Hibernian Women smashed their own domestic attendance record as over 8000 people watched Sunday afternoon’s Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.
With the previous record set in September 2021, when 5512 people attended a 3-1 win over rivals Hearts in Leith, the 8066 figure eclipsed last year’s total and marked a significant moment for the club and Scottish women’s football.
The first Edinburgh derby of the SWPL season was dubbed the Women’s Capital Cup and it was Hibs who walked away with the silverware following a 1-1 draw and penalty shootout victory over the Jambos.
While the draw was a disappointing result from a league perspective, with Dean Gibson’s side the better team for large spells of the game, the day itself was enjoyed by lots of new fans – both young and old – who will hopefully now feel a little closer to the women’s team and the football club as a whole.
On the pitch, Hearts took the lead after 62 minutes with what was their first notable attempt on goal. Despite large periods of comfortable possession, Hibs were struggling at times to find the right final ball or the magic touch required in front of goal.
As Gibson made a couple of changes in attack, the momentum began to swing in the favour of the Hibees, who eventually found a way through when Crystal Thomas finished from close range following a stramash in the box after 85 minutes.
In truth Hibs could have won it in the final moments of the game but Hearts defended resolutely to ensure the SWPL points were shared.
With the Women’s Capital Cup at stake despite the shared league points, the match went to penalties. Hibs keeper Benedicte Haaland made an important save before Siobhan Hunter stepped up to smash the final penalty into the roof of the net and secure the trophy for the Hibees.
With over 8000 fans inside Easter Road, and a huge number of women and young girls part of the crowd, the women’s team were once again in the spotlight and have done another great job of attracting new fans into the club.
Speaking to Hibs TV after the match, striker Crystal Thomas was delighted to help her side pick up the trophy and was hugely grateful for the backing the team received at Easter Road.
“It’s just fantastic. It was more than just about this game, it was fantastic to have that many fans at a domestic league game and I think it’s just going to continue to grow.
“We want to continue to elevate it into the future so thanks to everyone who came out tonight and hopefully we’ll keep getting more and more and it’ll be even better for the next generation of players.”
Manager Dean Gibson was hopeful that Sunday’s derby was just the start of another big season for the women’s game in Scotland, with lots of opportunities to continue to promote the club and matchday experience on offer.
“I think every year now the women’s game is going to continue to grow, but the message is ‘let’s grow it this year’, it’s still early enough. Can someone break our record before we play at Tynecastle in February? Let’s hope it can be broken and then we’ll go and look to break that again.
“The women’s game is still at that stage where we all need to keep promoting each other but during the 90 minutes we’ll then be competitive.
Asked if he had a message for supporters who might have attended a women’s team fixture for the first time yesterday, Gibson urged fans to consider returning as the season progresses.
“I’ll be surprised if anyone came tonight and doesn’t consider coming to a second one. It was a proper game of football, the pace of the game was good, the amount on chances created the atmosphere and the tackles.”
Next up for Hibernian Women is the Sky Sports Cup final against Rangers at Tynecastle on Sunday 11th December, before a return to the side’s regular home at Meadowbank to face Dundee United on Sunday 18th December.
More information on the women’s team and their upcoming fixtures, including ticket details, can be found by clicking here.
Image credit Hibernian FC.
The East Stand 