Arsenal W.F.C.

Arsenal Women Football Club is an English professional women's football club based in Islington, London, England that is affiliated with Arsenal.[1][2] The club plays in the Women's Super League, the top flight of English women's football.

This article is about the women's football club based in England. For the men's team, see Arsenal F.C. For other teams called Arsenal, see Arsenal (disambiguation) § Football.

Arsenal Women
Full nameArsenal Women Football Club
Nickname(s)The Gunners
Founded1987 (1987) as Arsenal Ladies
GroundMeadow Park
Capacity4,502 (1,700 seated)
OwnerKroenke Sports & Entertainment
Head coachJoe Montemurro
LeagueFA WSL
2019–20FA WSL, 3rd of 12
WebsiteClub website

Arsenal are statistically the most successful club in English women's football, holding the records for most titles won in each domestic competition they have played in. The club have won 15 League titles, 14 FA Women's Cup, 5 FA WSL Cups, 10 Women's Premier League Cups, 5 FA Women's Community Shield, and are the only English club to win the UEFA Women's Champions League. In the 2006–07 season, the club became the first in the history of women's football to achieve the continental European sextuple.

Arsenal were founded in 1987 following an initiative by Vic Akers, who became the club's first, longest-serving, and most successful manager. He guided Arsenal to continued success until his departure in 2009, winning the most top-flight matches in English football history. The club have sustained this record,[3] and have won the most doubles and trebles in English football history. Arsenal have also completed a record seven unbeaten league seasons, setting a number of English records for longest top-flight unbeaten run, for goals scored, and points won.[4][5]

Arsenal have played their home games at Meadow Park, Borehamwood since their founding.

History
Further information: List of Arsenal W.F.C. seasons

1987–2009: Founding and early success

In 1987, long-term Arsenal men's team kit manager Vic Akers helped found a women's football club, and was appointed as their initial manager. The club began operating as Arsenal Ladies Football Club.[6] Due to the status of women's football in England suffering from an overall decline in interest, Arsenal were limited to sparse, nomadic cup appearances for the first four years of their existence, and didn't turn professional until 2002.[7][8] They won their first major honour, the Women's League Cup, in the 1991–92 season. Also in 1992, they won promotion to the FA Women's Premier League from the FA Women's National League South, and a season later, won the top division title at the first time of asking.[9]

This began a period of sustained dominance for the club, who soon permanently moved into Meadow Park in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in a groundshare agreement with non-league side Boreham Wood. Following the storied successes of the men's team, Arsenal made a conscious effort to brand women's football as equitable. Over the next twenty years, Arsenal approached all facets of the game, such as training, tactics, scouting, and finance, with the goal to maximize the growth of the club and attain trophies. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Arsenal lavished atop the Premier League for many seasons, boasting academy graduates like Marieanne Spacey and Faye White, as well as utilizing the club's income on stars like Emma Byrne, to allow the club to win a slew of trophies.[10]

Under Akers' stewardship, Arsenal enjoyed unilateral domestic success, as the club claimed 11 league titles, nine FA Women's Cup titles, ten FA Women's Premier League Cup titles, and five FA Women's Community Shield wins. This included seven straight league wins from the 2003–04 season to 2008–09 season, as well as six unbeaten campaigns.[11][12] Moreover, Akers lead the team to the most successful club season in English women's football in the 2006–07 season, as the team won every single competition available to them, including the ever elusive UEFA Women's Cup. The win marked Arsenal's only trophy won from European competition, and the first time an English club won the competition.[13][14] This unique sextuple was recognized with The Committee Award by the Sports Journalists' Association in the 2007 Sports Journalists' Awards.[15]

Akers also led the team to a number of English women's football records, including a six-year league unbeaten run from October 2003[16] to March 2009, marking 108 games without defeat. During that spell, Arsenal won a record 51 league games in a row, between November 2005 and April 2008.[6] Akers retired from management following a domestic treble in the 2008–09 season.

2009–present: Post-Akers and the WSL

Akers was succeeded by Tony Gervaise,[17] who resigned in February 2010 after only eight months in charge, suggesting his position had been undermined by outside interference.[17] In an unusual development, reserve coach Laura Harvey became first-team manager and Gervaise became reserve coach.[18] This appointment marked the club's first female coach in any capacity.

After a year break in play in preparation for a reformatted league, Arsenal were named as founder members of the FA Women's Super League, which commenced in the spring of 2011.[19] Arsenal won the inaugural season, marking their eighth consecutive English title, and secured another domestic double by also winning the FA Cup.[20] After a two-year period without a league triumph, Shelley Kerr was announced as Harvey's successor in 2013. Under her management, the club won two FA Women's Cups, including a win in 2014, two weeks after the men's team won the 2014 FA Cup, completing a rare FA Cup double for the club. But after a poor run of form which saw Arsenal gain only one point from the opening four league matches of the 2014 season, including exits from the Champions League to minnows Birmingham and a shock lose to Reading, Kerr resigned.[21] She was replaced by Pedro Losa.[22] Losa led the team to the 2015 FA WSL Cup[23] and the 2016 FA Women's Cup.[24] Moreover, he helped the squad rebuild, notably recruiting younger stars like Daniëlle van de Donk, Kim Little, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema. Losa also brought through youngsters like Leah Williamson. However, following the season's end, Losa resigned, and was replaced by Joe Montemurro.

