# 2012 Arsenal L.F.C. season

The 2012 season was Arsenal Ladies Football Club's 25th season since forming in 1987. The club participated in the second edition of the FA WSL, England's top flight for women's football since 2011, winning it for a second season in a row with an unbeaten campaign. Arsenal also played in the FA Women's Cup, and the FA WSL Cup, winning the latter against Birmingham City in October. They also competed in the UEFA Women's Champions League, losing at the Semi Final stage to Frankfurt.
As this season bridged the gap between the Men's Team's 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, the team wore two different sets of kits during each half of the season.

## Squad statistics
### First team squad

Squad statistics correct as of May 2018
| Squad No. | Name | Date of Birth (Age) | Since | Last Contract | Signed From |
| Goalkeepers ||||||
| 1 | Emma Byrne | (1979-06-14) 14 June 1979 (age 45) | 2000 | | Fortuna Hjørring |
| 13 | Rebecca Spencer | (1991-02-22) 22 February 1991 (age 34) | 2013 | | Birmingham City |
| 31 | Sophie Harris | (1994-08-25) 25 August 1994 (age 30) | 2010 | | Lincoln City |
| 35 | Nicole Adams | (1995-02-13) 13 February 1995 (age 30) | 2012 | | Homegrown |
| Defenders ||||||
| 2 | Steph Houghton | (1988-04-23) 23 April 1988 (age 36) | 2010 | August 2010 | Leeds Carnegie |
| 3 | Yvonne Tracy | (1981-02-27) 27 February 1981 (age 44) | 2000 | | St Patrick's Athletic |
| 5 | Gilly Flaherty | (1991-08-24) 24 August 1991 (age 33) | 2003 | | Millwall Lionesses |
| 6 | Faye White (captain) | (1978-02-02) 2 February 1978 (age 47) | 1996 | | Horsham Ladies |
| 19 | Niamh Fahey | (1987-10-13) 13 October 1987 (age 37) | 2008 | | Salthill Devon |
| 22 | Alex Scott | (1984-10-14) 14 October 1984 (age 40) | 2012 | March 2012 | Boston Breakers |
| 25 | Hayley Ladd | (1993-10-06) 6 October 1993 (age 31) | 2009 | | St Albans City |
| Midfielders ||||||
| 4 | Jayne Ludlow | (1979-01-07) 7 January 1979 (age 46) | 2000 | | Southampton Saints |
| 7 | Ciara Grant | (1978-05-17) 17 May 1978 (age 46) | 1998 | | St Patrick's Athletic |
| 8 | Jordan Nobbs | (1992-12-08) 8 December 1992 (age 32) | 2010 | August 2010 | Sunderland |
| 16 | Kim Little | (1990-09-26) 26 September 1990 (age 34) | 2008 | | Hibernian |
| 17 | Katie Chapman | (1982-06-15) 15 June 1982 (age 42) | 2010 | November 2010 | Chicago Red Stars |
| 28 | Angharad James ‡ | (1994-06-01) 1 June 1994 (age 30) | | | Manorbier Girls |
| 30 | Bianca Bragg | (1994-01-14) 14 January 1994 (age 31) | | | Homegrown |
| 32 | Melissa Lawley ‡ | (1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 (age 30) | | | Aston Villa |
| Forwards ||||||
| 9 | Ellen White | (1989-05-09) 9 May 1989 (age 35) | 2010 | July 2010 | Leeds Carnegie |
| 11 | Rachel Yankey | (1979-11-01) 1 November 1979 (age 45) | 2005 | | New Jersey Wildcats |
| 12 | Gemma Davison | (1987-04-17) 17 April 1987 (age 37) | 2012 | | Sky Blue FC |
| 14 | Jen Beattie | (1991-05-13) 13 May 1991 (age 33) | 2009 | | Celtic |
| 15 | Danielle Carter | (1993-05-18) 18 May 1993 (age 31) | 2009 | | Homegrown |
| 20 | Lauren Bruton | (1992-11-22) 22 November 1992 (age 32) | 2008 | | Luton Town |
| 23 | Kelly Smith | (1978-10-29) 29 October 1978 (age 46) | 2012 | March 2012 | Boston Breakers |
Italic indicates an academy player.
‡ = Player played in the earlier rounds of the UEFA Women's Champions League, but departed Arsenal before the start of the WSL Season

