Atleti femenino pull in more fans than Simeone's side in Vila-real
22.202 spectators were in the Metropolitano to watch Atlético take on Madrid CFF, more than six Primera División men's matches at the weekend.
Women’s football in Spain is continuing its incredible growth to the extent that Saturday’s capital city derby at the Metropolitano between Atlético Femenino and Madrid CFF attracted more spectators than Villarreal-Atlético in Primera at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
The Liga Iberdrola fixture also beat the attendance record of five other top-flight men’s games at the weekend. After last season’s match at the Calderón between Atlético and Barcelona Femení drew in a crowd of almost 14,000, the Metropolitano hosted the Madrid derby and sold 22,202 tickets, the second-highest attendance for a women’s football fixture in Spain after San Mamés hosted 35,000 fans for a game between Athletic Femenino and Híspalis.
The previous high watermark since Iberdrola started sponsoring the women’s league was set by Valencia-Levante last season, when the east coast derby attracted 17,000 spectators.
Atleti-Madrid CFF outsells six Primera games and all Segunda fixtures
Attendances
To highlight the growth of women’s football in Spain, only four Primera División games last weekend had a higher attendance than the Madrid derby on Saturday: Barcelona-Athletic (84,053), Madrid-Girona (59.057), Valencia-Alavés (35,264) and Betis-Espanyol (31,230).
The game between Diego Simeone’s side and Javi Calleja’s Villarreal drew 19,385 fans. The Liga Iberdrola Madrid derby also had a higher attendance than every game played in Segunda División last weekend.
