Chelsea FC have been a notable force in English football since March of 1905, but interestingly, the club have only had a ladies football team for 23 years, since 1992. This year, the Chelsea Ladies FC legacy hit a new high, with a victory at the 2014 2015 FA Women's Cup. Should we expect even more great things from this squad of talented women in the coming years? Read on to learn more about Chelsea LFC's history, stats, and prospects for upcoming years.

Chelsea LFC: The History

Similar to their male affiliates, Chelsea Ladies FC are nicknamed "the Blues" by fans. They also wear a similar Chelsea home jersey 2015 2016 to the reigning English Premier League champions. Unlike the male Chelsea FC, however, the female Blues call Wheatsheaf Park their home ground.

Originally, the Chelsea ladies club came to be because fans of the Blues' male side wanted to support a women's club as well. That demand led to the 1992 founding of the Chelsea
LFC and started a long arc toward ladies football prominence for the Fulham-based football club.

It wasn't until 2004 2005 that the ladies team had their big break. With a victory in the Southern Division-a third tier league in English ladies football-the Blues finally earned promotion into the FA Women's Premier League National Division, which was at the time the top-flight division for female soccer competition in England.

After their promotion, the Blues never won the Women's Premier League, though they did land in third place on a number of occasions (2009 and 2010). Arsenal's ladies team was the dominant force in the division most years, winning consecutive titles from 2004 through 2010, while Everton finished second five years running, including the two seasons where the Blues made it to the podium.

In 2011, the FA Women's Super League 1 (also known as the FA WSL 1) became the top-flight division for female soccer in England. (The FA Women's Premier League National Division stuck around for two more seasons as the second tier, before being replaced permanently, in 2013 2014, by the FA WSL 2.) Chelsea struggled in the early years of the new league, finishing in sixth place (out of just eight teams) in both 2011 and 2012. Arsenal, meanwhile, continued to dominate. 2013 was even worse, with the Blues falling to seventh place-20 standings points away from a podium position, and 26 off the lead.

2014 2015: The Chelsea LFC Renaissance

Luckily for fans in the Chelsea home jersey 2015 2016, the club's ladies football squad seems to have bounced back in the past year or so. In 2014, the Blues jumped from winning three of their 14 WSL games to winning eight, surpassing former heavyweights Arsenal to claim a runner-up finish-and Champions League qualification-for the season. (Liverpool won the title, for the second year in a row.)

The success continued in 2015, as Chelsea LFC beat Notts County to win their first-ever Women's FA Cup. The game, played at Wembley Stadium on August 1st, ended 1-0 in favor of the Blues, and saw a bigger audience than any previous women's FA Cup.

In other words, interest in women's soccer is picking up, and Chelsea's ladies football club are hitting their stride at the perfect time to capitalize on the new popularity. Right now, with just four games left to play in the 2015 FA WSL 1, the Blues are in first place, ahead of Arsenal, Liverpool, and the rest of the pack.

When the Women's Super League closes up shop for the year on October 14th, will the Blues finally be able to claim a top-flight national soccer trophy? Find and follow us on social media to keep up with the latest news in both men's and women's football. Soccer Box has an active presence on many social networks, including Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr.