SECOND ARSENAL TREBLE IN HECTIC NEW MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN

The first full season of the new millennium witnessed changes of club identity; experienced significant fixture disruption; heralded an announcement of potential professionalisation; and preceded England’s first appearance at a UEFA Euro finals. 

Come the final kicks there was also a sign of the status quo to follow, Arsenal emerging as champions just as they would do nine times out of ten in the millennium’s first decade.

While newly promoted Sunderland (formerly Blyth Spartans Kestrels) made a relatively seamless summer name-switch, the 1999-2000 champions Croydon saw the start to their campaign delayed until a unanimous vote by members at an FAWPL EGM, held on 30th August, finally ratified the takeover of the club by Charlton Athletic.

The protracted procedure was finally completed in time for Charlton Athletic WFC to play their first match away to Tranmere Rovers on 10th September, the game ending in a goalless draw. By this stage Arsenal had already won four out of four, and the Gunners rarely looked back.

Almost all games across all three divisions were postponed on 17th September due to petrol shortages; but worse was to come. Tessa Hayward, the FA Women’s Premier League Co-ordinator, and Peter Hough, the FAWPL Chairman, were forced to entirely redraw the League schedule over the Christmas break due to the considerable disarray caused by ‘horrendous weather’ from late October onwards. 

Some clubs had completed only a handful of games – Sunderland, for example, went over three months without a league game – and, with UEFA Euro 2001 in Germany looming in June, the pressure to finish the season on time was greater than ever.

On the field when play was possible, new recruits were playing a significant role for the Gunners. Former Brighton and Whitehawk striker Angela Banks had a sensational season, topping the scoring chart with 30 goals, while Welsh midfielder Jayne Ludlow – captured after a stint with Southampton Saints – began to establish herself as one of the League’s greatest ever players.

Although Charlton ended Arsenal’s 100 per cent start to the season with a 1-1 home draw on 10th October, the north London side remained top of the table with 28 points after 10 games when the poor weather arrived.

Meanwhile Doncaster Belles had also bolstered their ranks with current and former England players such as Becky Easton, Karen Burke, Debbie Bampton MBE and Jo Broadhurst. 

They started strongly but it was not until 25th March that they played their 10th game of the season. It was their tenth straight win and they remained almost neck and neck with Arsenal. 

That was until the decisive afternoon of 15th April, when the Gunners broke the Belles’ unbeaten record via Ludlow’s late goal and picked up a pivotal three points. From then on the challenge from the South Yorkshire outfit faltered and fell away.

Arsenal were confirmed as champions following a 4-0 win at Tranmere Rovers – the team they had beaten 3-0 in the League Cup final in April – on Thursday 10th May. It was a victory which included a nine-minute hat-trick by Banks. Three days later they hosted closest rivals Doncaster, at Highbury Stadium, a game they won 2-1 to remain undefeated. 

When The FA’s Kelly Simmons handed skipper Sian Williams the League trophy in front of an appreciative crowd of over 400, it was the side’s second such celebration of the week having lifted the FA Cup with a 1-0 win against Fulham on the previous Monday. And yes, England forward Banks had bagged that goal too. 

She received a heartfelt tribute from manager Vic Akers, in charge since the club’s 1987 formation and the architect of the Gunners previous treble in treble in 1993. “Angela has been superb all season,” he said. “She's got her 30 League goals in 17 appearances, which is an amazing strike rate, and she's also scored another dozen in Cup matches.

"Her goals have been a key factor for us in every competition, but it's been an all-round team effort which has won us the treble. I think our achievement this year tops what we did in 1993 because things have been stacked against us far more this time.

"We've had to beat Doncaster Belles, our nearest challengers, in both Cup competitions as well as the League, then we had to beat Fulham (the country's first full-time professional women's team) in the FA Cup final." 

Aside from the Gunners’ achievements the season ended notably with the retirement of Doncaster and former England captain Gill Coultard after her team’s match against Charlton, whilst at the other end of the table Liverpool and Millwall were both relegated.

Angela Banks also won the 4-4-2 Award for The FA Competitor’s Top Goalscorer. She received her award only a day after scoring the winner in the AXA FA Women’s Cup Final and receiving the AXA Player of the Match award.

Meanwhile, research findings led The FA to announce that a ‘Professional League is inevitable’, with marketing plans and consultations commissioned and draft costings, firmer plans (media and commercial) and commitments to be progressed in Summer 2001, with a vision of launching in 2003. Fulham had also announced they would go full-time in June 2000. They were running away with the SE Combination title at the time, scoring 110 goals and conceding only 2.  

