At the press conference ahead of the European Championship play-off against Poland, national team coach Irene Fuhrmann criticised the low level of fan interest for women’s football in Austria. “We have to ask ourselves whether we did everything we could to promote the game properly” she said to the media.
Only 3200 people came to see the second leg against Poland, the first leg Austria lost 1:0. The Viola Park in Vienna has a capacity of over 17,500. By comparison, over 7000 spectators watched the match in Gdansk on Friday.
Only the winner of the match still has a chance of qualifying for next year’s European Championship in Switzerland. The high relevance of the match makes the spectator interest all the more incomprehensible.
Are the women’s Football matches in Austria too expensive?
The past shows that Austria is generally in favour of women’s football. 10 000 fans came to see the Nations League match against France in September 2023. This set a record for the women’s national team. However, apart from highlight matches, the ÖFB still seems to be struggling to fill the stadiums. Perhaps the ticket prices are a problem. If you want to see Puntigam, Zadrazil and co., you have to pay from EUR 16 (children from EUR 10) for a ticket, depending on the category.
Here, as well, it is worth taking a look at neighbouring countries. At last Friday’s match between Switzerland and Germany in Zurich, children and young people could watch the game for CHF 12.80 (EUR 13.75). Children under the age of 6 even got in for free.
Anyone wanting to watch the German national team against Italy on Monday could get a seated ticket for EUR 8 (children under 14). Standing tickets were available for the youngest fans for just EUR 6.
Fuhrmann’s statement before the start of the match certainly caused a stir. Viktoria Schnaderbeck, a long-time international player (83 caps) and current TV pundit, advertised the ticket sale on Instagram just a few hours before the start of the match.
Fuhrmann’s attention will perhaps drive ticket sales up a little more. However, the general problem in Austria seems to remain.
Photo: Tim Brünjes
