Arsenal Ladies FC 2008-09 Season

National Premier League: Champions
League Cup: Winners; beat Doncaster Belles 5-0
FA Cup: Winners; beat Sunderland 2-1
UEFA Cup: Quarter Finals; lost 8-3 on aggregate to Umea IK.

Highlight:
1-0 win at Everton to clinch league title, 10/5/09

Low Spot:
6-0 defeat away to Umea IK in the UEFA Cup quarter final 2nd leg, 12/11/08.

Good:
Kelly Smith
This was the season English football bade a sorry farewell to La Smith as she packed her bags and headed off to the States and the American Pro League but she certainly made her presence felt before leaving at the end of February.
With Arsenal ending the season as champions only on goal difference the 25 league goals Smith notched (to finish comfortably ahead of anyone else in the league) proved crucial and she signed off with a hat trick in the Premier League Cup final against Doncaster.
Absolutely magnificent.
Kim Little
Little by name, little by nature but enormous in talent.
Signed the previous season from Scotland this clever midfield schemer was crucial in ensuring Arsenal were able to keep ahead of the competition despite the loss of a host of star names.
Very perceptive in her passing, a capable dribbler and a dangerous finisher Little has a massive future in front of her.

In Brief:
This was a season of complete upheaval at Arsenal and yet they ended the season with a clean sweep of the domestic honours.
The first disruption came with Lianne Sanderson and Anita Asante moving to Chelsea in the summer, then Mary Phillip left on the eve of the campaign while the American Pro League claimed Kelly Smith, Karen Carney and Alex Scott after Christmas. On top of this Julie Fleeting got pregnant and Faye White barely figured because of injury.
Everton were the major threat to this transitional side but were comfortably beaten in the League and FA Cups and both these competitions were ultimately claimed without fuss.
The league was different, however, as Everton matched them stride for stride before gaining the initiative with a 3-0 win at Borehamwood. This left Arsenal needing to win the return fixture, the last game of the season, to retain the title and once more they delivered when it mattered with a single Suzanne Grant goal proving decisive.
Despite the trophies this was patently not the Arsenal of recent seasons, however, as was emphasised in Europe where Umea IK of Sweden sent them packing with a wallop.
The feeling that this was the end of an era was heightened as Vic Akers announced that he would be stepping down as manager at the end of the season.
With a new manager and a significantly different team in place Arsenal’s rivals will be hoping that the trophies may start being shared out a bit more over the coming seasons but this is still the club that sets the benchmark for womens’ football in this country and they will no doubt remain the team to beat.

Arsenal Ladies FC was formed in 1987 by Vic Akers.

Akers, the present day General Manager of the Arsenal Ladies FC and the first team kit man, had only joined the club in 1986 as the Head of Community Development.

From the beginning Arsenal Ladies enjoyed excellent support from Arsenal Football Club and are currently the countries foremost womens team, due largely to this continued financial backing.

Arsenal Ladies' first significant honour was the Highfield Cup in 1991 and by the time the first National Premier League was contested the club had become the games' dominant force.

Arsenal Ladies not only won the Premier League in its' first year, 1993, they recorded a domestic treble by adding the Premier League Cup and the FA Womens Cup.

This was the clubs first appearance in the FA Cup final and resulted in an emphatic 3-0 success over Doncaster Belles.

Since then the club has chalked up a catalogue of success.

They have won the Premier League on seven occassions
(1993,95,97,2001,02,04 and 05)
The FA Cup six times (1993,95,98,99,2001 and 04)
The League Cup seven times (1993,94,98,99,2000,01 and 05).

Arsenal Ladies FC have never lost an FA Cup final and on their last appearance in 2004 ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over Charlton Athletic Ladies thanks to a hat trick from their outstanding Scottish international, Julie Fleeting.

In 2003 they lost their only major cup final, going down to the then professional Fulham Ladies on penalties in the League Cup.

Today Arsenal Ladies are in a position to dominate the game to an even greater degree because of their strong financial position.All aspects of the club are run thoroughly professionally.

The club moved to a semi professional basis in 2002 and employ several members of staff on a full time basis.

Clare Wheating is one of these, in charge of the Development of Womens Football, and is assisted in this role by first team players, Ciara Grant and Faye White.Other senior players are also involved in the clubs' academy programme and they also run popular soccer schools for girls.

Not surprisingly Arsenal Ladies' youth teams dominate the various competitions across the south east in which they take part.

On the playing front Arsenal Ladies boast an impressive array of talent including Faye White, the England captain, Kelly Smith, recognised as one of the worlds' leading players and a former professional in the United States, Rachel Yankey, England's exciting winger as well as the top Scottish striker, Julie Fleeting.

Both White and Smith boast their own personal websites and the coverage of the Ladies team on the official Arsenal Football Club website is excellent.

One challenge left for the team, who play their home games at Borehamwood, is in Europe.