Last updated: 15/10/2024
Hi there. You may be new to Arsenal Women, or you may simply be looking for a recap to get you up to speed on the new season. Either way, this is the blog for you. Remember that there are no stupid questions if you're just starting your journey with Arsenal or with women's football. Everyone was new to the game at some point.
From the basics of what games you can expect the team to play, to how to book tickets and get involved in singing and socialising at games - here’s a beginner's guide to what you need to know about Arsenal Women, so you can hit the ground running.
Am I missing anything that you want to know? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to source an answer!
FAQs included in this guide:
Team FAQs
Competition FAQs
Matchday FAQs
Atmosphere and social FAQs
Team FAQs
The squad and its players are outspoken about numerous issues, from diversity to LGBTQ+ representation and inclusivity, and many dedicate their time to work in the local community.
They're passionate about playing for Arsenal and the badge, with many renewing before their contracts expired. The reason? To them, Arsenal is "family", Arsenal is "home". All in all, it's a team worth supporting.
A brief intro to the team and the club
The team was founded in 1987 by the legend that is Vic Akers. During his tenure, the team won 33 major trophies.
In part thanks to his leadership, Arsenal Women is the most successful team in women’s football in England.
I’m not going to share the full history of the club - that would need to be a blog in its own right (coming soon!) - but safe to say that we’ve won 15 league titles, 14 FA Cups, and are still the only English team to win the UEFA Women's Champions League, amongst other accolades.
Who is in the team - and who have we signed so far this season?
In the summer transfer season, we have so far seen more exits than newcomers.
Sabs D'Angelo, Kaylan Marckese, Cloe Lacasse, and, of course, Vivianne Miedema all left the Arsenal at the end of the 23/24 season.
We signed Mariona Caldentey, goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, and the young Swedish player, Rosa Kafaji in the summer 24 window.
Who is Arsenal Women's captain?
The current team captain is Kim Little, midfield maestro. Her vice captain is England captain and defender Leah Williamson.
After that, it's often Katie McCabe that steps in to wear the armband, followed by Lia Wälti and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
We also currently have three (and a half) national team captains in our Arsenal squad - just to show the depth of talent and leadership we have:
Leah Williamson for England
Lia Wälti for Switzerland
Katie McCabe for Ireland
Steph Catley for Australia is vice captain if Sam Kerr is injured - and she captained many of Australia’s games in the Women’s World Cup
Who is Arsenal Women's manager?
After some poor results at the start of the 24/25 season, Jonas Eidevall resigned from his position as Head Coach. First Team Assistant Coach Renée Slegers has been named as the interim coach while the search gets underway for a permanent replacement.
Will there be a bespoke away kit for the women's team this season?
In the 23/24 season, the women's team had an exclusive and limited edition away kit, designed by Stella McCartney. However, for the 24/25 season, there will not be a separate kit for the women's team.
Who can you follow on social media to keep up to date in women's football?
For news updates, we have a good list of reporters now that keep us all up to date (and this list isn't exhaustive!):
There are plenty of influencers across social media too. Here are just a few:
Here are some publications you might want to follow as well:
And here's a starter for 10 on podcasts:
Three players and a podcast - with Arsenal's Jen Beattie!
Arsenal Women Podcast - with Arsenal journalist, Tim Stillman
Plus - you can also join the Facebook group, Arsenal Women FC Fans Forum. A great space for if you have any specific questions or if you want to kick off a debate!
Competition FAQs
Arsenal Women will normally compete in four competitions throughout the season:
Barclays Women’s Super League
UEFA Women's Champions League
Adobe Women’s FA Cup
FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup (Conti Cup)
Plus, there are international fixtures to play as well. But first....
Where will Arsenal Women be playing their pre-season games?
Before the league even gets started again, Arsenal Women will be playing some friendlies across the pond in a USA tour.
They'll be training and playing games in Washington D.C. from 15-26 August 2024.
Their friendly matches will take place versus Washington Spirit (18 August 2024) and Chelsea 25 August 2024). You can still buy tickets on the Spirit website.
What is the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL)?
The Women's Super League (WSL) is the Premier League of women's football, where the top teams across England compete.
Last season, we finished third in the league - and that took some doing, let me tell you. The WSL includes 12 teams in total.
Throughout the course of the season, Arsenal will play each of the other teams at home (Emirates or Meadow Park) and away, at our opponent's stadium. That means a total of 22 games throughout the season in this league.
When does the WSL 24/25 season end?
The final games will take place on the week of 10-11 May 2025.
What does a team need to do to win the WSL?
If a team wins a game, they get 3 points. If they draw a game, both teams get 1 point. If they lose, they get zero points.
It's then simply a question of adding up the number of points each team has to see who’s at the top. The table listing those wins and losses and the ranking of teams therefore changes every game, with some teams leapfrogging each other.
The team with the most points at the end of the season normally wins.
However, the number of points a team gets at the end of the season can be very close or even the same. Goal difference then becomes important. That's the number of goals your team scores minus the number of goals they let in.
If more than one team ends the season on the same number of points, the team with the biggest goal difference will then rank higher than them in the table, and win the league.
What is the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL)?
The UWCL is an elite tournament where the top clubs from different European leagues compete throughout the season. Qualifying for the UWCL gets complicated, but here’s how it works for teams in the WSL.
The top three teams in the WSL get the chance to qualify for the UWCL.
Chelsea finished top of the table last season, so they kick off their UWCL campaign in October in the group stages. Manchester City were second, so they will start in the second round in October.
Arsenal came third. That unfortunately meant that the team has to play two rounds to qualify for the main group stage draw.
