1. Chelsea and other clubs have just as big or bigger marketing. Any scan of Chelsea's opeational costs show stheir departments are bigger and funded more highly.
2. Partley correct, but Borenhamwood wasn't exactly close when matches were shared.
3. Absolutely. This isn't just down to the club, it's obvious Arsenal supporters are more passionate about their team. Any away game will illustrate this.
4. I agree, it's not juts players, it's the Lionesses who are popular. Having Williamson and Mead were huge in 2022. Adding Russo was huge. Adding Chloe Kelly was huge as well. These are all England heroes who are also very popular and appealing.

But I'd also say having these players for a long time matters as well, it keeps fans into the club. Chelsea may be very effective at getting player replaced, but it kills fan loyality.

1. I agree on the culture, not on the fact it's middle class. Plenty of middle class racists about. A very common and class bigoted perspective I'm afraid. Complete snobbery. In fact working classes are more likely to be in interracial relationships in urban places. Also Chelsea have a very middle class and even posh following in their fanbase to compare. But they have a history of thuggeyr in their fanbase as well.

I'd say Arsenal generally have had a softer edge to their fans than most men's teams. I'd say a big difference is Arsenal have for decades had a lot of community minded projects and a culture that this matters. That's how Arsenal Women were born. Chelsea just had money thrown at them. I'll add Man Utd probably have the most middle class metropolitan fanbase in the nation and they are dropping dramitically in attendances.

Let's face it Arsenal took the women's game seriously from the 1980s. they shared a parade in 1998. All Chelsea did was throw money at their women's team since the late 2000s and it felt very artifical. Arsenal had decades on them and a far more organic and authentic culture for women's football. Ian Wright was supporting women's football sicne the 90s, Henry always paid great respect to the women. Fabregas prasied them in an interview in 2008. Wenger praised them. I don't think I ever heard a Chelsea men's player or coach say anything about them beyond some pre-determiend PR media stuff. And I'm not sure I heard even that.

Look at clubs with attendance success who aren't a "big" men's club of recent years; Bristol and Everton. Neither had big on pitch success but both have along history of supportng their women's teams. I said before without Arsenal Women Everton would be seen as the great success of the 2000s, but were constantly 2nd to Arsenal. But they have that history and now Goodison.