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Name | Super League | Super League | FA Cup | FA Cup | WSL Cup | WSL Cup | UWCL | UWCL | Total | Total |
| No. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | Emma Byrne | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 13 | Rebecca Spencer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | Sophie Harris | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 35 | Nicole Adams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | Steph Houghton | 12+2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 28+2 | 3 |
| 3 | Yvonne Tracy | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 |
| 5 | Gilly Flaherty | 11+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 26+2 | 0 |
| 6 | Faye White | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 19 | Niamh Fahey | 11+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 25+1 | 0 |
| 22 | Alex Scott (captain) | 12+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 |
| 25 | Hayley Ladd | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | Jayne Ludlow | 4+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 14+1 | 1 |
| 7 | Ciara Grant | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 26+1 | 1 |
| 8 | Jordan Nobbs | 12+1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 | 4+3 | 4 | 21+5 | 10 |
| 16 | Kim Little | 13+1 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 28+1 | 19 |
| 17 | Katie Chapman | 13+1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 28+1 | 7 |
| 28 | Angharad James ‡ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 30 | Bianca Bragg | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 32 | Melissa Lawley ‡ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | Ellen White | 4+6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1+3 | 1 | 7+1 | 2 | 14+10 | 8 |
| 11 | Rachel Yankey | 11+1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5+2 | 1 | 23+3 | 4 |
| 12 | Gemma Davison | 11+3 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 3+2 | 1 | 0+3 | 0 | 14+9 | 3 |
| 14 | Jen Beattie | 4+7 | 3 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+3 | 3 | 1+5 | 3 | 8+16 | 9 |
| 15 | Danielle Carter | 5+3 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 4+3 | 3 | 12+8 | 4 |
| 20 | Lauren Bruton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Kelly Smith | 4+3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6+3 | 5 |
Italic indicates an academy player.

### Goalscorers

| Rank | No. | Position | Name | Super League | FA Cup | WSL Cup | UWCL | Total |
| 1 | 16 | MF | Kim Little | 11 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 19 |
| 2 | 8 | MF | Jordan Nobbs | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | 14 | FW | Jen Beattie | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 9 | FW | Ellen White | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | 17 | MF | Katie Chapman | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 6 | 23 | FW | Kelly Smith | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | FW | Rachel Yankey | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | 15 | FW | Danielle Carter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | FW | Gemma Davison | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | DF | Steph Houghton | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Own Goals | Own Goals | Own Goals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | MF | Jayne Ludlow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 7 | MF | Ciara Grant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 39 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 76 |

### Disciplinary record

| Rank | No. | Position | Name | Super League | Super League | FA Cup | FA Cup | WSL Cup | WSL Cup | UWCL | UWCL | Total | Total |
| 1 | 17 | MF | Katie Chapman | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | DF | Steph Houghton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | GK | Emma Byrne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | 11 | FW | Rachel Yankey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 | DF | Gilly Flaherty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 16 | MF | Kim Little | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 12 | FW | Gemma Davison | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 9 | FW | Ellen White | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | MF | Ciara Grant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 22 | DF | Alex Scott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 19 | DF | Niamh Fahey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 8 | MF | Jordan Nobbs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 4 | MF | Jayne Ludlow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 0 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | No. | Name | Super League | FA Cup | WSL Cup | UWCL | Total |
| 1 | 1 | Emma Byrne | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 13 | Rebecca Spencer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 31 | Sophie Harris | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 |

## Transfers, loans and other signings
### Transfers in

| Announcement date | No. | Position | Player | From club |
| 9 March 2012 | 22 | DF | Alex Scott | Boston Breakers |
| 9 March 2012 | 23 | FW | Kelly Smith | Boston Breakers |
| March 2012 | 12 | FW | Gemma Davison | Sky Blue FC |
| March 2012 | 13 | GK | Rebecca Spencer | ASJ Soyaux |

### Transfers out

| Announcement date | No. | Position | Player | To club |
| December 2011 | 13 | GK | Rebecca Spencer | ASJ Soyaux |
| 2011 | 10 | FW | Julie Fleeting | Maternity |
| 13 March 2012 | 28 | MF | Angharad James | Bristol Academy |
| 13 March 2012 | 32 | MF | Melissa Lawley | Bristol Academy |
| March 2012 | 13 | GK | Rebecca Spencer | Birmingham City |

### Loans out

| Announcement date | No. | Position | Player | To club |
| June 2012 | 25 | DF | Hayley Ladd | Kokkola Futis 10 |

## Club
### Kit (2011-12)

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: Fly Emirates
| Home alt. | Away | Goalkeeper 1 | Goalkeeper 2 | Goalkeeper 3 |

### Kit information

Arsenal's home, away, third and goalkeeper outfits featured an anniversary crest to mark the club's 125th anniversary. The crest featured 15 laurel leaves on the left side of the crest to reflect the detail on the reverse of the sixpence pieces paid by 15 men to establish the Club in Woolwich in 1886. The 15 oak leaves to the right of the crest paid tribute to the founders who would meet in the local Royal Oak pub. Underneath the crest was one of the club's first recorded mottos – "Forward" – with the anniversary dates of 1886 and 2011 either side.
* Home: The home kit was based on Nike Classic 2011 template in the club's traditional red and white colours, with red trim on the arms.
* Away: The away kit was based on Nike Harlequin 2011 template. The front of the away kit was divided into two-halves in navy blue and one turquoise, inspired by some of the away kits in the 1990s which featured the same colour scheme. The diagonal design represented the gnomon (the pointer) which casts the shadow on a sundial – to commemorate the original Dial Square sundial on the site of the Arsenal munitions factory in Woolwich, where the club was founded in 1886. The back of the shirt was entirely navy blue, with one sleeve navy and the other turquoise. A stripe runs down each sleeves, broken into three parts to further represent the Dial Square sundial. The away shorts were navy blue, as were the socks
* Third: The yellow/maroon away kit from last season was retained as a third kit with 125th anniversary celebratory maroon badge.
* Keeper: The goalkeeper kits featured a stunning graphic running down from the bottom of the arms to the side of the shirt, which was part of Nike's 2011 goalkeeper template also worn by other clubs as well. The first-choice kit was mainly navy with orange detailing. The alternative kits were dark green with yellow detailing and grey with turquoise detailing, respectively.

