2011 Chelsea L.F.C. season

Review and events

The semi-professional FA WSL debuted after two years of planning with Chelsea facing Arsenal at its home ground of Imperial Fields, a seventh-tier men's club ground, on 13 April 2011. The match was broadcast live on ESPN. out of the 16 that applied. The pre-match featured mascots, amusements, a performance by the band Parade, and a brief fight among spectators within the stands. While the new league's summer schedule was meant to avoid pitch quality concerns encountered by the incumbent winter-schedule FA Women's Premier League, the dry Imperial Fields pitch caused problems during the debut. The match was also the first domestic league action for players since the end of the 2009–10 FA Women's Premier League season 11 months prior. The opening-match attendance of 2,510 was the season's and league's best, and broke the club's all-time record.

Signings

On 9 January 2011, Chelsea signed New Zealand captain Hayley Moorwood. The foreign signing was one of several in the league that raised concerns from other clubs' managers that the acquisitions could come at the expense of developing domestic players.

Match results

FA Women's Super League

WSL report FA Report BBC report Guardian report

• Flaherty v WSL report FA Report
• Perry
• Cantrell WSL report FA report
• Buet
• Bird
• Hincks v
• Plewa WSL Report FA report
• Jones
• Buet
• Spence WSL report FA report WSL report
• Champ
• Rafferty
• Harrop WSL report
• Buet
• Champ WSL report
• Duggan
• Hinnigan WSL report FA report
• Yankey
• Carter
• Buet
• Champ WSL report
• Perry
• Hincks
• Lipka
• Cox WSL report WSL report Box
• Williams
• Potter
• Lander
• Moorwood WSL report
• Longhurst
• Champ
• Bleazard
• Matthews WSL report
• Lander
• Harries
• F. Williams
• Dowie

League table

Results summary

FA Women's Cup

Main article: 2010–11 FA Women's Cup

Chelsea entered the competition in the fifth round as an FA WSL team. They were knocked out of the competition after being defeated 1–0 by the Belles.

• Exley

FA WSL Continental Cup

Main article: 2011 FA WSL Cup

Chelsea were drawn with Everton in the quarter-finals and lost the match 4–0.

EVE report BBC report WSU report

• Harries
• Dowie
• Buet
• Hinnigan

Squad statistics

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References

References

1. Conn, David. (7 April 2011). "Women's Super League aims to step out of men's shadow". [[The Guardian]].
2. (April 2021). "A Moment in Women's Football History". [[The Football Association]].
3. (13 April 2021). "Whole new ball game: How Chelsea Women kicked off WSL era 10 years ago today". [[Chelsea F.C.]].
4. Ronay, Barney. (13 April 2011). "Women's Super League opens with less than pitch perfect display". [[The Guardian]].
5. Frith, Will. (13 April 2020). "#FAWSL: First season kicked off nine years ago today".
6. (2015). "Football and the FA Women's Super League". [[Palgrave Macmillan.
7. Leighton, Tony. (9 January 2011). "Chelsea Ladies sign New Zealand captain Hayley Moorwood". [[The Guardian]].
8. Leighton, Tony. (6 February 2011). "Women's Super League concerned about influx of foreign internationals". [[The Guardian]].
9. (13 March 2011). "CHELSEA 0 DONCASTER ROVERS BELLES 1". [[Chelsea L.F.C.]].
10. (4 September 2011). "Chelsea Ladies 0 Everton 4". [[Chelsea L.F.C.]].
11. "The Team". [[Chelsea L.F.C.]].