Last year was different, we had the world cup which England dramatically failed in, providing little joy to the national faithful, but if you thought you had some time to enjoy the more gentlemanly sports of cricket and tennis then you'd be wrong, this summer is all about football, women's football.
Come the middle of April the brand new FA Women's Super League kicked off with a bang, 2,510 people turned up at Imperial Fields in Surrey to watch Arsenal Ladies come away with a victory against their Chelsea counterparts. Later on Doncaster beat Liverpool and the next day current league leaders Birmingham thumped Bristol Academy 4-0 and Liverpool drew 3-3 with Everton in an exciting Merseyside derby.
Further on in the season Birmingham beat title favourites Arsenal 2-1, ex-Gunner Karen Carney netting the winner, and they have thus far never looked back, winning all five of their games and conceding just that goal against Arsenal.
Being from the west country there was only one team that I could support in this new league, Bristol Academy. The club was re-branded in 2005, they were formerly the Bristol Rovers Ladies team, a guise under which they have had much success, gaining promotions from the South-West Combination League up to the Women's Premiership and making three WFA Cup semi-finals. Since becoming Bristol Academy they have made two further semis, winning this years clash with Liverpool 3-0, putting them into their first FA Cup final which will be played later this month at Coventry City's Ricoh Arena against those Gunners from Arsenal.
After two away defeats in their first two Super League games Academy have played three consecutive matches at home, Grace McCatty getting a late leveller in the first against Liverpool. Loren Dykes then netted a similarly late goal to give her side their first win against Doncaster Rovers Belles before their most recent game against second placed Chelsea, a game for which I was in attendance.
From minute one under progressively cloudy skies the game was dominated by the home side, wingers Helen Bleazard and Loren Dykes providing constant threat from out wide, attacking midfielder Jess Fishlock popping up everywhere and striker Ann-Marie Heatherson running across the entire frontline to get on the ball. The technical ability of the players is top class, the central midfielders showing a great range of passing, the wide players taking on their full backs with great success while Fishlock and Heatherson showed good positional sense and looked to threaten the Londoner's back line with their movement at every opportunity.
Academy had a great penalty shout turned down in the first half, Chelsea getting away with a handball after the referee deemed the ball had run out of play at the byline. The second half did see a penalty awarded for handball however, Kylie Davies the culpable player, her blushes were spared, though, as Helen Bleazard drove the ball high over the crossbar to see the chance go begging. The same player went on to hit the frame of the goal with another shot later on but Chelsea did have one final chance to undeservedly win the game, Drew Spence thumping a shot off of Siobhan Chamberlain's crossbar at the other end.
It was certainly a game to be at, as well as the assorted members of the press and the usual high ranking club members former England international goalkeeper David James was in attendance. The atmosphere at the ground is family friendly, young children brought along could either choose to watch the game or have a kick about with their friends on the curved end of the athletics track behind one of the goalmouths while there was also face painting for those who wished to join the Academy 'Barmy Smurf Army' and sit in the stands just to one side of the dugouts. There was the usual assortment of food and sweets for fans to indulge in as well as a real ale tent for the adults, everything was catered for.
After the game many of the players mixed with the crowd as they made their way off the pitch, some going off for interviews with the media, not least birthday girl Anouk Hoogendijk, winner of player of the match, and all 371 fans at the game could go away pleased with having watched a good game of football and mixed with their heroines afterwards, as well as mascot Vicky the Vixen.The league takes a two month break halfway through this month for the Women's World Cup to take place in Germany, aforementioned Bristol goalkeeper Chamberlain looking as though she will be a squad member with Euro 2009 runners-up England. All the games throughout the tournament will be shown live on ESPN, as will England's final warm-up match against Sweden from the Kassam Stadium in Oxford. ESPN have in fact taken the rights to the FAWSL, a weekly highlights show rounds up all the action with live games from the league also being shown sporadically during the remainder of the season.
With a new, professionally marketed league taking shape, a world cup where good progress can be made looming on the horizon and a broadcast partner willing to showcase the women's game to the nations next generation there is no reason why in eight or twelve years time we couldn't see the England Women's team lifting the world cup aloft, and who knows, if we're lucky it may just happen at Wembley.
One things for certain though, HJBSports will definitely be reporting from more Academy games this season!
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