Manchester United’s Leigh Sports Village home has been added to the list of venues set to host matches at the 2021 UEFA Women’s European Championship.
The Football Association had originally not included the venue, however, the anticipated unavailability of Nottingham Forest’s home The City Ground due to redevelopment has seen the Leigh Sports Village drafted in.
An official announcement of the change of venue was announced by officials at The Football Association earlier this afternoon.
The City Ground is set for major redevelopment during the 2020/2021 campaign which will see the stadium operate with a much-reduced capacity. The Peter Taylor Stand will be virtually rebuilt which will have an impact on facilities such as the changing rooms which may have caused difficulty for the venue to host 2021 UEFA Women’s European Championship matches.
The Leigh Sports Village is the second North West venue to be selected by The Football Association for the tournament. Manchester City’s Academy Stadium will also host a number of matches in the group stage. Other venues to be used are Bramall Lane (Sheffield United FC), Brentford Community Stadium (Brentford FC), Brighton & Hove Community Stadium (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), New York Stadium (Rotherham United FC), St Mary’s Stadium (Southampton FC), Stadium MK (MK Dons FC) and Wembley Stadium.
It is estimated that over 700,000 fans will buy tickets for matches at the 2021 Women’s European Championship while a record-breaking peak television audience is expected to be recorded during the tournament.
