The final two days of Dashboard Week presented a massive challenge: over a decade’s worth of data from the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Championship which I filtered to only the WSL. With three separate datasets: Matches, Appearances, and Standings, the goal was to tell a story to the user across two dashboards that went from a high-level history/overview to deep-dive insights.
The Spark: Finding the "Tipping Point"
Early in the data exploration phase, one statistic jumped off the screen. While the league has been growing steadily since its 2011 inception, there was a massive, vertical "explosion" in attendance starting in late 2022. It didn't take long to connect the dots: England’s historic Euro 2022 win at Wembley changed the trajectory of woman's football forever.
I decided to make this my point of focus. I wanted to prove that Euro 2022 wasn't just a moment but a catalyst that fundamentally altered the league’s commercial and competitive landscape.
The Prep: Building the Foundation
Before the storytelling could begin, I had to tackle the data in Tableau Prep.
- Standardisation: I cleaned team names to ensure "Arsenal Ladies" and "Arsenal Women" were treated as one entity for a 14-year historical view. I also had to change the attendance field from a string to a number.
- The Pre/Post Euro Split: I created calculated fields to categorise data into pre-Euro 2022 and post-Euro 2022.
- Data Modeling: Using Tableau’s "noodle" relationships, I linked Appearances to Standings on both Season and Team IDs, and Appearances to Matches on Match ID. This allowed for a granular analysis of how specific team performances correlated with these new, massive crowds.
Dashboard 1: The Macro View – "How has the Lionesses' winning the Euros in 2022 effected the WSL?"
The first dashboard focuses on the league's scale. The centerpiece is an attendance trend line that clearly marks the "Euro effect."
- The Intimidation Factor: I analysed home vs. away scoring. Interestingly, as home crowds grew, away teams began scoring fewer goals. The theory? Record-breaking home support is creating a genuine "12th woman" effect, making stadiums harder for visitors to play in.
- The Evolution of Home Dominance : I built a bar chart to examine if the shift in atmosphere translated into tangible results. By comparing the home team win percentage for every season before and after the 2022 victory.
Dashboard 2: The Micro View – "Who Are the Engines of this Growth?"
Once the context was set, I wanted to identify the individual clubs driving this evolution.
- Blockbuster Matchups: A heatmap reveals the highest attended fixtures, highlighting which derbies and top-table clashes are now the league's biggest commercial assets.
- Performance vs. Popularity: Using a scatter plot, I looked at whether an increase in fans has brought success for any particular teams.
- Entertainers & Icons: I utilised BANs to instantly call out the "Most Entertaining Team" (highest goal scorers) and the "Most Popular Team" (highest average attendance).
The Result
The final project demonstrates that the WSL has moved beyond being a niche product. It is now a high-stakes, professional powerhouse where attendance, intimidation, and entertainment value are all trending upward.
scroll across on the above dashboard to click full screen and interact with it!