Lia Walti: Arsenal are building something huge, I didn't want to miss it

Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti has said the Gunners are building something huge with their fan base, which was one of the reasons she opted to stay and sign a new contract last season.

Walti had faced a tough decision, whether to extend her stay that began in 2018 or take up another offer and a fresh challenge ahead of captaining her country at home Euros in 2025.

In the end, she penned a new deal in May and the Switzerland star credits Arsenal's dedication and growing fan support as a main reasons for her continuation with the Gunners.

Walti has made close to 150 Arsenal appearances over the last five years and has seen first hand the growth of women's football off the back of several international tournaments and the impact these have had on attendences and fan bases.

This season alone, Arsenal have been leading the way with their support, creating a hype around the club and spurring the current second placed WSL side into late comebacks and six successive wins.

"The support this season has been incredible," Walti explained. "I think we built something huge here with the Arsenal family over the last couple of years.

"I came here like five, six seasons ago and we barely sold out Meadow Park so it is incredible how the support is growing and how people are coming to our away games.

"That was also one of the main reasons why I really wanted to stay here to be part of that club because you can just feel that as a player, women's football has a high priority."

When Walti first arrived, the average WSL attendance for the 2018/19 season was 972. The 2019 World Cup served as a catalyst, with the figure growing to 1,468 in the next year. Last season, the average WSL attendance was up 200% to an average of 6,000 sparked by Euro 2022.

Arsenal then set a new WSL attendance record on the opening day of 2023/24, where 54,115 fans witnessed their narrow 1-0 loss to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

"I think the fan base is obviously huge," she said. "There are great leagues in Europe and outside of Europe but at the same time, every weekend, you get such great stadiums, such great crowds and this is something we worked our whole career for and we finally have that now.

"I think that shows so much about this club, the support around it and that the club is just doing all the right steps to let the women's game grow. I'm so glad that all the fans can see that as well and they want to be there every weekend to support us, no matter where we play and against who."

Arsenal have had major success with their fan base and have been leading the way in growing an unwavering, dedicated support. The fans have been involved in breaking four attendance records so far this season, and the travelling contingent have sold out away allocations at all games, making their fixtures on the road feel like they carry a home advantage.

"To be honest, it does mostly feel almost a little bit like a home game. I can remember the game we had in Bristol, I think all I could hear was the Arsenal fans and they’re definitely very loud," Walti reflected. "Even when we have away games, it kind of seems like we have a home crowd there but now it's just great for the women's game."

"I think I said it before our generation was used to playing in front of a couple hundred people to now almost every weekend have crowds like that is something that gives you a huge boost on the field."

During 2020/21, virtually all of the WSL season was conducted behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 restrictions after 2019/20 had been cancelled. This meant empty stadiums, no rowdy fans cheering and zero atmosphere - something Walti says made the wins feel unimportant.

"I think none of us really had that feeling we had with the fans, I think it felt really empty," she said looking back. "It felt not as important when we won without the fans so I think to now have them back and it's grown and grown and grown. It's just incredible no matter if it's a home or weekend."

But Walti faced a potentially tough decison last season. The former Turbine Potsdam player had offers from other European club and contemplated an exit from Arsenal.

Yet the challenges new faces pose, along with the dedication she feels from the club towards her own and women's football development, made it an easy decision for the 110-cap international to stay.

"I mean, it's not a secret," she said. "I think I am generally quite a loyal person to clubs so if I feel at home, I don't really want to leave but of course when you're in my age, there was a decision to be made last season. There were definitely other options but at the same time I needed what I have here.

"[You] just want to be part of it and I didn't want to miss out on anything here because I do believe there is so much more potential. There is the right people at Arsenal to keep going to the next steps.

"There is nothing else which could replace that, literally, than staying here and just having these experiences week in and week out. So, I think that was for me a very easy decision because that's what I always wanted and even dreamed [about] as a kid."

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