WOMENS WEEKLY-Chelsea Ladies

Player development
Chelsea Ladies Elite Development Programme head coach James Lambdon believes the future of the club is in safe hands after watching a raft of talented players progress to the first team squad.

Lambdon manages the Elite Development Programme with his players finishing the most recent campaign fifth in the southern division of the FA WSL Development League.

The Elite Development Programme (EDP) aims to aid the transition of players from the clubs Girls' Centre of Excellence through to the Ladies first team. The EDP provides 17-22 year old players with an environment and competitive fixture programme to maximise their potential.

To date a host of players have progressed through to Emma Hayes' first-team squad, including the likes of Hannah Blundell (pictured above), Jodie Brett and Rosella Ayanne, who have all featured in this season's FA WSL.

'The competitive side of the coaching staff wants us to finish as high as possible in the league, but the main remit of the development squad is about player development,' said Lambdon.

'Our focus is to make sure that the eight or nine girls who have made appearances in the first team can try and consolidate that, and hopefully make themselves regular players within the squad.

'Of course it's important that they're competitive in order to progress further and make their names in the Ladies team. A number of players have made strides forward in representing the first team in the WSL and we are confident that can continue.'

In total eight players who have progressed through the ranks at Chelsea have been a part of a first-team matchday squad this season, with 18-year-old striker Millie Farrow among those to feature.

Farrow came off the bench in the 3-1 FA Women's Cup tie at Manchester City Ladies having impressed with 20 goals in the Development League, while she also featured as a substitute in the 5-1 win at Watford Ladies in the Continental Cup.

'It is a really good feeling to see myself and my team-mates getting a chance to gain experience from playing and training with the first team,' said Farrow, who along with Brett and Ayane helped Chelsea win the London and South-East Girls Centre of Excellence League title in 2012.

'It has been exciting to travel with the first team in important games such as the FA Cup quarter-final against Man City where I managed to make my first team debut.

'It's been really good to see my friends and team-mates making the step up to the first team as well as the younger players coming up looking motivated and ready to work hard for the next season in the Development Squad.

'In the next few months my aims are to maintain involvement with the Chelsea first team and continue to be involved with the England Under-19s. I am looking forward to next season and hope to continue to develop as a player.'

Chelsea Ladies are running a Girls' Training Camp at our Cobham training ground this August, open to girls of all abilities between 6-18 years old.

Mid-season break
The Chelsea Ladies first team don't return to competitive action until 29 June, when they travel to face Everton.

A mid-season break has been implemented in each of the WSL's four seasons, lasting around five to six weeks. Midfielder Laura Bassett explains the process in more detail.

'Clubs, staff and players are used to it by now and have adopted strategies which they believe will be profitable for their team for the duration of the whole season,' she said.
'Most clubs give their players two weeks off in which they don't have to report into club training. In these two weeks, some players prefer to take a vacation and switch off. Some players prefer to carry on training. After this initial phase, players arrive back into training for a short mid-season top up.
'The international calendar have used this opportunity to play World Cup Qualifying fixtures. This week we travel away to Belarus and Ukraine to continue our campaign.'

England, who face Belarus in Minsk on Saturday and Ukraine in Lviv on Thursday, also include Eniola Aluko in their squad. They are five points clear at the top of their qualifying group.

Tickets for all Chelsea Ladies home games at Wheatsheaf Park, Staines, are available on the door priced £3 for Children and £5 for Adults or via webticketmanager.com/clfc. Season tickets are just £30 for Adults and £15 for concessions.