1996/97 was a year of consolidation but third place meant no promotion play-off spot. While the men were lifting their first FA Cup in a generation, the Ladies lost two local cup finals and failure to reach the National League meant losing the best players was a recurring theme. Every year the management had to half re-build the team. Frustration! Five years in existence, there was still plenty of catching up to do before Chelsea could offer the rewards, the platform and the amount of training other clubs were able to.



There had, however, been the chance to show our skills at that men’s 1997 FA Cup final when Chelsea beat Middlesbrough, with the two clubs’ women’s teams playing an exhibition match on the Wembley turf beforehand. A year earlier, in another exhibition game, this time at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea Ladies had taken on Manchester United as part of the club’s Eurofest, an event organised by then chairman Ken Bates to run alongside the end of Euro ‘96, which was being hosted in England.



The match took place the day before the final between Germany and Czech Republic. The female Blues side had also played Arsenal at the Bridge in May 1995 as part of a charity day.

