Arsenal Ladies with the 1998 League Cup
Ladies History
Arsenal Ladies FC were formed in 1987 by Vic Akers who was the 1st Team manager for an amazing 22 years prior to stepping down at the end of 2008/09 season and taking up a more general manager role for the club.
During that time, the founding father of the club has collected a staggering 32 trophies, including a domestic treble last season. Vic continues to be the Men’s present kit manager.
The 32 major trophies include 1 Women’s UEFA Cup, 3 domestic Trebles, 11 Premier League Titles, 10 National League Cups and 10 FA Cups, further cementing the Ladies team really are the present dominant force in the English domestic game.
Arsenal Ladies FC have excellent backing and support from Arsenal Football Club and Clare Wheatley, assisted by Ciara Grant and Faye White, are employed by Arsenal FC solely to develop and co-ordinate the female side of the club. A further 2 senior players also work at the Academy overseeing the youth development of the club.
Arsenal’s most decorated year was undoubtedly the 2006/07 season when they recorded their best ever achievement, securing the historic Quadruple in their 20th year. The achievement made them the first British team to ever win the UEFA Women’s Cup, beating Swedish side UMEA, who were heralded the best in Europe, 1-0 over the two legged final.
The 2008/09 season saw them complete the domestic treble, their third through their 22 years and was made more remarkable after having lost 5 players midway through the season. Firstly the League cup was regained in February with a victory over Doncaster Rover Belles. Then a 2-1 victory over Sunderland won the prestigious FA cup for the 10th time at Derby FC in front of 23’033 crowd.
The Championship crown was then added on the very last day of the season after a narrow 1-0 away win over Everton. In what was the closest fought campaign over recent years, with Arsenal securing the title only by a superior the table or standings occurring when two or more teams have earned the same number of points in league or group play. The team with the better goal difference is given the advantage." name="Goal Difference" class="tooltip-link">goal difference. That means Arsenal boost an impressive record of sixth successive years as Champions and take it to eight wins in the last nine years.
In Europe the team made it to the quarter finals where they were defeated by Umea 8-3 on aggregate. This year they will continue to represent England as the Champions in the newly re-named UEFA Women’s Champions League 2009/10, which sees two teams from each seeded country taking part.
The Reserve team is mainly made up from the girls in the Arsenal Youth Academy, which continues to prosper. The Academy is run under the guidance of this year’s newly appointed first team manager Tony Gervais. First team players Jayne Ludlow (Physio) and Emma Byrne (administrator) also work within the Academy as full time staff. The Arsenal Ladies academy enables players aged between 16 and 19 to combine daily football coaching with academic study. Last season the Reserves ended up runners up in the league.
The Centre of Excellence has the aim of further developing the potential of elite young players. Last season saw a record number of players being involved in either training camps or friendlies for both the England U15's and U17's squads. A new Mini Kickers initiative was also launched with over sixty 5-8 year olds getting involved. The Centre of Excellence is overseen by the Director, John Bayer, who was appointed in July 2008.
| Formed | 1987 |
| Members | National Premier League |
| FA Reserve Section | |
| General Manager | Vic Akers |
| First-Team Manager | Laura Harvey |
| Reserve Team Manager | Tony Gervaise |
| Assistant Coach |
Matt Ward |
| Secretary | Clare Wheatley |
| Treasurer | Clare Wheatley |
| Club Captain | Faye White |
| Vice Captain | Jayne Ludlow |
| Academy Medical Officer | Jayne Ludlow |
| Centre of Excellence Director | John Bayer |
| Physio | Claire Smith |
| Centre of Excellence Physios | Anna Botsie |
| Kim Burnett |
INTERNATIONAL HONOURS
England
Faye White
Rachel Yankey
Katie Chapman
Corinne Yorston
Gemma Davison (U23’S)
Gilly Flaherty (U19’S)
BECKY SPENCER (U19’S)
Abbie Prosser (U19’S)
Laura Coombs (U19S)
Lauren Bruton (U17’S)
Danielle Carter (U17’S)
Ireland
Ciara Grant
Emma Byrne
Yvonne Tracy
Niamh Fahey
Scotland
Julie Fleeting
Kim Little
Natalie Ross
Jennifer Beattie
CLUB SPONSORS
Arsenal Football Club
Fly Emirates
ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
NIKE
