ARSENAL LADIES FC are well underway with pre-season preparations, taking part in a newly-formed tournament in the USA, ahead of their first season at Clarence Park the home of St Albans City FC.

The team are currently in America participating in the first ever Women's Trans-Atlantic Soccer Challenge, where they will play San Jose Cyber-Rays, the current Women's United Soccer Association Champions.

Vic Akers the teams' General Manager said: "We are incredibly proud to have been asked to participate in this challenge, and are relishing playing in front of nearly 26,000 people," obviously a significant increase to their usual crowd.

The Women's United Soccer Association is the world's first fully professional women's league, and boasts the worlds best female players. The USA won the Womens' World Cup in 1999 where Brandi Chastain famously celebrated by removing her top after scoring the winning penalty kick highlighting the country's strength in womens' soccer and Arsenal Ladies hope to benefit from the experience of playing in the world champions' back yard against some of the games best players.

When the new Premier League season finally starts, residents of St Albans and surrounding areas will hopefully see the Arsenal Ladies' new skills picked up from their sisters across the pond, at Clarence Park. The team have moved from Boreham Wood FC's Meadow Park ground, in what they hope will become a permanent move.

June 13, 2002 16:30