1996–97 Arsenal L.F.C. season

Arsenal Ladies
1996–97 season
Chairman	Peter Hill-Wood
Manager	Vic Akers
Stadium	Hayes Lane
Premier League	Winners
FA Cup	Semi Finals
Premier League Cup	Second Round
London County Cup	Winners
Biggest win	0–9 (vs Southampton Saints, Premier League, 26 January 1997); 9–0 (vs Huddersfield Town, FA Cup, 02 February 1997)
Biggest defeat	1–0 (vs Doncaster Rovers Belles, Premier League, 16 November 1996); 1–0 (vs Wembley, FA Cup, 30 March 1997); 1–2 (vs Doncaster Rovers Belles, Premier League Cup, 24 November 1996)
Home colours	Away colours

The 1996–97 season was Arsenal Ladies Football Club's 10th season since forming in 1987. The club participated in the National Division of the FA Women's Premier League, winning their third League Title since promotion, and were also able to retain the London County Cup for a third year in a row by defeating Millwall Lionesses in the Final.^[1] However, they failed to progress in the Premier League Cup and the FA Cup, losing to Doncaster Rovers Belles and Wembley respectively.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Squad information & statistics

First team squad

Name	Date of birth (age)	Since	Signed from
Goalkeepers
Sarah Reed	(1980-05-12) 12 May 1980	1996	Wembley
Sara King		1996
Defenders
Kirsty Pealling	(1975-04-14) 14 April 1975	1987	Arsenal Academy
Faye White	(1978-02-02) 2 February 1978	1996	Three Bridges
Clare Wheatley	(1971-02-04) 4 February 1971	1995	Chelsea
Kim Jerry-Silver	(1977-10-06) 6 October 1977	1997	Wembley
Jenny Canty	(1976-03-22) 22 March 1976	1991	Limehouse
Vicki Slee	(1973-03-09) 9 March 1973	1991	Millwall Lionesses
Michelle Curley	(1972-04-30) 30 April 1972	1988	Arsenal Academy
Kelley Few	(1971-10-17) 17 October 1971	1991	Romford
Lisa Spry		1988	Arsenal Academy
Gill Wylie		1991	Tottenham Hotspur
Midfielders
Joanne Broadhurst	(1967-11-27) 27 November 1967	1995	Doncaster Belles
Sian Williams (captain)	(1968-02-02) 2 February 1968	1990	Millwall Lionesses
Emma Coss	(1979-05-09) 9 May 1979	1992	Arsenal Academy
Siobhan Kane	(1975-03-28) 28 March 1975	1996	Castle Rovers
Sharon Barber		1988	Tottenham Hotspur
Linda Watt		1995	Watford
Laura Ray		1996
Forwards
Marieanne Spacey	(1966-02-13) 13 February 1966	1993	Wimbledon
Rachel Yankey	(1979-12-01) 1 December 1979	1996	Mill Hill United
Natasha Daly	(1979-11-29) 29 November 1979	1996	Mill Hill United
Kelly Smith	(1978-10-29) 29 October 1978	1996	Wembley
Kara Lee Reynolds		1996	Texas Lightning
Yvette Rean		1995	Watford
Emma Hastings		1995	Dunstable
Liz Benham		1996	Croydon
Emma Burke		1995	Arsenal Academy
Pat Pile		1990	Hackney

Transfers, loans and other signings

Transfers in

Announcement date	Position	Player	From club
1996^[5]	FW	Natasha Daly	Mill Hill United
1996^[5]^[6]	FW	Rachel Yankey	Mill Hill United
1996^[5]^[7]	DF	Faye White	Horsham
1996	GK	Sarah Reed	Wembley
1996^[8]	FW	Kara Lee Reynolds	Texas Lightning
1996^[9]	MF	Siobhan Kane	Castle Rovers
December 1996^[10]	FW	Kelly Smith	Wembley
1996^[11]	GK	Sara King
1996^[12]	MF	Laura Ray
1997^[13]	DF	Kim Jerry-Silver	Wembley

Transfers out

Announcement date	Position	Player	To club
1996^[14]	MF	Samantha Britton	Cove Rangers
1996	FW	Conchi Sánchez	Retired
1996^[5]^[15]	GK	Roser Serra	Barcelona
1996	FW	Julie Newell	Chelsea
1996^[14]^[16]	FW	Michelle Sneddon	Cove Rangers
1996	GK	Kathy Simmonds	Langford
1996^[17]	FW	Julia Brown	Portsmouth
1996	FW	Kelly Townsend
1996		Carly Cruickshank

