Insight

Watch this space

New attendance records have been set again in the Women’s Champions League this season, but it isn’t just at the stadiums where fans are gathering to cheer on their teams

WORDS Lizzie Coan
Issue 19

Ever fancied watching Women’s Champions League games with like-minded fans of women’s football? That’s the idea behind Baller Friends Collective, or Baller FC for short. “We had a perpetual problem finding places where we could watch women’s football,” explains Rachel Gould, founder of Baller FC. “When the 2022 Women’s EURO came along, we approached a pub local to us in London to hold watch parties for the games. We showed every single game, and it just snowballed from there.”

The Women’s World Cup the following year helped to grow Baller FC’s league of fans even further. A watch party at a brewery for the final was a highlight for Rachel and the Baller FC team: “We had 500 people there that day, with thousands more on the waiting list. That was a really special day, just a massive party that just showed how far women’s football has come in the last two years.”

Although the idea got going with the EURO and World Cup, the Baller FC team quickly realised there was plenty of appetite for UWCL matches too. “We’ve been showing Women’s Champions League games since last year and they’ve been really popular,” says Rachel. “We had a really big turnout at our watch party for Arsenal’s semi-final last year, and when the second leg came to London a group of us went to the game. We showed the Barcelona-Chelsea semi-final first leg this year too, and even though it was a 12.30 kick-off we had over 50 people come down which was a great turnout.”

Baller FC have also linked up with clubs playing in the competition. “For the Chelsea-Ajax quarter-final this year, we held a ‘Ballers at the Bridge’ party in conjunction with Chelsea. We had about 70 people come to Stamford Bridge, who were all players from grassroots women’s teams in London. They all got free tickets and we had a party for them before the game.”

Ever fancied watching Women’s Champions League games with like-minded fans of women’s football? That’s the idea behind Baller Friends Collective, or Baller FC for short. “We had a perpetual problem finding places where we could watch women’s football,” explains Rachel Gould, founder of Baller FC. “When the 2022 Women’s EURO came along, we approached a pub local to us in London to hold watch parties for the games. We showed every single game, and it just snowballed from there.”

The Women’s World Cup the following year helped to grow Baller FC’s league of fans even further. A watch party at a brewery for the final was a highlight for Rachel and the Baller FC team: “We had 500 people there that day, with thousands more on the waiting list. That was a really special day, just a massive party that just showed how far women’s football has come in the last two years.”

Although the idea got going with the EURO and World Cup, the Baller FC team quickly realised there was plenty of appetite for UWCL matches too. “We’ve been showing Women’s Champions League games since last year and they’ve been really popular,” says Rachel. “We had a really big turnout at our watch party for Arsenal’s semi-final last year, and when the second leg came to London a group of us went to the game. We showed the Barcelona-Chelsea semi-final first leg this year too, and even though it was a 12.30 kick-off we had over 50 people come down which was a great turnout.”

Baller FC have also linked up with clubs playing in the competition. “For the Chelsea-Ajax quarter-final this year, we held a ‘Ballers at the Bridge’ party in conjunction with Chelsea. We had about 70 people come to Stamford Bridge, who were all players from grassroots women’s teams in London. They all got free tickets and we had a party for them before the game.”

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Despite being founded just a couple of years ago, Baller FC are already expanding beyond being an England-only phenomenon. “A group of Baller FC regulars are going to the UWCL final in Bilbao,” Rachel elaborates. “Because of how much we’ve grown, we now have links with other fan groups that are going out to the game, so we’re organising a big meet-up with fans from LA and Denver too.”

The final offers a perfect opportunity for Rachel and the Baller FC team to reflect on how far they’ve come. “We’re really looking forward to going out and having a big celebration in Bilbao. We’ve been spoiled with brilliant European women’s football over the last two years.”

Don’t worry – they’re not stopping there. “We want to do more link-ups with clubs and more trips to games next season, as well as more events up north,” promises Rachel. Watch this space for even bigger and better things next term.

Ever fancied watching Women’s Champions League games with like-minded fans of women’s football? That’s the idea behind Baller Friends Collective, or Baller FC for short. “We had a perpetual problem finding places where we could watch women’s football,” explains Rachel Gould, founder of Baller FC. “When the 2022 Women’s EURO came along, we approached a pub local to us in London to hold watch parties for the games. We showed every single game, and it just snowballed from there.”

The Women’s World Cup the following year helped to grow Baller FC’s league of fans even further. A watch party at a brewery for the final was a highlight for Rachel and the Baller FC team: “We had 500 people there that day, with thousands more on the waiting list. That was a really special day, just a massive party that just showed how far women’s football has come in the last two years.”

Although the idea got going with the EURO and World Cup, the Baller FC team quickly realised there was plenty of appetite for UWCL matches too. “We’ve been showing Women’s Champions League games since last year and they’ve been really popular,” says Rachel. “We had a really big turnout at our watch party for Arsenal’s semi-final last year, and when the second leg came to London a group of us went to the game. We showed the Barcelona-Chelsea semi-final first leg this year too, and even though it was a 12.30 kick-off we had over 50 people come down which was a great turnout.”

Baller FC have also linked up with clubs playing in the competition. “For the Chelsea-Ajax quarter-final this year, we held a ‘Ballers at the Bridge’ party in conjunction with Chelsea. We had about 70 people come to Stamford Bridge, who were all players from grassroots women’s teams in London. They all got free tickets and we had a party for them before the game.”