When will Arsenal play in the UWCL?
The team have made it to the group stage this year, with 6 games taking place before Christmas 24 - 3 at home, 3 away.
When will Arsenal play in the FA Women's League Cup (formerly the Conti Cup)?
Arsenal Women have won the Conti Cup the past two years so they'll be aiming to retain their title in the coming season. However, it will be under the name "Women's League Cup" as the Continental Tyres have (presumably) dropped their sponsorship of the tournament.
Assuming that Arsenal progress through Rounds 1 and 2 of the UWCL, they will join the League Cup in the group stages. The draw for this will take place on 19 August 2024.
These will start in early October and finish in mid-December. The quarter-finals will take place on on 22-23 January, the semi-finals from 5-6 February, and the final on either 15-16 March.
When will the Adobe Women’s FA Cup start for Arsenal Women?
The dates for the FA Cup have been announced:
Arsenal Women will join the FA cup 24/25 tournament in the fourth round, which means they'll play on Sunday 12 January (barring any date changes closer to the time).
When are the international breaks in the 2024/2025 season?
Some of our players are expected to be called up for international breaks to play for their national teams on the following dates in 2024:
21–30 October 2024
25 November – 7 December 2024
17-26 February 2025
31 March - 8 April 2025
26 May - 3 June 2025
Matchday FAQs
From ticketing to where the games will be played, this section covers what you need to know to watch the Arsenal play this season.
How many games will Arsenal Women play at Emirates Stadium?
For the first time, Emirates Stadium will be the main home of Arsenal Women in the 24/25 season! They will play 11 games at Emirates, with eight WSL games plus three group stage UEFA Women's Champions League games (assuming that they qualify this year!)
If the team progress to the later stages of the UWCL, they'll then play the home-leg rounds at Emirates too.
Which games will be played at Meadow Park?
The other games will either be away or at Meadow Park.
Our cup games in the 24/25 season will also be played at Meadow Park, including the Conti Cup and FA cup matches.
TOP TIP: Be wary of the dreaded Meadow Park queue for food and drink. It goes down slowly, so you may up missing more of the game than you'd anticipated when you wandered off to grab a coffee.
Where can you buy tickets for Arsenal Women’s games?
For Emirates games:
You can buy an "Home advantage pack" or HAP package for all eight WSL games, or a HAP+ package for the WSL plus the three UWCL games at the Emirates.
Alternatively, if you miss the boat for that package, you can buy individual tickets on the Arsenal site.
For away games:
The clubs normally coordinate so that tickets can be bought through the Arsenal site.
For Meadow Park games:
Tickets will be released around 5 weeks ahead of the game taking place.
What time do games kick off?
Kick off for each WSL game is normally at either 12.45 or 18.45 on a Sunday if Sky or BBC are broadcasting the game. If not, days and times can vary, but would normally take place in a weekend slot, between Friday and Sunday.
TOP TIP: Game times will sometimes change from their initial advertised time and date. This is because they depend on TV slots being available, and therefore it depends on who broadcasts the game. The timings are normally confirmed around a month in advance of each game - so make sure that you factor this in when planning transport and hotels!
Where can you watch Arsenal Women on TV/online?
The TV schedule is confirmed a few weeks before each game, but Sky and the BBC will normally buy the rights to a couple of games each week for the WSL.
The rest of the WSL games can be watched for free online, assuming there are no clashes with the blackout as there was versus Everton last season.
The games will be available on the WSL Youtube channel for the first time. However, the FA Cup fixtures will still be shown on the FA player.
For UWCL games, those will be released through DAZN's Youtube channel, assuming it's the same as last season.
Atmosphere and singing FAQs
I’ve saved the best till last with this. Watching Arsenal Women is for everyone. If you’re coming with a friend, with family, with children, on your own - everyone is welcome and there are many ways to get involved.
What is the Red and White AWFC?
The Red and White is an offshoot of the official supporter's club, dedicated to singing in support of the team and building the atmosphere at Arsenal Women's games.
TOP TIP: If you want to join in with the singing, bring throat soothers - you'll need them!
Where is the atmosphere block at the Emirates?
Since the 23/24 season, there has been a dedicated atmosphere block at the Emirates, aiming to bring the noise at games. The atmosphere block has moved for the 24/25 season. Previously in block 2, the Red and White AWFC and Supporters Club's new home is in block 10.
That's where the singing will be if you want to buy tickets nearby. We'll normally be singing in the concourse before games as well, so anyone can join in there too.
The group spent last season building the atmosphere at Arsenal Women games and is now known to be the loudest and most supportive fanbase in the WSL - and we want to spread that atmosphere around the Emirates!
Where can you find the lyrics to the songs?
You can find a songbook on the Supporters Club site, to get you started on some of the club and player chants.
Where can you meet up before a game?
If you want to meet up before a game, follow the Arsenal Women’s Supporters Club and the Red and White AWFC on Twitter (X) (AWSC / Red and White) and Instagram (AWSC / Red and White).
You can also become a member of the Arsenal Women Supporters Club to get started - head to the AWSC site to learn more about how and when to sign up.
That’s where details of the location and time for some socialising before and after games will be shared.
How can you get involved if you want to come to games on your own?
If you’re coming on your own and are feeling a bit nervous, drop either group a DM and they’ll be happy to help or find someone to come and meet you.
Have a listen to “Inside the Red and White” to get a taste of what attending an Arsenal Women’s game is like.
We want everyone to feel comfortable coming to Arsenal Women’s games. The more the merrier to get behind our team.
Am I missing anything? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to source an answer!
Comments