Why can't Chelsea's women's team fill Stamford Bridge? Arsenal leaving London rivals in the dirt for attendances - and Emma Hayes all-conquering Blues deserve more

In total, Chelsea welcomed 12,802 spectators through the turnstiles against Liverpool, meaning nearly 28,000 seats were left empty. Although the attendance was still significantly higher than if the game had been played at the Blues' 2,265-capacity Kingsmeadow home, it was hard not to be a little underwhelmed with the ticket sales, considering the game was played during a men's international break and Manchester United attracted 43,000 through the door for the Manchester derby a day later.

Chelsea's season opener against Tottenham was only marginally better attended, with just shy of 15,000 watching Chelsea secure three points. A few years ago, these numbers would have been cause for celebration. Let us not forget that the club gave away over 40,000 free tickets for their WSL meeting with Spurs in 2019 - and still did not fill the Bridge. However, after game-changing Euros and World Cup tournaments, even-higher attendances have, perhaps naively, become expected.

Chelsea will appreciate this more than most; their London derby against Tottenham brought a near sell-out crowd last season, while their Champions League semi-final meeting with Barcelona saw close to 30,000 turn up.

One factor that can be definitively dismissed as playing any role in the declining crowds this season is the on-pitch performances. Pretty much every time Chelsea have played at the Bridge they have sent those in attendance home with moments to cherish.

Back in 2019, it was Beth England's absolute rocket that decided their London derby meeting with Spurs. More recently, Chelsea put their supporters through the ringer, before eventually securing a dramatic Champions League victory over Lyon on penalties. And on Saturday, James treated the crowd to an iconic WSL hat-trick.

This is also the most successful Chelsea side in history. They've won four WSL titles in a row and reached a Champions League final, mercilessly establishing themselves as a dominant force in women's football. They've done all of this while playing some scintillating stuff and they boast some of the most recognisable names in the sport. No player in the WSL is more watchable than James, Sam Kerr is a global superstar and Millie Bright has been acting as England captain during Leah Williamson's extended absence.

When you consider all of that, it's hard to understand why more potential fans don't want a piece of the action.

Chelsea's attendance milestones last season only makes this campaign's slow start more frustrating. Almost exactly a year ago, they set a record when 38,350 fans packed inside Stamford Bridge to watch the Blues take on Spurs. It was Hayes' first game back in the dugout following an emergency hysterectomy, and after the 3-0 victory she hailed those who turned out, while also calling for a fresh thinking around attendances.

"I’m absolutely certain we’re all outgrowing our small stadia, that I’m sure of. I know the players want to be here more, but I also think it’s important that there is a business cost to playing," she said. "I think one of the biggest things that perhaps we don’t talk enough about is how cheap women’s football is.

"I really believe we have to increase the overall pricing structure if we’re to play more in these places, because there is a cost implication of doing it. And I think the audiences are there, not for every game but certainly for maybe eight games, 12 games a year. But we have to be more ambitious for ourselves. Is it too cheap to watch women’s football? I think it is, especially the top games."

Hayes words proved to be prophetic, with Chelsea indeed unveiling a fresh approach ahead of the 2023-24 season, with an increase in the amount of games played at Stamford Bridge twinned with higher prices across the board.

Fans were able to buy a five-match season ticket for the WSL matches guaranteed to be played at the Bridge, which cost between £50 and £170 - more than the price of a Kingsmeadow season ticket during the previous campaign.

One-off tickets have received a significant spike too. On the opening day, adults were charged between £12 and £50 to watch the Spurs game, with the higher prices receiving backlash on social media. This is still cheap compared with the majority of men's fixtures at Stamford Bridge, but raising prices for an audience relatively new to women's football - in most cases, anyway - was always going to be a risky strategy.

And the decision hasn't seemed to have brought success yet, with Hayes admitting as much ahead of the game on Saturday. "We have a new commercial manager for the women’s team and Carly Telford is part of that team. We recognise we might not meet every goal in this first half of the season in terms of the volume of tickets we want to sell," she said.