Insight

Watch this space

New attendance records have been set again in the Women’s Champions League this season, but it isn’t just at the stadiums where fans are gathering to cheer on their teams

WORDS Lizzie Coan

Text Link

Ever fancied watching Women’s Champions League games with like-minded fans of women’s football? That’s the idea behind Baller Friends Collective, or Baller FC for short. “We had a perpetual problem finding places where we could watch women’s football,” explains Rachel Gould, founder of Baller FC. “When the 2022 Women’s EURO came along, we approached a pub local to us in London to hold watch parties for the games. We showed every single game, and it just snowballed from there.”

The Women’s World Cup the following year helped to grow Baller FC’s league of fans even further. A watch party at a brewery for the final was a highlight for Rachel and the Baller FC team: “We had 500 people there that day, with thousands more on the waiting list. That was a really special day, just a massive party that just showed how far women’s football has come in the last two years.”

Although the idea got going with the EURO and World Cup, the Baller FC team quickly realised there was plenty of appetite for UWCL matches too. “We’ve been showing Women’s Champions League games since last year and they’ve been really popular,” says Rachel. “We had a really big turnout at our watch party for Arsenal’s semi-final last year, and when the second leg came to London a group of us went to the game. We showed the Barcelona-Chelsea semi-final first leg this year too, and even though it was a 12.30 kick-off we had over 50 people come down which was a great turnout.”

Baller FC have also linked up with clubs playing in the competition. “For the Chelsea-Ajax quarter-final this year, we held a ‘Ballers at the Bridge’ party in conjunction with Chelsea. We had about 70 people come to Stamford Bridge, who were all players from grassroots women’s teams in London. They all got free tickets and we had a party for them before the game.”

Ever fancied watching Women’s Champions League games with like-minded fans of women’s football? That’s the idea behind Baller Friends Collective, or Baller FC for short. “We had a perpetual problem finding places where we could watch women’s football,” explains Rachel Gould, founder of Baller FC. “When the 2022 Women’s EURO came along, we approached a pub local to us in London to hold watch parties for the games. We showed every single game, and it just snowballed from there.”

The Women’s World Cup the following year helped to grow Baller FC’s league of fans even further. A watch party at a brewery for the final was a highlight for Rachel and the Baller FC team: “We had 500 people there that day, with thousands more on the waiting list. That was a really special day, just a massive party that just showed how far women’s football has come in the last two years.”

Although the idea got going with the EURO and World Cup, the Baller FC team quickly realised there was plenty of appetite for UWCL matches too. “We’ve been showing Women’s Champions League games since last year and they’ve been really popular,” says Rachel. “We had a really big turnout at our watch party for Arsenal’s semi-final last year, and when the second leg came to London a group of us went to the game. We showed the Barcelona-Chelsea semi-final first leg this year too, and even though it was a 12.30 kick-off we had over 50 people come down which was a great turnout.”

Baller FC have also linked up with clubs playing in the competition. “For the Chelsea-Ajax quarter-final this year, we held a ‘Ballers at the Bridge’ party in conjunction with Chelsea. We had about 70 people come to Stamford Bridge, who were all players from grassroots women’s teams in London. They all got free tickets and we had a party for them before the game.”

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Despite being founded just a couple of years ago, Baller FC are already expanding beyond being an England-only phenomenon. “A group of Baller FC regulars are going to the UWCL final in Bilbao,” Rachel elaborates. “Because of how much we’ve grown, we now have links with other fan groups that are going out to the game, so we’re organising a big meet-up with fans from LA and Denver too.”

The final offers a perfect opportunity for Rachel and the Baller FC team to reflect on how far they’ve come. “We’re really looking forward to going out and having a big celebration in Bilbao. We’ve been spoiled with brilliant European women’s football over the last two years.”

Don’t worry – they’re not stopping there. “We want to do more link-ups with clubs and more trips to games next season, as well as more events up north,” promises Rachel. Watch this space for even bigger and better things next term.

Ever fancied watching Women’s Champions League games with like-minded fans of women’s football? That’s the idea behind Baller Friends Collective, or Baller FC for short. “We had a perpetual problem finding places where we could watch women’s football,” explains Rachel Gould, founder of Baller FC. “When the 2022 Women’s EURO came along, we approached a pub local to us in London to hold watch parties for the games. We showed every single game, and it just snowballed from there.”

The Women’s World Cup the following year helped to grow Baller FC’s league of fans even further. A watch party at a brewery for the final was a highlight for Rachel and the Baller FC team: “We had 500 people there that day, with thousands more on the waiting list. That was a really special day, just a massive party that just showed how far women’s football has come in the last two years.”

Although the idea got going with the EURO and World Cup, the Baller FC team quickly realised there was plenty of appetite for UWCL matches too. “We’ve been showing Women’s Champions League games since last year and they’ve been really popular,” says Rachel. “We had a really big turnout at our watch party for Arsenal’s semi-final last year, and when the second leg came to London a group of us went to the game. We showed the Barcelona-Chelsea semi-final first leg this year too, and even though it was a 12.30 kick-off we had over 50 people come down which was a great turnout.”

Baller FC have also linked up with clubs playing in the competition. “For the Chelsea-Ajax quarter-final this year, we held a ‘Ballers at the Bridge’ party in conjunction with Chelsea. We had about 70 people come to Stamford Bridge, who were all players from grassroots women’s teams in London. They all got free tickets and we had a party for them before the game.”

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