Club

Kit

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: JVC^[18]

Home

Away

Competitions

FA Women's Premier League National Division

Partial league table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Arsenal (C)	18	16	1	1	65	9	+56	49
2	Doncaster Belles	18	13	2	3	44	15	+29	41
3	Croydon	18	9	4	5	39	26	+13	31
4	Liverpool	18	9	3	6	30	16	+14	30
5	Millwall Lionesses	18	7	6	5	20	19	+1	27

Source: FA WPL
(C) Champions

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
18	16	1	1	65	9	+56	49	9	0	0	36	6	+30	7	1	1	29	3	+26

Results by matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Ground	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	H	A
Result	L	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W
Position	7	1	3	5	4	3	3	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Source: FA WPL
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

01 September 1996 1	Doncaster Belles	1–0	Arsenal
	Walker 23'	Report

14 September 1996 2	Liverpool	0–2	Arsenal	Anfield
14:00 BST		Report	Broadhurst 79'	Stadium: Anfield

22 September 1996 3	Arsenal	4–0	Ilkeston Town	Bromley
	Broadhurst 24' (pen.), 70' White Yankey	Report		Stadium: Hayes Lane

06 October 1996 4	Wembley	1–1	Arsenal	Wembley
	Ball 75'	Report	Few 61'	Stadium: Vale Farm

13 October 1996 5	Arsenal	4–2	Tranmere Rovers	Bromley
	Wheatley Broadhurst Spacey Yankey	Report	Smith	Stadium: Hayes Lane

20 October 1996 6	Everton	1–5	Arsenal
	McGrady 60'	Report	Broadhurst Hastings

03 November 1996 7	Arsenal	7–0	Southampton Saints	Bromley
	Lee Reynolds Spacey Broadhurst Daly	Report		Stadium: Hayes Lane

08 December 1996 8	Arsenal	3–2	Doncaster Belles	Bromley
	Broadhurst Lee Reynolds Spacey	Report	Exley Walker	Stadium: Hayes Lane

26 January 1997 9	Southampton Saints	0–9	Arsenal
		Report	Broadhurst Spacey Lee Reynolds White Smith

09 February 1997 10	Arsenal	3–0	Wembley	Potters Bar
	Broadhurst Smith	Report		Stadium: The Lantern Stadium

22 February 1997 11	Millwall Lionesses	0–4	Arsenal	Bermondsey
		Report	Few 20' Smith 46' Lee Reynolds Broadhurst	Stadium: Surrey Docks Stadium

19 March 1997 12	Arsenal	2–1	Croydon	Potters Bar
		Report		Stadium: The Lantern Stadium

23 March 1997 13	Ilkeston Town	0–3	Arsenal
		Report	Wheatley 2' Spacey 17' Broadhurst

06 April 1997 14	Croydon	0–2	Arsenal
		Report	Yankey 25' Spacey 75'

20 April 1997 15	Arsenal	4–1	Everton	Edgware
14:00 BST	Broadhurst Yankey White	Report	Marley	Stadium: Silver Jubilee Park

27 April 1997 16	Arsenal	3–0	Liverpool	Highbury
12:00 BST	Smith 7' Jerray-Silver 90'	Report		Stadium: Highbury

29 April 1997 17	Arsenal	6–0	Millwall Lionesses	The Skyline Stadium
		Report

05 May 1997 18	Tranmere Rovers	0–3	Arsenal
		Report

FA Women's Cup

19 January 1997 Fourth round	Arsenal	6–0	Barry Town	Bromley
	Smith Wheatley Daly (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Hayes Lane

02 February 1997 Fifth round	Arsenal	9–0	Huddersfield Town	Bromley
	Broadhurst 8' Wooding (o.g.) Lee Reynolds Williams White Benham	Report		Stadium: Hayes Lane

06 March 1997 Quarter-finals	Ilkeston Town	2–4	Arsenal	Ilkeston
19:30 GMT	Kirk 20'	Report	Few Williams 40' Yankey 73' Spacey	Stadium: New Manor Ground

