The women’s Serie A football match between Juventus and Roma was played on Sunday afternoon, which ended 2 to 1 for Juventus with goals from Barbara Bonansea and Sofia Cantore. Since the men’s Serie A was on break for the national teams, Juventus decided to move the match to the Allianz Stadium, the stadium usually used by the men’s team, to allow entry to a greater number of spectators, also because they were playing the two best teams in the league. There were around 33 thousand people at the Stadium to watch the match, including around 500 away Roma fans.
In recent years the most heated rivalry in Italian women’s football has developed between Juventus and Roma. The two teams have finished in the top two places in Serie A in the last three seasons. Roma have won the last two championships, while the previous five had been won by Juventus. Many of the best players of the Italian national team also play for Juventus (Cantore, Bonansea, Cristiana Girelli, Martina Rosucci) or Roma (Elena Linari, Valentina Giacinti, Manuela Giugliano, who became the first Italian among the 30 players nominated for the Ballon d’ Gold). Finally, Juventus and Roma were the last two teams to reach the knockout phase of the Champions League, the main European tournament, in 2022 and 2023.
As in the case of a Juventus-Fiorentina played in 2019 at the Stadium, which remains the women’s Serie A match with the largest audience (39,027 people), the spectators of Juventus-Roma last Sunday were not paying: the tickets were free. The audience that follows women’s football in Italy, at the stadium or on television, has been increasing in recent years, but the numbers are still incomparable not only to those of the men’s Serie A, which is much richer and has a support, an exposure media and a greater tradition, but also to those of the English women’s championship or the women’s Serie A volleyball, for example. For the moment, matches like Sunday’s remain exceptions.
In the last one FIGC football reportthe Italian football federation, we read that in the 2022-2023 season, the latest for which data is available and the first since the introduction of professionalism in women’s football, the average attendance in Serie A stadiums was 465 spectators per game. Very few, if compared to the 29,371 in the men’s Serie A or the approximately 2,000 in the women’s volleyball championship, even if in 2017-2018 they were less than half (208). In 2023-2024 have grown further compared to the previous season.
In 2022-2023, spectators for all women’s Serie A matches totaled 60,414, just double the number of spectators at the Stadium on Sunday in a single match; the match with the highest number of spectators of that championship (which has never been played in stadiums of men’s teams) it was a Roma-Fiorentina with 2,767 people. It is also a question of facilities: Roma plays their home matches at the Tre Fontane Stadium, which can host around 3 thousand fans, while Juventus has been playing for some years at the La Marmora-Pozzo Stadium in Biella, with less than 6 thousand seats and around 80 kilometers away away from Turin.
In Europe there are women’s teams such as Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United who they have more than 10 thousand spectators per match. Tickets for an Arsenal match, which always plays in the same stadium as the men’s team, cost between 10 and 28 euros. Tickets to see Barcelona, arguably the best European team, cost between 16 and 39 euros, while a ticket to see Roma women costs between 3 and 12 euros.
The people who watch the women’s Serie A on television or other devices are also growing: in 2018-2019 the matches, at the time broadcast on Sky, had an average audience of 68,617 spectators; in 2022-2023 on La7 (therefore free-to-air) the average audience reached 119,256. Since last year, women’s Serie A matches have been broadcast by DAZN and Rai, which shows one per week free-to-air. Juventus-Roma was broadcast on Rai 2 and according to the Rai it was followed by 432 thousand spectators with a 4.3 percent share. It means that 4.3 percent of people watching TV on Sunday afternoon were watching the match, a figure slightly lower than the 440 thousand who they lookedagain on Rai 2, another Juventus-Roma, that of the Italian Super Cup played last January. Sunday’s match was broadcast in 110 different countries.
DAZN and Rai they bought the rights for the 2023-2024 Serie A for just over 1 million euros, while the amount for which they were sold the rights for the three-year period 2025-2027 have not been disclosed (the women’s Champions League can also be seen on DAZN). To give two terms of comparison: the rights to broadcast the men’s Serie A football team for the five-year period 2024-2029 were purchased by DAZN and Sky for around 900 million euros per season; the rights to show the 2024-2025 season of the Women’s Super League, the English women’s football championship, in England were sold to Sky Sports and the BBC, who paid in full approximately 8.5 million euros (£7 million) to show the main matches, not all.
Frederikke Thogersen and Barbara Bonansea during the last Juventus-Roma (Jonathan Moscrop/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire)
Women’s football in Italy began to grow in importance towards the second part of the 1910s, when the main men’s clubs such as Juventus, Milan and (only in the last few years) Inter established women’s teams linked directly to the club, a something that the FIGC has allowed since 2015 and which in other European countries had happened long before. With some exceptions and differences, today the strongest Italian and European teams at the men’s level are also among the strongest and most prestigious at the women’s level. In 2019 the Italian national team achieved its best result in history at the World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals, and this generated an increase in interest and media exposure in women’s football.
In recent years, not only has the number of spectators grown, but also the level of play: the Italian teams offer increasingly entertaining and modern football and the matches in general are more enjoyable and balanced (the FIGC report said that Serie A it is the championship in Europe in which there are the fewest matches that end with more than 3 goals between the winners and the losers).
