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Arsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's football club affiliated with Arsenal F.C. The club was founded in 1987 by Vic Akers, the kit manager for the Arsenal men's team, who today is still the club's general manager, and turned semi-professional in 2002. They play their home matches at Meadow Park, home of Southern League side Boreham Wood.
Arsenal are the most successful club in English women's football; the team has won the FA Women's Premier League eight times, the FA Women's Cup seven times, and the Women's League Cup eight times — this includes two domestic Trebles, in 1992-93 and 2000-01. In both 2004-05 and 2005-06 the Arsenal team went through the season unbeaten, emulating the exploits of the men's team in 2003-04. As of October 23, 2006 Arsenal have been unbeaten in the league for over three years, being undefeated since a 2-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic on October 15, 2003.
Arsenal have also represented England five times in the UEFA Women's Cup, and have reached the semi-finals twice (in 2002-03 and 2004-05) and the final once (in 2006-07), which is the furthest any British women's club have ever got in the competition; Arsenal beat Brøndby IF 5-2 on aggregate to reach the final, which will be held over two legs in April 2007 against multiple-time champions Umeå IK.
Many of the club's players represent their international side; four of the first team, including England's biggest women's football star, Kelly Smith, were in the England squad for the 2005 European Championship. The club also boasts several Wales, Scotland and Republic of Ireland internationals.
The Ladies club is not part of Arsenal Football Club proper, but a separate club who enjoy affiliation. Nevertheless, ties between the two are close; Arsenal F.C. vice-chairman David Dein is president of Arsenal L.F.C., sponsorship by Emirates is shared, and the Ladies club have been entitled to play at Arsenal's home stadium (Highbury until 2005-06, Emirates Stadium since then) once a season. For the 2006-07 season, that match will be Arsenal's home leg of the UEFA Women's Cup final against Umeå IK.
[edit] Current squad
As of October 22, 2006:[1]
[edit] Honours
- 1992-93, 1994-95, 1996-97, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06.
- 1992-93, 1994-95, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2005-06.
- 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2004-05.
- FA Women's Community Shield 4
- 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Ladies Squad. Arsenal.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
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Vic Akers
