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Chelsea Women was formed in 1992 and has been associated with the men’s team since 2004
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They have won the Super League on four occasions, doing a double in each of those seasons
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Read below for more on the history of Chelsea Women, the club’s honours and its star players
Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in Premier League odds. In recent years, Chelsea Women have reached a similar standing, lifting numerous trophies and becoming a force to reckoned with in England and beyond.
Chelsea Women haven’t always been linked to the men’s club, however, and they were founded almost 90 years after. Women’s football is going from strength to strength, but the journey has not been easy.
While Stamford Bridge was witnessing some of the best midfielders in Premier League history, Chelsea Women only became full professionals in 2015.
With one of the best managers in the world and an array of international stars, Chelsea Women have shot to prominence in the last few seasons.
While there are plenty of familiar names and faces at the club, let’s take a deeper look at their history and success.
History
Founded in 1992 because of Chelsea fans’ desire to have a women’s team, the club was initially under the name ‘Chelsea Ladies Football Club’. In 2004, the club voted to be funded and run by Chelsea's Football in the Community organisation.
That was a turning point in the club’s history. The following campaign saw the Blues promoted from the Southern Division to the top flight (then called the Premier League National Division). They have stuck in the top tier of English football ever since.
George Michealas, who had been in charge for four years, was fired just a few weeks into the 2005-06 campaign. Shaun Gore took over from Michealas though he was unable to improve their fortunes.
Chelsea finished bottom of the league, and only avoided relegation through a playoff.
Finishing eighth in the next season, Chelsea and Gore embarked on a squad overhaul. Casey Stoney, Eni Aluko and Siobhan Chamberlain arrived, as did Lorrie Fair. The Blues made an improvement in 2007-08, finishing fifth.
Another managerial change saw the Blues bring in Arsenal Women’s reserve team coach Steve Jones along with a couple of players from their London rivals.
Chelsea then lost players to Women’s Professional Soccer and retirement, and Stoney became player/manager. Matt Beard came in as manager for 2009-10, but there were cuts to the club’s funding, which had to be offset by John Terry and others.
Chelsea Women were one of the founding members of the Women’s Super League. They even hosted the first ever WSL fixture.
Beard took them to their first cup final – which ended in defeat – before resigning. He was replaced by Emma Hayes, who fought through a difficult first few seasons to take the club full-time in 2014 and professional in 2015.
The 2014 campaign saw Chelsea miss out on the league title on goal difference and qualify for the Champions League for the first time.
The club won its first FA Cup in 2015 and followed it up with a league and cup double. In the same year, they reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time.
A rebrand to ‘Chelsea Football Club Women’ came in 2018, and the success continued to roll in under the peerless Hayes. Yet to win a Champions League, the Blues reached their first final in 2021, but fell 4-0 to Barcelona Femeni.
Stadium
Chelsea Women play their home matches at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames. Sharing the ground with Chelsea Under-23s, Chelsea Women have only been using the venue since 2017.
Despite initially having a capacity of just under 6,300, renovations and safety restrictions keep the current capacity to 4,850.
Kingstonian called Kingsmeadow home from 1989 through to 2017, while AFC Wimbledon used the ground from their 2002 founding until they moved on to Plough Lane in 2020.
Best Players
It’s no surprise that Chelsea Women have some of the highest paid female footballers. From the days of Eni Aluko, Lianne Sanderson and Anita Asante to the stars of the 2020s, Chelsea has been home to elite talent.
Karen Carney, England’s second-most capped player, finished her career in blue. Ellen White started out at Chelsea before joining Leeds, and top scored for the club in three consecutive seasons.
The current Chelsea squad is among the best in world football. Fran Kirby has twice been named PFA Player of the Year, collecting an impressive collection of medals along the way.
Kirby is accompanied by international teammates Bethany England and Millie Bright as well as recent arrival Lauren James.
To build such a collection of elite players, though, the Blues have recruited from all over the world, including two-time UEFA Player of the Year winner Pernille Harder and vice-captain Magdalena Eriksson.
Sam Kerr is perhaps the biggest name of all. The Australian won the WSL Golden Boot in 2020-21 and has long been considered one of the best players in the world.
Honours
Chelsea are the most successful team in WSL history. They have been pretty much a sure-fire bet in the Emma Hayes era, competing on multiple fronts for silverware.
Just as the men’s team ascended in Premier League predictions following Roman Abramovich’s investment, Chelsea Women have flourished since turning professional.
Let’s take a look at the club’s major honours.
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Women’s Super League – 2015, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21
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FA Cup – 2014-15, 2017-18
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League Cup – 2019-20, 2020-21
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Community Shield – 2020
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
