Chelsea Women vs Tottenham Women: London derby will build on World Cup effect, says England star Fran Kirby

England Lioness Lioness Fran Kirby says a showcase clash between Chelsea and Tottenham is a “massive opportunity to build on the World Cup effect” and get more girls involved in grassroots football.

The Chelsea FC Women star believes next month’s derby at Stamford Bridge will fuel the “incredible interest” that has grown since the international tournament that ended in July.

Chelsea anticipates a near-capacity crowd at the 41,000-seater stadium for the match against newly promoted Tottenham. That would make it the biggest-attended women’s league game in England since 1920, when 53,000 packed into Everton’s Goodison Park to watch a factory team from Preston play St Helens Ladies.

Almost all the tickets for the London derby have gone but 400 are being made available to Standard readers.

Forward Kirby, 26, one of the Lionesses who captured the nation’s hearts during England’s World Cup run to the semi-final, said: “It is a massive opportunity [and] we need to keep this interest running, not just internationally but domestically with club games. Being on that pitch will be incredible. We will have to make the most of that huge opportunity.” She added: “This is a massive game and will be the biggest attendance for a women’s league game in this country in 99 years.” Almost 12 million people tuned in to watch England’s semi-final defeat to the USA, the competition’s winners. The figures made it one of the most viewed TV programmes of the year.

Asked if she had seen an increase in interest in the women’s game since the World Cup, Kirby said: “We see it a lot on social media. We [the team] have people saying they have daughters who now want to be in the first team or that they have set up their own local teams off the back of our success. It is part and parcel of the sport being on TV and it has been incredible.”

Kirby said the derby would be an “amazing experience” for the Chelsea team, which normally plays at smaller venues. “And especially the girls who haven’t played in front of that many people before,” she said. “It will be a highlight of my career, if nothing else than playing in that stadium. And getting to play with a full stadium. We will use the energy to spur us on and get the adrenaline pumping.

“If young girls can watch us playing well and people are entertained when they come to watch us then that will carry on this new-found interest. We need to make sure that people want to keep coming to watch.”

The London derby is on Sunday, September 8 with a 12.30pm kick-off.