everton will be hoping to avoid a third loss in a row after suffering heavy defeats in their last two fixtures to Manchester City and Chelsea.
City’s emphatic 4-0 win over the Toffees in the FA Cup summed up the disappointing campaign that Chris Robert’s side have had.
They currently sit in ninth place in the league, which is a significant drop off from last season’s fifth place finish. While Everton are expected to have a fully fit squad, Manchester United have several players out with long-term injuries, including Aoife Mannion, Kirsty Smith, Hayley Ladd, Carrie Jones, Lucy Staniforth, and Millie Turner.