In July 2017, the club rebranded as Arsenal Women Football Club,[2][9] in a move described by Arsenal as "clear signal of togetherness and unity", and to retain the progressive ethos of the club.[1] Utilizing the core Losa helped build, Montemurro led Arsenal to the 2018–19 Women's Super League title, with a game to spare. The win marked their first title in seven years, and marked the club's return to the Champions League for the first time in five years.

Stadium

Arsenal Women play most of their home matches at Meadow Park, home of Vanarama National League side Boreham Wood, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. It has a capacity of 4,500, although attendances for most league matches are around 1,000. Arsenal's home UEFA Women's Champions League matches are also played here. However, due to the connection with Arsenal F.C., they are permitted to play in the Emirates Stadium on occasion.

Arsenal celebrate a Cup double in 1998

Players
Arsenal in 2009
Arsenal players lined up for a team photo before a match in September 2014

First-team squad
As of 7 January 2021.[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  AUT Manuela Zinsberger
3 DF  ENG Lotte Wubben-Moy
4 DF  ENG Anna Patten
5 DF  SCO Jennifer Beattie
6 DF  ENG Leah Williamson
7 MF  NED Daniëlle van de Donk
8 MF  ENG Jordan Nobbs (vice-captain)
9 FW  ENG Beth Mead
10 MF  SCO Kim Little (captain)
11 FW  NED Vivianne Miedema
12 DF  AUS Steph Catley
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF   SUI Lia Wälti
14 MF  NED Jill Roord
15 FW  IRL Katie McCabe
16 DF   SUI Noëlle Maritz
17 FW  SCO Lisa Evans
18 GK  AUS Lydia Williams
19 FW  AUS Caitlin Foord
20 DF  GER Leonie Maier
21 MF   SUI Malin Gut
22 MF  AUT Viktoria Schnaderbeck
24 GK  ENG Fran Stenson

Reserves

Arsenal also operate a reserve team, which is mainly formed from Academy players. The reserves have won four FA Women's Premier Reserve League titles and five FA Women's Premier Reserve League Cups in their history.

Former players

For notable current and former players, see Category:Arsenal W.F.C. players.

Managers

Coaching staff
Joe Montemurro, who has been the manager of Arsenal since 2017.

As of 4 July 2020.[25]

Position Name
Head coach Joe Montemurro
Assistant coach Aaron D'Antino
Goalkeeping coach Leanne Hall

Managerial history
Dates Name
1987–2009 Vic Akers
2009–2010 Tony Gervaise
2010–2013 Laura Harvey
2013–2014 Shelley Kerr
2014–2017 Pedro Martínez Losa
2017– Joe Montemurro

Honours

As of 12 December 2019.[26]

League
Winners (15) (record): 1992–93, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011, 2012, 2018–19
Winners (1): 1991-92

Cups
Winners (14) (record): 1992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16
Winners (5) (record): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017–18
Winners (10) (record): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09
Winners (5) (record): 2000 (shared), 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008

European
Winners (1): 2006–07

County
  • London County FA Women's Cup
Winners (10) (record): 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

See also

References
  1. "Important update from our women's team". Arsenal F.C. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  2. "Women's Super League One : Arsenal drop 'Ladies' from name". BBC Sport. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  3. "Arsenal WFC – Records and Statistics". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  4. "Arsenal Women – History". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  5. "England – Arsenal WFC". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  6. Kessel, Anna (4 May 2008). "The invincibles". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  7. Tony Leighton (15 May 2002). "Banks stays with semi-pro Gunners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  8. "Players". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  9. Trehan, Dev (28 July 2017). "Arsenal Ladies renamed Arsenal Women". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  10. "Arsenal and its Greatest Women of All Time". DailyCannon. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  11. "Arsenal Ladies Honours". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
  12. "Arsenal Ladies 4–1 Chelsea". Arsenal F.C. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  13. Tony Leighton (29 April 2007). "Arsenal boss hails Uefa Cup win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  14. "FA Women's Premier League". The FA. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
  15. "Sports Journalists' Awards 2007". sportsjournalists.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  16. "Ladies complete unbeaten League century". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  17. Tony Leighton (20 February 2010). "Arsenal Ladies boss Tony Gervaise reveals reasons behind shock exit". BBC. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  18. "Laura Harvey becomes Arsenal Ladies manager". Arsenal F.C. 11 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  19. "Lincoln Ladies FA Women's Super League bid success". BBC. 22 March 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  20. "Arsenal take English WSL title". UEFA. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  21. Arsenal miss Champions League next season Archived 20 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine fitaa.com. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  22. "Arsenal Ladies: Pedro Martinez Losa appointed new manager". BBC Sport. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  23. "Continental Cup final: Arsenal Ladies 3–0 Notts County Ladies". BBC Sport. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  24. "Women's FA Cup final: Arsenal Ladies 1–0 Chelsea Ladies". BBC Sport. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  25. "Arsenal Women History". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  26. "Honours". Arsenal F.C.
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