| Full name | Arsenal Women Football Club Academy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Hale End | |||
| Ground | Vauxhall Road | |||
| Capacity | 3,152 (300 seated) | |||
| Academy Manager | Hannah Paterson | |||
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- Women's academy
Arsenal Women Football Club Academy (Arsenal W.F.C. Academy) is the youth academy of Arsenal Women Football Club. The academy operates for girls from 9 to 21 years old.[1][2]
History
Arsenal Women's Academy started as a community programme in the late 1980's, when the club decided to develop a youth training scheme for 16- to 18-year-old girls who were interested in playing football. This scheme meant girls could play football full-time for two years, fully funded by a government training scheme.[3]
Arsenal's Head of Community, Freddie Hudson MBE, is still involved with the Academy setup and has helped to develop the pathway for girls in the North London communities into the current setup as it currently stands.
The academy has won three FA Girls Youth Cups in addition to other trophies lifted altogether.[2][4][5]
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Arsenal were one of 16 football clubs awarded a Category 1 Professional Game Academy License (PGAs). The PGAs replaced what were then known as FA WSL Academies.[6]
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, it was announced that PGA sides would be competing in the Women's National League Cup for the first time, after the addition of those sides in the Women's National League Plate competition during the 2024-25 season. Along with this, there was the introduction of a group stage for the Cup:[7] Arsenal were drawn in group K alongside Loughborough Lightning, Northampton Town and Rugby Borough.[8] Arsenal's PGA side placed fourth in their group after losses to Northampton Town and Rugby Borough, and a last minute win against Lougborough Lightning, meaning that they did not advance to the knockout rounds of either the Plate or Cup competitions.[9]
Players
Under-21s
- As of 21 August 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Dual registration loan
Dual registration loans allow young players to gain senior team experience at lower league clubs, usually Women's National League, whilst also being eligible for their Academy or even senior team games.[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Management and Staff
Current staff
- As of 2 September 2025
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head of Player Development | James Honeyman |
| Academy Manager | Hannah Paterson |
| Under-21s Head Coach | John Hal Bitting |
| Under-16s Head Coach | Jon Whittingham |
| Academy Goalkeeping Lead | Tom Gallin |
Academy Graduates
This is a list of former Arsenal W.F.C. Academy players who have gone on to represent their country at full international level. Players who are still at Arsenal, or play at another club on loan from Arsenal, are highlighted in bold.
- Updated 14 October 2025
- Left Academy before 2000
- Left Academy between 2000 and 2009
- Left Academy between 2010 and 2019
- Left Academy between 2020 and 2029
Honours
- FA Girls Youth Cup: 2015 & 2016[4][5]
- FA Girls League Cup: 2016[4]
- FA Girls' England Talent Pathway League (Under 16): 2022-23 (Invincible season)[11]
- Blue Stars/Fifa Youth Cup: 2024[12]
- PGA Southern League: 2024[13]
- PGA League Division One: 2024–25[14]
- Capital Women's Senior Cup: 2022-23,[15] 2024-25[16]
References
- ^ "Arsenal Ladies Development Team". Arsenal.com.
- ^ a b "FA Regional Talent Club". Arsenal.com.
- ^ Wrack, Suzanne (16 June 2025). "'We took a big leap of faith': how a community project built Arsenal Women". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Academy sides win three trophies". Arsenal.com.
- ^ a b "Ladies win National Youth Cup - Pictures". Arsenal.com.
- ^ The Football Association, FA. "FA Professional Game Academy licenses awarded to twenty clubs as part of revamped player pathway". England Football. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "FA Women's National League announces key dates and changes to promotion for 2025/26 season". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ FA, The Football Association (15 July 2025). "Fixtures".
- ^ "Results | The FA Women's National League".
- ^ "Full Guidance: Transfers and dual registrations". Grassroots Technology. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ "Arsenal Women U16s secure invincible season!". Arsenal Women U16s secure invincible season!. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ "Salzburg and Arsenal Triumph | Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup 2024". FIFA. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ Arsenal Media (18 April 2024). "Arsenal Women's U21s win the PGA Southern League". Arsenal Women’s U21s win the PGA Southern League. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
- ^ "Arsenal Women U21s secure league title". Arsenal.com. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ "A gallant cup final defeat for the Dons". www.afcwimbledon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ Ward, Kian (15 May 2025). "IN PHOTOS | Dulwich Hamlet vs Arsenal | Capital Women's Cup". Dulwich Hamlet Football Club. Retrieved 22 May 2025.