Skinner: Let's make Leigh a fortress

Thursday 15 September 2022 15:41

Manchester United Women’s head coach Marc Skinner is eagerly anticipating the opportunity for his team to play in front of a record crowd at Leigh Sports Village on Saturday.

With a buzz generated off the back of a memorable home European Championship over the summer, our WSL opener against Reading this weekend is set to be played in front of more than 6,500 supporters. 

It will be the highest attendance recorded for a WSL fixture at the stadium and is set to be more than double last season’s average count for matches across the Women’s Super League. 

Leigh Sports Village set for biggest WSL crowd

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There could be a record attendance at United Women's WSL opener against Reading this Saturday.

“[It will be] amazing, and at Leigh, our fans are loud anyway,” Skinner explained to reporters during his pre-match press conference.

“So, whether there’s 200 for away fixture, they’re super loud. So, to have 6,000 already and who knows, that might grow, it’s going to be fantastic. 

“It’s going to be like at the Euros when Leigh hosted the game, it was such a great vibe and a great feeling. 

“Hopefully, we can make it a cauldron and a fortress like we did last year, for all the games to come this year.”
United’s head coach hopes that the Reds can retain those supporters set to attend on Saturday for the games that follow throughout the campaign. 

The boss says he and his players have an important role to play in that by looking to put on a show, on the pitch.

“It can be a really momentous season for us,” Marc insisted.

“What I would like to do now is, if as clubs and teams, we can shift that momentum into our styles of play on the field to keep fans coming back, not just to see the Lionesses but to see our teams and that’s our responsibility as teams to make it a really good watch. 

“We’re going to try our best to do that and to make our games as entertaining as possible and of course try to win those games. 

“And hopefully then, we can keep those crowds really high this year.”
In Thursday's briefing, in which Skinner previewed Saturday's match against Reading, the United boss was also asked for an update on how the Reds are shaping up for the fixture.

“Absolutely fine,” he said. “The only one that will be missing this weekend will be Rachel Williams [who recently picked up a knee injury in training] and of course Aoife Mannion. They’ll be the only ones.

“Rach is probably three weeks away before she then hits the ground running. She took a knock in training .

“Everyone else is fine and ready to go.”

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Marc Skinner's Reds are set to return to the Theatre of Dreams in 2022/23, with tickets on sale now.

COME TO SEE UNITED WOMEN

Tickets for United v Reading in the Women's Super League this Saturday 17 September at 12:00 BST are on sale to all supporters, online, via tickets.manutd.com, and hospitality seats are available in shared executive boxes.

Coach travel from Old Trafford to Leigh Sports Village can also be booked in advance.

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