In a rematch of the 2004 final, Arsenal will face Charlton in The FA Women's Shield.
Monday, 11 July 2005.
Arsenal v Charlton Athletic
FA Women's Community Shield
National Hockey Stadium
04 August 2005, 7.45pm
This season’s FA Women’s Community Shield will be held at Milton Keynes Dons’ National Hockey Stadium on Thursday 04 August, kick off 7.45pm, with Arsenal facing Charlton Athletic.
The match sees London rivals Arsenal, FA Nationwide Premier League Champions, take on FA Women’s Cup winners, Charlton Athletic, in a rematch of last season’s FA Premier League Cup final – a match Arsenal won 3-0.
The game, which will be shown live on Sky Sports, is the second high profile women’s football match to be held at the National Hockey Stadium, following the bumper crowd who saw England beat Italy 4-1 in February.
It will also be the first outing of the season for some of England’s stars of Women's Euro 2005 including Faye White, Kelly Smith, Eniola Aluko and Katie Chapman.
Arsenal captain, Faye White, said: "The FA Community Shield is the official start to the season and is always a fiercely contested game.
"Charlton are a tough team and will be hard to beat but everyone will be up for it as it is important that we start the new season on a high.
"It is fantastic to be going back to Milton Keynes Dons again and I hope that a big crowd turns out as the atmosphere was amazing when I played there with England in February."
Casey Stoney, Charlton Athletic captain, commented: "Arsenal will be hard to beat and it is great to get the opportunity to play them again.
"A win would give us a psychological boost for the coming season and provide a spring board from which to launch an assault on the Premier League."
Pete Winkleman, Chairman of Milton Keynes Dons added: "We are immensely proud to hold another high profile women’s match here at Milton Keynes Dons and I hope that the fans will once again share in our support of women’s football and make this another game to remember."
The match kicks off at 7.45pm. Tickets are priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for concessions and can be purchased by calling the ticket hotline on 01908 609000 or by visiting the ticket office at the National Hockey Stadium. Group discounts are available and booking forms can be downloaded below.
