'Semis should stay at Hampden despite really poor crowds'
"Really poor" attendances at both Women's Scottish Cup semi-finals does not mean they should be played away from Hampden Park, according to Behind the Goals hosts Leanne Crichton and Rachel Corsie.
Rangers beat Celtic 2-0 in front of fewer than 3,000 fans, while Hearts' 3-0 victory over Spartans was watched by under 1,000 at the national stadium.
"Right away, I’m probably disappointed with those crowds," said Crichton. "I'd be interested to know how the clubs felt in terms of the atmosphere and what their expectation was.
"I looked at it as a spectacle on TV and just feel like we've missed that opportunity again."
Last season, more than 100,000 fans attended domestic women's football for the first time, with a record 15,882 watching Celtic's final-day title-decider against Hearts at Celtic Park.
Scotland captain Corsie was particularly disheartened by the Old Firm crowd on Saturday.
"Two Glasgow teams, in a city where football is a big part of the week," she said.
"I don't know what the plan is. I'm assuming they want more people than that to come to the games. But I also don't know how much commitment they put into that.
"Maybe the clubs are just happy that this ticks along and it's going to grow in time but that feels sad to me. Seeing under 3,000 at a game like that, I don't think reflects where the game's at. I don't think it reflects the support the game does have.
"Those numbers are really poor and there will probably be some people saying ‘why is it even at Hampden?’"
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Former Scotland international Crichton came off the bench in one of last season's semi-finals, as Motherwell lost to Rangers.
"For some it was the pinnacle of their careers," she said. "We didn't make it to a final, but for those players to have played as long as they have - some young, some coming towards the end of their career - to be on the Hampden pitch, to play in that type of game, to have your family, your friends, supporters in the stand, it meant everything.
"I’m not at the point where I’m ready to throw the towel in and say ‘it shouldn't be at Hampden because we can't fill stadiums’ or ‘we can't get a bigger crowd’ or look to even breach that 10,000 mark. That should be the target."
Both Crichton and Corsie cast an envious eye at the English game.
Almost 40,000 watched Chelsea's home leg against Barcelona in the Champions League at the weekend and Arsenal sold 60,000 tickets for a WSL fixture against Manchester United in February.
"I know through friends at Arsenal that they have a specific strategy," said Corsie. "It's newer than maybe some realise, and it's been really effective.
"[In Scotland] I'm pretty certain there's not been a real effort to put a specific strategy together.
"We just want it to be as good as it can be and it does just feel like we're not getting the most out of that."
