Tony Dallas

Published: 23 January, 2014
by TONY DALLAS

I WANT you to imagine Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud all leaving Arsenal and moving to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City at the same time.

Apart from the cries of laughter that would emanate from the Lilywhite side of north London, just imagine the media frenzy!

Pundits and broadcasters camping outside the Emirates, wanting to know what had gone so drastically wrong.

The tabloids, sports programmes and every person on the street would have an opinion, and none would be laughed at for thinking the powers that be at the Emirates had lost their minds!

So why is it then that five of the all-conquering phenomenon that is Arsenal Ladies football team have been allowed to leave?

And how come we’ve heard very little about it?

Arsenal Ladies won the Premier League title seven times in a row, and when the Super League was founded in 2011 they won that twice.

In 2007 they also won the quadruple, including the Champions League! So, why would anyone want to leave such a successful team?

The answer is simply money!

Some of my male friends dismiss women’s football as a fanciful idea that doesn’t get their heart pumping like the men’s game does.

However, according to some, women’s football is the next big sporting thing in this country, with 28 million women and girls reputed to be playing it all over the world.

Defender Gilly Flaherty, 22, said making the switch from Arsenal to Chelsea meant she “wouldn’t have to work three or four jobs” and could now concentrate solely on football.

Women’s football is getting bigger by the day and to show you just how massive it’s getting Manchester City have seemingly started to flex their financially clad muscles by entering a team into the Super League for the very first time.

In doing so they jumped straight into the top tier at the expense of one of the league’s founding members, Doncaster Rovers Belles, who have been subsequently relegated to the second tier.

So, watch this space. Could we soon see our first million-pound female footballer?

And our first female manager earning six figures?

I hope so. It makes me particularly proud to say that Chelsea coach Emma Hayes is one of the hundreds of young people I had the pleasure of teaching when working for Camden Sports Development.

And if she’s successful, then all of the coaches, teachers and colleagues who encouraged her love of the game are successful too.