Chelsea L.F.C.

Chelsea Ladies

Full name	Chelsea Ladies Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Blues
Ground	Imperial Fields Morden (Capacity: 3,500 (612 seated))
President	John Terry[1]
Manager	Matt Beard
League	FA WSL
2011	5th, FA WSL
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Imperial Fields Chelsea LFC's home ground

Chelsea Ladies Football Club are a semi-professional English women's football club affiliated with Chelsea F.C.. They have competed in the top tier of women's football in England, the Premier League National Division, since 2005. They were admitted to the FA WSL in 2010, which will be the top level of women's football in England from the 2011 season onwards.

History

Chelsea Ladies voted to be taken over and funded by Chelsea FC's Football in the Community department in June 2004.^[2] The club then won promotion as champions from the Southern Division in 2004–05.

After starting 2005-06 with one point from six games, manager George Michealas was sacked in September after four years in charge.^[3] They finished bottom of the league that season under Shaun Gore, but won a promotion/relegation play-off against Northern Division runners-up Liverpool 4–1 on aggregate to stay in the Premier League National Division.^[4]

After an eighth-placed finish in 2006-07, Gore drafted in England players Siobhan Chamberlain, Casey Stoney and Eniola Aluko that summer.^[5] World Cup winner Lorrie Fair, regarded as one of the best midfielders in the women's game, joined in January as Chelsea finished 2007-08 in fifth position.^[6]

Chelsea Ladies introduced a new manager for the 2008-09 season, former Arsenal Ladies reserve team coach Steve Jones. On 2 July 2008 Chelsea surprisingly signed Lianne Sanderson and Anita Asante from Arsenal Ladies,^[7] in addition to veteran Mary Phillip. Then Arsenal Ladies manager Vic Akers criticised his former players as disrespectful,^[7] while pursuing players from other clubs to bolster his own squad.

Chelsea Ladies' finished 2008-09 third behind Arsenal and Everton. Mary Phillip retired a month into the new season,^[8] Eniola Aluko and Anita Asante left for the new WPS in March 2009,^[9] while Lorrie Fair missed the whole campaign with a cruciate ligament injury sustained in May 2008.^[10] Jones departed as manager in January 2009, leaving Casey Stoney to act as player/manager.^[11]

At Casey Stoney's recommendation, Matt Beard became manager for 2009-10.^[1] Cuts to the Ladies club's funding were offset by financial assistance from John Terry and other Chelsea FC players.^[1] A further blow arrived when Lianne Sanderson left for the 2010 WPS season.^[12]

The Club bid successfully to be one of eight founding teams in the FA Women's Super League in March 2011.^[13]

Current squad

^[14][15] Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Carly Telford 2 DF Sophie Perry 3 DF Gemma Bonner 4 DF Kylie Davies (captain) 5 DF Claire Rafferty 6 MF Hayley Moorwood 7 MF Danielle Buet 8 DF Leanne Champ 9 FW Ashlee Hincks 10 FW Helen Lander

No. Position Player 11 DF Dannii Bird 12 FW Emma Plewa 13 GK Sarah Quantrill 14 FW Becky Jane 15 DF Lara Fay 16 DF Shelby Hills 16 DF Drew Spence 18 FW Kate Longhurst 19 DF Naomi Cole 20 MF Laura Coombs

Former players

For details of former players, see Category:Chelsea L.F.C. players.

External links

• Official Chelsea website
• femalesoccer.net

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Leighton, Tony (2009-10-18). "John Terry digs deep to rescue Chelsea Ladies after funding cuts". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oct/18/john-terry-chelsea-womens-football. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
2. ^ "Chelsea FC Take Over Ladies". Fair Game. http://www.fgmag.com/news/index.php?newsmode=FULL&nid=777. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
3. ^ "Chelsea Sack Manager". Fair Game. http://www.fgmag.com/news/index.php?newsmode=FULL&nid=1933. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
4. ^ "Sunderland & Chelsea Survive Play-Offs". Fair Game. http://www.fgmag.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=2587. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
5. ^ "Chelsea Ladies Start Season". Chelsea FC. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/AboutTheLadies/0,,10268~1127776,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
6. ^ "Lorrie Fair Joins Chelsea". Fair Game. http://www.fgmag.com/news/index.php?newsmode=FULL&nid=4624. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Chelsea Ladies sign Arsenal pair". BBC. 2008-07-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/7488789.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
8. ^ "Mary Phillip Retires". Fair Game. http://www.fgmag.com/news/index.php?newsmode=FULL&nid=5474. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
9. ^ Gray, Ashley (2009-03-30). "It was a wrench to leave Arsenal but I couldn't pass up the American dream, says England striker Kelly 'Zidane' Smith". London: The Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1163930/It-wrench-leave-Arsenal-I-pass-American-dream-says-England-striker-Kelly-Zidane-Smith.html. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
10. ^ "Chelsea F.C. likes the Carolina way". The Chapel Hill News. http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2008/07/01/15358/chelsea-fc-likes-the-carolina.html. Retrieved 2010-05-17. 
11. ^ "FA Women's Cup Quarter-Finals". Fair Game. 22 February 2009. http://www.fgmag.co.uk/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=5961. Retrieved 9 December 2009. 
12. ^ Leighton, Tony (24 January 2010). "Lianne Sanderson cites Super League delay as reason for US move". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/24/womens-football-lianne-sanderson. Retrieved 2010-03-08. 
13. ^ "Lincoln Ladies FA Women's Super League bid success". BBC. 2010-03-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/8579715.stm. Retrieved 2010-04-02. 
14. ^ Chelsea Ladies Players & Staff
15. ^ Chelsea Ladies in FA WSL 2011 Football-Lineups.com