A WSL record crowd of 60,160 saw Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium back in February [Arsenal FC]

ARSENAL women will officially call Ashburton Grove home next season after the club announced they will be playing more games in north London than ever before, writes Steve Barnett.

The Gunners will stage eight Women’s Super League (WSL) matches at the Emirates Stadium, along with three Champions League games should they successfully qualify for the group stages. Progress to the latter stages of Europe would also mean all home legs in the knockout rounds would be heading for N7.

Remaining fixtures, including all domestic cup matches, will take place at Arsenal’s Meadow Park ground in Borehamwood.

Jonas Eidevall’s side played six league fixtures at the Emirates this term, averaging a crowd of 52,029 – which included two sell-outs and three WSL attendance records.

Speaking about the historic news, Arsenal sporting director, Edu Gaspar, said: “There’s great passion for our women’s team right across our club. We are one club, with a vision to win major trophies across our men’s and women’s teams. This move supports this ambition and we can’t wait to continue this amazing journey with our supporters.”

The club’s chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham, added: “For almost four decades, we’ve been at the forefront of the women’s game. We’ve recently seen extraordinary growth in supporters coming to Emirates Stadium for games held here, which include two complete sell-outs this season.

“The next step in our journey is to make Emirates Stadium our main home for Arsenal Women. We’re looking forward to giving more supporters the chance to watch our women’s team play.”