FINAL TABLE

FA WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE NATIONAL DIVISION RESULTS 2000-2001

20/8/2000
Arsenal 5-0 Tranmere Rovers
Barry Town 1-3 Doncaster Belles
Liverpool 1-4 Sunderland
Southampton 1-1 Millwall Lionesses

27/8/2000
Doncaster Belles 3-1 Liverpool
Everton 1-2 Arsenal
Millwall Lionesses 0-1 Barry Town
Tranmere Rovers 6-1 Southampton

03/9/2000
Arsenal 6-0 Sunderland
Barry Town 1-4 Tranmere Rovers
Liverpool 0-1 Millwall Lionesses
Southampton 1-1 Everton

10/9/2000
Doncaster Belles 3-1 Southampton
Everton 2-0 Millwall
Liverpool 0-10 Arsenal
Tranmere Rovers 0-0 Charlton Athletic

17/9/2000
Barry Town 1-5 Everton
Millwall Lionesses 2-1 Tranmere Rovers

1/10/2000
Doncaster Belles 4-1 Everton
Millwall Lionesses 0-4 Charlton Athletic
Southampton 1-9 Arsenal
Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Sunderland

8/10/2000
Barry Town 2-0 Southampton
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Arsenal
Everton 5-0 Liverpool
Sunderland 3-0 Millwall Lionesses

15/10/2000
Arsenal 2-1 Barry Town
Doncaster Belles 8-0 Millwall Lionesses
Everton 5-2 Sunderland

22/10/2000
Southampton 6-1 Liverpool
Sunderland 0-4 Doncaster Belles
Tranmere Rovers 0-2 Everton

24/10/2000
Arsenal 10-0 Millwall Lionesses

19/11/2000
Southampton 3-6 Tranmere Rovers

3/12/2000
Arsenal 11-0 Liverpool
Charlton Athletic 2-1 Tranmere Rovers
Millwall Lionesses 2-2 Everton
Southampton 1-2 Doncaster Belles

17/12/2000
Arsenal 5-0 Charlton Athletic

14/1/2001
Arsenal 2-1 Everton
Charlton Athletic 5-0 Millwall Lionesses
Doncaster Belles 5-0 Barry Town

28/1/2001
Tranmere Rovers 3-1 Barry Town

11/2/2001
Barry Town 0-4 Charlton Athletic

18/2/2001
Liverpool 2-4 Tranmere Rovers
Sunderland 1-3 Everton

25/2/2001
Liverpool 1-2 Everton
Sunderland 0-1 Barry Town

4/3/2001
Everton 3-0 Southampton
Tranmere Rovers 0-2 Doncaster

11/3/2001
Everton 3-1 Tranmere Rovers
Sunderland 4-0 Liverpool

18/3/2001
Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal

25/3/2001
Doncaster Belles 6-1 Tranmere Rovers

1/4/2001
Charlton Athletic 6-0 Sunderland
Everton 4-1 Barry Town
Liverpool 0-5 Doncaster Belles
Millwall Lionesses 1-2 Southampton

8/4/2001
Charlton 6-1 Liverpool

11/4/2001
Southampton 0-0 Charlton Athletic

15/4/2001
Barry Town 2-1 Liverpool
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Everton
Doncaster Belles 0-1 Arsenal
Sunderland 4-5 Tranmere Rovers

22/4/2001
Arsenal 7-1 Southampton
Everton 1-5 Doncaster Belles
Liverpool 2-3 Barry Town
Sunderland 0-4 Charlton Athletic
Tranmere Rovers 3-1 Millwall Lionesses

26/4/2001
Doncaster Belles 4-0 Sunderland
Millwall Lionesses 0-5 Arsenal
Tranmere Rovers 5-0 Liverpool

29/4/2001
Barry Town 1-3 Arsenal
Charlton Athletic 2-0 Doncaster Belles
Southampton 2-5 Sunderland

6/5/2001
Everton 1-0 Charlton Athletic
Millwall Lionesses 1-2 Doncaster Belles
Sunderland 0-2 Barry Town

9/5/2001
Charlton Athletic 0-0 Southampton

10/5/2001
Tranmere Rovers 0-4 Arsenal

13/5/2001
Arsenal 2-1 Doncaster Belles
Charlton Athletic 1-1 Barry Town
Liverpool 2-4 Southampton
Millwall Lionesses 0-3 Sunderland

15/5/2001
Southampton 1-1 Barry Town

20/5/2001
Barry Town 2-1 Millwall Lionesses
Doncaster Belles 1-0 Charlton Athletic
Sunderland 2-2 Southampton

28/5/2001
Liverpool 0-7 Charlton Athletic

2/6/2001
Millwall Lionesses 7-1 Liverpool