The boss of Arsenal Women, Joe Montemurro, has been discussing the prospect of the current champions playing a league match at the Emirates.
The highly-rated Montemurro has been speaking to VAVEL about the likelihood of the club's celebrated women's team gracing the hallowed turf at the 60,000 stadium.
Montemurro, a rising star in the world of football coaching - whose side host Chelsea Women in a season-defining clash on Sunday at Boreham Wood - spoke candidly about the notion during a press conference at the club's training headquarters, London Colney on Wednesday afternoon.
The match against the Blues is a 4,000 sellout at Meadow Park, the ground Montemurro's side currently play their home games at.
The likeable Australian had previously told this correspondent that his team had to achieve a sellout before he could countenance the chance to play in north London.
On playing at the Emirates...
With the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium recording a record crowd of 38,262 against Arsenal in November - as well as the Etihad, Stamford Bridge, the Madjeski, Ashton Gate, Anfield and the Amex all having hosted women’s fixtures this season - with Goodison Park to come next, while St Andrew’s played host to Birmingham Women last season, Montemurro's Gunners and Manchester United are the only top-flight clubs to have so far flatly refused to host a competitive match.
However, the idea was again ruled out at the moment, with passionate women's football advocate Montemurro cautiously admitting that while: "It's fantastic...we need a couple more [sellouts] then we can start to send a message to play in the bigger stadiums."
"[The sellout against Chelsea] is a one off situation and we need to be more consistent on a week to week scenario."
The women's team played against Bayern Munich before the men's team hosted Lyon in last summer's Emirates Cup.
However, the friendly double header saw a disappointingly low crowd watch the match against Bayern's women's team, which has tempered Montemurro's desire to play on bigger stages.
"Double headers can be a double-edged sword," he told VAVEL, asking: "Are people coming because they're watching the men?
"I would like to think we could do it in a way in which we could stand alone."
Arsenal welcome Chelsea to Meadow Park knowing a win would put them seven points ahead of their rivals for the title, albeit with the west Londoners having a game in hand.
A triumph at the weekend would also maintain at least a three-point lead over Manchester City, who play Birmingham in one of two early kick-offs.
Montemurro did take time to praise their current residence, saying: “We love playing at Boreham Wood,” adding: “It’s our little home, we know the size of it, we know the scale of it and we feel comfortable there.
"Any big competitive game we’re happy to play at Boreham Wood.”
The Australian bushfires
Australian Montemurro also took time to hail the emergency services in his homeland bravely fighting the bushfires ravaging the continent and praised the community spirit shown by his compatriots.
The Melbourne-born 50-year-old said that: "I'm in touch with my family on a daily basis," adding: "It is a tragic situation.
"Having grown up in Australia it's commonplace. It's a situation where communities are ripped apart and my heart goes out to all the people who have suffered."