30 March 1997 Semi-finals	Wembley	1–0	Arsenal	Borehamwood
	Koch 81'	Report		Stadium: Meadow Park Attendance: 289

FA Women's Premier League Cup

27 October 1996 First round	Liverpool	1–2	Arsenal
		Report	Lee Reynolds 46' Wheatley

24 November 1996 Second round	Doncaster Belles	2–1	Arsenal
	Exley Walker	Report	White

London County Cup

22 December 1996 Quarter-finals	West Ham United	0–4	Arsenal
		Report

26 January 1997 Semi-finals	Wimbledon	3–4	Arsenal	Wimbledon
	Stansbury	Report	Smith 85' Broadhurst Spacey	Stadium: Plough Lane

13 April 1997 Final	Arsenal	2–0	Millwall Lionesses	Hendon
	Spacey 9' Yankey 78'	Report		Stadium: Claremont Road

References

^ Connolly, Kevin (19 April 1997). "Marieanne and Rachel make it three in a row". Arsenal vs Blackburn Rovers Matchdaty Programme: Page 21.
^ Connolly, Kevin (12 April 1997). "Girls set up title finale". Arsenal vs Leicester City Matchday Programme: Page 21.
^ Connolly, Kevin (24 November 1996). "Girl Gunners seek speedy revenge". Arsenal vs Southampton Matchday Programme: Page 21.
^ "Arsenal 0-1 Wembley". The Women's FA Cup.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Arsenal v West Ham United – FA Premier League, Saturday August 17th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
^ "Arsenal Ladies". www.arsenal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
^ "Arsenal Ladies". www.arsenal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2001-06-26. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
^ "Arsenal v Sheffield Wednesday – FA Premier League, Monday September 16th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
^ "Siobhan Kane - Player changes, player transfers | Soccerdonna". www.soccerdonna.de. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
^ "Arsenal v Aston Villa – FA Premier League, Saturday December 28th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
^ "Aussie is the Gunner's number one". Hayes & Harlington Gazette. 11 September 1996. p. 68.
^ "Arsenal v Chelsea – FA Premier League, Wednesday September 4th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
^ "Arsenal Ladies". www.arsenal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
^ ^a ^b "Cove all set to land the double". Aberdeen Herald & Post. 6 March 1997. p. 49.
^ "FÚTBOL FEMENINO". www.orgullonacional.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
^ Howell, Bill (7 June 1997). "Michelle aims to beat the pain barrier...and the docs". Aberdeen Evening Express. p. 49.
^ "Royals slump to first defeat". Reading Evening Post. 9 October 1996. p. 23.
^ "Arsenal FC Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Retrieved 2025-02-14.

External links

Official website

[1] Connolly, Kevin (19 April 1997). "Marieanne and Rachel make it three in a row". Arsenal vs Blackburn Rovers Matchdaty Programme: Page 21.

[2] Connolly, Kevin (12 April 1997). "Girls set up title finale". Arsenal vs Leicester City Matchday Programme: Page 21.

[3] Connolly, Kevin (24 November 1996). "Girl Gunners seek speedy revenge". Arsenal vs Southampton Matchday Programme: Page 21.

[4] "Arsenal 0-1 Wembley". The Women's FA Cup.

[:0-5] "Arsenal v West Ham United – FA Premier League, Saturday August 17th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.

[6] "Arsenal Ladies". www.arsenal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-17.

[7] "Arsenal Ladies". www.arsenal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2001-06-26. Retrieved 2025-12-17.

[8] "Arsenal v Sheffield Wednesday – FA Premier League, Monday September 16th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.

[9] "Siobhan Kane - Player changes, player transfers | Soccerdonna". www.soccerdonna.de. Retrieved 2025-10-09.

[10] "Arsenal v Aston Villa – FA Premier League, Saturday December 28th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.

[11] "Aussie is the Gunner's number one". Hayes & Harlington Gazette. 11 September 1996. p. 68.

[12] "Arsenal v Chelsea – FA Premier League, Wednesday September 4th 1996". The Arsenal Collection. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-09.

[13] "Arsenal Ladies". www.arsenal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2000-09-18. Retrieved 2025-12-17.

[:1-14] "Cove all set to land the double". Aberdeen Herald & Post. 6 March 1997. p. 49.

[15] "FÚTBOL FEMENINO". www.orgullonacional.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2025-10-09.

[16] Howell, Bill (7 June 1997). "Michelle aims to beat the pain barrier...and the docs". Aberdeen Evening Express. p. 49.

[17] "Royals slump to first defeat". Reading Evening Post. 9 October 1996. p. 23.

[18] "Arsenal FC Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Retrieved 2025-02-14.

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