The Republic of Ireland Women will meet Wales Women in an international friendly on Tuesday night. Most Gooners will watch the match to see Arsenal Women’s Katie McCabe. As much as they want to see the 28-year-old flourish, the Gunner Women utility player is excited for the game, since it has the potential to make history.
McCabe hopes that the Girls in Green can sell out Tallaght Stadium against Wales. The Irish stadium’s existing record attendance is 7,632; however, 8,000 tickets have been sold for the friendly. The Tallaght Stadium, with the new North Stand now open, has a capacity of slightly over 10,000; thus, there are approximately 2,000 tickets available to see it sold out. Hopefully, Irish football supporters will make Tuesday night a special occasion for McCabe and her colleagues by selling out the game against Wales.
So, what did McCabe say about the potential of amassing a large crowd on Tuesday night? After it became clear that the Girls in Green have what it takes to qualify for major competitions, such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup, McCabe says that it is now time to start selling out stadiums.
“I want to be selling out Tallaght; I want to be selling out the Aviva in time as well,” McCabe told The 42 at today’s pre-match press conference.
“That’s the next steps for this team, which will be really important. Tallaght is obviously our home; we love it there, the new stand. You can always feel the crowd on ya, you can hear the chants and the screams whenever we get near goal from all the kids.
“We’re all really excited to be back in Tallaght tomorrow evening; I’m really looking forward to it.”
When Arsenal Women last played, beating Manchester United 3-1, they set a new WSL match attendance record of 60,160 at the Emirates. McCabe is proud to be part of the club:
“What Arsenal have done, that’s not just overnight; that has been in the works for a long, long time. The club have put so much work in in terms of setting foundations and marketing it so well, you can see now 50,000 people; it is like the norm now for us, which is insane.”
“I really think Arsenal are at the forefront of that, and it is just fantastic to see and great to be a part of it, a club that really back the women’s team and put us at the Emirates Stadium, which is incredible. I love playing there; I love playing with girls; it is always really special.”
Interestingly, Arsenal remain a constant among the top five WSL attendance records, which is astounding. And McCabe anticipates a fantastic attendance for Arsenal’s upcoming game against the Tottenham Hotspurs women at the Emirates, with over 50,000 tickets sold already:
“I have seen the numbers for next week’s North London derby and it is over 50,000 as well, and it’s a big credit to everyone at the club for pushing it.”
Are any Gooners heading to Tallaght stadium tonight, to see our Katie McCabe in action for Ireland?
COYGW!
Danni P
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