"We now have good processes in place for our future. I suspect our crowd will be similar to that of the last time we played there, so consolidating that is our first step. Playing back-to-back games there will be helpful. It is sometimes challenging when you want it to become your home. We realise that won’t all come at once, but it’s become more familiar than ever so we’re looking forward to it."

The pricing model is not the only aspect of the new outlook that's been criticised either; match selection has also been questioned. This is not entirely fair, though. While it's true that the club has tried to keep Chelsea's must-win games at the intimidating Kingsmeadow wherever possible in recent years, things are set to change this campaign.

The Blues will play each of their Champions League group-stage matches at the Bridge, while WSL title rivals Arsenal and Manchester United will also visit later in the season.

These glamourous WSL ties will no doubt attract more supporters than the Tottenham and Liverpool matches, but there's still a feeling that Chelsea are not quite where they should be off the pitch considering their footballing dominance. If they want to fill Stamford Bridge more regularly they could do a lot worse than taking their lead from city rivals Arsenal, as painful as that might seem.

Back in April, the Gunners sold out the Emirates Stadium. Around 60,000 people witnessed Jonas Eidevell's injury-hit side go desperately close to sealing their passage to the Champions League final, only to suffer extra-time heartbreak.

The result was tough to take, but it was a crowning moment for English club football and proved what can happen when you provide everything a women's team needs to grow. Since then, Arsenal have played back-to-back home games at the Emirates for the first time ever, which attracted a combined attendance of 90,000.

Part of this success story can be explained by external factors. The Gunners have a long-standing tradition as a force in women's football and there was a feel-good factor surrounding the club due to the men's team's resurgence.

However, Arsenal also deserve credit for their hands-on role in building the women's team's brand. Meaningful dialogue with supporters' groups have created a genuinely enjoyable matchday experience for veteran and newer supporters alike.

The marketing has been excellent, too. Personalised video messages from the club's most recognisable faces when ticket milestones are reached help create a snowball effect and that vital emotional connection between fans and players. This synergy was only strengthened by the shared trauma and high drama of the Wolfsburg game - and Arsenal's decision to keep prices low has meant many have opted to come back this season.

It's not just at home that they're leading their way either. The Gunners also boasts the largest travelling support in the WSL, with no side embracing the newfound away end culture - fought for by a range of different clubs' supporters' groups - more feverishly.

In fact, the boom in away fans has been such that at Arsenal's last four road games new attendance records for women's games at those stadiums have been set - thanks largely to the Gunners faithful travelling in such numbers.

If Chelsea want to replicate Arsenal's success, engaging with their own fans in a similar way would be a good place to start. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Chelsea Women Supporters Group member Kerrie Evans said: "[Filling Stamford Bridge] is a proper learning curve and I don’t think there’s a straightforward answer. One of the reasons is, for years, it feels like growing the fanbase was the forgotten part.

"Because we were doing so well on the pitch, the need to build the fanbase got forgotten. The previous owners or the hierarchy didn’t help, we didn’t play that many games at Stamford Bridge. Women’s football has grown so much since we first played there in 2016."

A rethinking of the club's increased pricing might be required too, even if Hayes is right to ask questions about how clubs properly value watching their product. Amid this emerging debate, it is important not to be dismissive of the thousands of fans that have been following Chelsea over land and sea (and Leicester) for many years. They won't care if their team plays in front of 1,000 at Kingsmeadow or 35,000 at the Bridge.

That's because the Blues' recent identity is built far more on lifting trophies than providing the best matchday experience or being culturally influential. And in this regard, there remains no contest. Once again, Chelsea are top of the Women's Super League and they are playing brilliantly. So who cares about the empty seats?

Hayes summed this attitude neatly ahead of her side's Champions League clash with Paris FC. Asked about her pride in Chelsea vs Liverpool attracting a record television audience last Saturday, she replied, with a wry smile: "I know we like to talk about viewing figures and attendances a lot so it’s great to know we won the great viewing figure statistic prize."