Chelsea given Arsenal Emirates Stadium blueprint to recreate 'inspirational' masterstroke

Before Arsenal welcomed Chelsea to the Emirates last January, Emma Hayes dubbed the Gunners an «inspiration for the rest of the league».

Such effusive praise, however, had not been sparked by her title rivals' impressive form, nor by their storied history. Instead, the Chelsea boss was referring toArsenal's ability to consistently to get bums on seats at the club's 60,000-seater stadium, often shattering Women's Super League (WSL) attendance records in the process.

«Arsenal have done a tremendous job in packing the numbers into the Emirates,» Hayes admitted. “It is nice that the game will be played at a stadium with a packed crowd, I know that the players enjoy that."

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Twelve months on from those comments, Arsenal have further cemented their status as trailblazers in the women's game, with the club confirming that April's WSL clash with Leicester City will now be held at the Emirates. “We’ve been thrilled by the consistent support for our women’s team this season," Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham said in a statement on Tuesday. «That includes record attendances, as well as regular sell-outs at Meadow Park and for all our away allocations. We’re delighted to bring our supporters another match at Emirates to build on that, and give as many of them as possible the opportunity to get behind the team in what will be a crucial period of our season.»

The announcement means that, by the end of the season, Jonas Eidevall's side will have played six of their league games at the Emirates. As such, they will have contested more top flight fixtures at the North