Outcome uncertainty and the demand for women’s football

We investigate the determinants of attendances at women’s football matches across three European countries. Our focus is on the role that short-term (game level) and medium term (seasonal level) outcome uncertainty play in determining attendances. We find no evidence that fans respond to game uncertainty in England and France in their decisions to attend, though there is some evidence that they do in Germany. We explore this using alternative estimators. Moreover, attendances are higher in France and Germany when the match is of greater significance for the away team in terms of winning the championship. Home and away team strengths and quality are also shown to be important factors in shaping attendance at women’s football matches.