Jonas Eidevall accepts increase of women’s fans raises player welfare challenges

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. On Wednesday, the Gunners’ Women’s Super League rivals Chelsea announced a policy change after determining “it is no longer safe or sustainable for the players to sign autographs or have selfie photos taken with fans in an uncontrolled way”. “I think, we will, obviously as a club take our decisions, but we will always try and do that with the connection to our supporters absolutely in the front of our mind, together with the safety of our players and staff.” Chelsea are not alone in trying to innovate when it comes to balancing personal interactions with players – long a hallmark of the women’s game – with what over the last few seasons has been a rapid growth in attendance at a number of top WSL clubs. Manchester City last season trialled “Autograph Alley”, a dedicated meet-and-greet point where a smaller group of randomly-selected supporters enjoy post-match encounters with players. England defender Esme Morgan, who moved to National Women’s Soccer League side Washington Spirit in June, was among the City players who praised the system, saying it was “a lot nicer for us actually because it’s a much calmer situation and atmosphere.” While they remain an exception, there were nevertheless several instances of players across the WSL who found themselves subjected to social media criticism and accusations of hurting fans after they were unable to stop for every supporter.