A new format has also been introduced from 2022-2023, very different from that of the men’s Serie A. There is a first phase in which the 10 teams normally face each other over the home and away legs, then the top 5 in the championship continue in a decisive championship for the awarding of the Scudetto (the so-called chicken Scudetto), while the last 5 play another championship to determine which team gets relegated. On the one hand this has increased the number of matches and above all matches between the best teams, but on the other hand it has perhaps made the final part of the season less exciting, because the teams in the second phase restart from the points already achieved previously (the last season Roma began the chicken with 8 points ahead of Juventus).
In general, however, women’s football in Italy has not yet emerged from its niche audience, as has happened in other countries such as England and Spain, which not surprisingly played in the last World Cup final. The only times he manages to do this is when he ties himself more closely to the men’s game, playing in the stadiums of the men’s teams, with the fans of the men’s teams, in matches perceived as important also in men’s football. It is not yet clear whether this affiliation should be exploited further, effectively making the support for the men’s teams coincide with that for the women’s teams (which has partly happened since the latter have become a direct expression of the former), or whether instead football female should aim for a different audience.
In any case, registered female footballers are increasing: in 2008-2009 in Italy there were 18,854; in 2022-2023 they became 42,852. The number of girls who play football has almost tripled, given that in 2008-2009 there were 6,628 FIGC members aged between 10 and 15 and 17,721 in 2022-2023. These are growing numbers, but still far from countries with a population similar to Italy (England has over 200 thousand members) and from smaller countries such as Belgium, which has more or less a fifth of Italy’s inhabitants but has around 10 thousand more registered female footballers.
Juventus vs. Roma: A New Era for Women’s Football in Italy
In a thrilling encounter, Juventus edged Roma 2-1 at Allianz Stadium, showcasing the palpable rise of women’s football in Italy.
Match Overview
The women’s Serie A battle between Juventus and Roma on Sunday ended with the host triumphing 2-1. Barbara Bonansea and Sofia Cantore’s goals lit up Allianz Stadium, as they claimed victory in what is quickly shaping up to be a fierce rivalry. Amidst the national team break for the men’s Serie A, Juventus seized the opportunity to attract a larger crowd, drawing in approximately 33,000 fans—500 of whom were spirited away fans from Roma. A beautiful day for football, was it not? More excitement than a cat at a laser pointer convention!
Rivalry Heating Up
The dynamic between these two clubs has escalated significantly, with Juventus and Roma finishing consecutively in the top two spots of the league for three seasons now. Notably, Roma snatched the championship title the last two times, leaving Juventus to contemplate their strategy for regaining the crown. The players? Oh, just some of Italy’s finest—Cantore, Bonansea, Cristiana Girelli for Juventus, and for Roma, we have Elena Linari and Valentina Giacinti, who was privileged enough to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Can someone pass the popcorn, please? The drama is endless!
Attendance Stats: A Freebie to Play
Speaking of attendance, let’s talk numbers! The Juventus-Roma match featured a free entry policy, reminiscent of that delightful time you tried to get people to your birthday by offering free cake. Not too shabby for women’s football in a country often overshadowed by its male counterpart. While the match attracted a decent crowd, it’s important to note that the average attendance for women’s Serie A last season was just 465. Yes, that’s less than a New Year’s party at my place!
Challenging Comparisons
When stacked against the men’s league, it’s as if women’s Serie A is playing a different game—one that sees an average audience of over 29,000. The barriers are clear, though! A stark reminder that there’s still a long road ahead for women’s football. To top that off, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Manchester United manage to pull in over 10,000 fans per match. Meanwhile, tickets for an Arsenal game max out at 39 euros, and perfectly fit in your monthly budget for coffee… unless you’re addicted, then sorry!
Recent Audience Growth
Interestingly enough, the viewing numbers for women’s Serie A are looking more promising. From an average of just over 68,000 views in 2018-2019 to a whopping 119,256 last season. Not too shabby for a sport still regarded as ‘novel’ entertainment in parts of Italy, huh?
Comparing Rights Deals
Let’s shift gears for a moment and talk about the big bucks involved. While DAZN and Rai managed to snag broadcast rights for women’s Serie A for just over 1 million euros, the men’s Serie A rights were sold for an astronomical 900 million euros per season for the next five years. The disparity here could make you weep, or laugh—especially if you’ve got a penchant for irony!
Emerging Trends
Now not to be a Debbie Downer, but despite these promising figures, women’s football hasn’t yet emerged from its ‘niche’ status in Italy. Much of the growth seems tied to the fandom of men’s football—play at their stadiums and poof! You have a crowd. The question remains: should women’s football continue to piggyback off men’s teams or carve its unique identity? The jury’s still out, and my bets are on ‘yes,’ but let’s not turn this into a soap opera!
The Road Ahead
Overall, while women’s football in Italy is picking up steam, much work and wind in the sails are still required. With the player registration numbers nearly tripling since 2008-2009, there’s a glimmer of hope. Will we one day see packed stadiums for women’s matches? Perhaps the day is approaching faster than you can say “offside!”
Frederikke Thogersen and Barbara Bonansea during the last Juventus-Roma.
