Arsenal have invested in the Ladies team by building a hub for them at London Colney.

With Manchester City setting the standard for women’s football in England, it was important for Arsenal to catch up with them and Chelsea if they want to be able to compete for the title.

This large investment is a superb tool that improves the chances of the team to get back into the Champions League. It will also help as they try to regain the WSL that they lost in 2012.

Here is the full set-up at the Arsenal Ladies hub:

“The facility includes a new changing room, team meeting rooms, a physio room, an ice bath and office space for manager Pedro Martinez Losa and his team.

“The Ladies also have access to a newly opened restaurant and a gymnasium, which is shared with the men’s academy sides.

“The squad’s training schedule now mirrors Arsène Wenger’s first team, with daytime training sessions accompanied by recovery time, gym work and tactical meetings.

“Losa’s backroom staff has also expanded. A technical coach and a strength and conditioning expert have joined player-coach Kelly Smith and the team physio ahead of the new term.”

The improvement was a necessary move to stay competitive, and Kelly Smith told Arsenal.com about the off-the-pitch benefits as well as the on-pitch ones.

“It’s our base whereas before we used to just come here to train, get out on the pitches and then leave”, Smith said.

“We lacked that togetherness and cohesiveness before but we have that now, and it will be interesting to see how much this new facility helps us this year.”

Women’s football has come on leaps and bounds since the WSL started in 2011, even more so since the 2013 season when Liverpool set a new standard by turning professional. I n 2014/when City pushed the standard even higher with Chelsea following quickly.

Let’s hope that when the new season starts on 20th March, with the FA Women’s Cup tie away to Birmingham, that the Ladies will be able to show on the pitch all the improvements they’ve made off it.