Club History - Chelsea Ladies

Club History - Chelsea Ladies

Supporters wishing to have a female section to the club founded Chelsea Ladies Football Club in 1992.

The main football club allowed the use of the Chelsea name and the ladies section continued to run under the guidance of volunteers/supporters up until as recently season's ago.

With ladies football being the fastest growing sport in England and the arrival of Roman Abramovich to Chelsea the main club was now in a position to invest in the women’s game.

A five-year strategy was put in place and the first year target of promotion from the Southern National League as champions was achieved.

Chelsea Ladies have competed in the top flight of women’s football since 2005 when the Blues won promotion to the FA Premier League National Division.

In 2005-06 manager George Michealas left after four years in charge and his first top flight season before Shaun Gore took over. He went on to win a promotion/relegation play-off against FA Northern Division runners-up Liverpool 4–1 on aggregate to stay in the FA Premier League National Division.

After an eighth-placed finish in 2006-07, Gore drafted in England players Siobhan Chamberlain, Casey Stoney and Eniola Aluko. World Cup winner Lorrie Fair, regarded as one of the best midfielders in the women’s game, also signed as Chelsea finished 2007-08 in fifth spot.

Chelsea Ladies introduced a new manager for the 2008-09 season, former Arsenal Ladies reserve team coach Steve Jones. The Blues finished third but Jones departed in January 2009, leaving Casey Stoney as player/manager.

Stoney, now at Lincoln Ladies, played a key role in bringing in manager Matt Beard in 2009 by recommending the former Charlton coach.

Beard took over for the 2009-10 campaign and quickly made an impact, guiding Chelsea to third place in the league and an FA Cup semi-final.

In March 2009 Chelsea were named as one of the eight members of the inaugural FA Women’s Super League to start in March 2011.

Injury problems saw the Blues finish sixth in the inaugural FA Women's Super League season. Before Beard led the club to their first FA Women's Cup Final in 2012 where they lost on penalties to Birmingham City.

Beard left the club months after and was replaced at the helm by Emma Hayes in June 2012. Hayes has brought some top class international players to the club since her appointment in Eniola Aluko, Sofia Jakobsson, Edda Gardarsdottir and Olina Vidarsdottir as the club looks to challenge for honours in the near future.