#### Kit usage (2011-12)

| Kit | Combination | Usage | Usage |
| Home alt. | Red body White sleeves White shorts Red socks. | WSL | Everton (H) Chelsea (H) Lincoln (A) Bristol Academy (A) Birmingham City (H) Chelsea (A) |
| Home alt. | Red body White sleeves White shorts Red socks. | FA Cup | Lincoln (A) Everton (H) Chelsea (A) |
| Home alt. | Red body White sleeves White shorts Red socks. | WSL Cup | Lincoln (A) Chelsea (H) |
| Home alt. | Red body White sleeves White shorts Red socks. | UWCL | Bobruichanka (A) Bobruichanka (H) Rayo Vallecano (H) Göteborg (H) Göteborg (A) 1. FFC Frankfurt (H) 1. FFC Frankfurt (A) |
| Away | Blue and navy body Blue and navy sleeves Navy shorts Navy socks. | WSL | Liverpool (A) |
| Away | Blue and navy body Blue and navy sleeves Navy shorts Navy socks. | WSL Cup | Liverpool (A) |
| Away | Blue and navy body Blue and navy sleeves Navy shorts Navy socks. | UWCL | Rayo Vallecano (A) |

### Kit (2012-13)

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: Fly Emirates
| Home | Away | Goalkeeper 1 | Goalkeeper 2 | Goalkeeper 2 alt. | Goalkeeper 3 | Goalkeeper 3 alt. |

### Kit information

Nike released a new set of home, away and goalkeeper kits for the 2012–13 season. The club reverted to their traditional crest, after using an anniversary crest last season.
* Home: During the final two years with Nike, Nike ditched the white sleeves the club's well known for. The shirt has a white wide stripe on each sleeve, flanked by two dark red, narrower stripes. It has a red V-neck collar which is the same colour as the primary shirt colour. The shirt is complemented by white shorts with a dark-red trim, and white socks with a red horizontal stripe. Red socks with white horizontal stripe were used in some away games. Arsenal revealed that the kit would be used for the next two seasons.
* Away: Arsenal's new away kit, was revealed on 12 July 2012, with the much speculated purple and black hooped kit being officially confirmed. The reason behind the kit was to commemorate Arsenal's past, enhancing the "royal" theme from the Diamond Jubilee to remind Arsenal fans of the Royal Arsenal that once existed through the colour purple. The shirt featured red cuffs and detailing, and additionally featured hoops of different width on the arms. The purple and black hooped socks, bearing one red stripe each, paid tribute to Chapman's legacy and his introduction of hooped socks, which according to him, was said to make it easier for his players to pick each other out on the pitch. The hoops and red trim on the sleeves was designed the kit a modern and unique flavour to distinguish the club from others in the Premier League.
* Third: Arsenal's yellow and maroon 2010–11 away kit was retained as a third kit yet again with club badge reverted to traditional badge after last season with anniversary badge.
* Keeper: Nike launched a new set of goalkeeper strips for the 2012–13 season. The primary strip was predominantly green featuring several tones of the same colour on the arms. The alternatives were pink and gold, based on the same template.

#### Kit usage (2012-13)

| Kit | Combination | Usage | Usage |
| Home | Red body White sleeves White shorts White socks. | WSL | Everton (A) Doncaster Rovers Belles (A) Bristol Academy (H) Lincoln (H) Liverpool (H) Doncaster Rovers Belles (H) Birmingham City (A) |
| Home | Red body White sleeves White shorts White socks. | WSL Cup | Bristol Academy (A) Birmingham City (N) |
| Away | Purple and black hooped body Purple and black hooped sleeves Black short Red socks. | WSL | Doncaster Rovers Belles (A) |

## Competitions
### FA WSL
#### Partial league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 18 | +21 | 34 | Qualification to Champions League |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 18 | +13 | 26 | Qualification to Champions League |
| 3 | Everton | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 25 | |
| 4 | Bristol Academy | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 18 | |
| 5 | Lincoln Ladies | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 18 | |

#### Results Summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Ground | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | H | H | A |
| Result | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | D |
| Position | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |

### FA WSL Cup
#### Group 2
#### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LIN | ARS | CHE | LIV |
| 1 | Lincoln Ladies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | 4–3 | — | 3–2 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 6 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | — | 3–0 | — |
| 3 | Chelsea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | | 1–2 | — | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 | | — | 0–3 | — | — |