Chelsea women footballers are no longer ladies

WOMEN footballers should not be called “ladies”, Chelsea football club has said, as it announced a change to a less “old-fashioned” word.

The women’s club has changed its name from Chelsea Ladies to Chelsea FC Women to reflect “a modern view on language and equality”.

Goalkeeper Carly Telford, who also plays for England, told The Daily Telegraph that “ladies” was outdated and the change would help the team attain equal prominence with the men’s side.

“When I think of ‘ladies’ I do think of afternoon tea somewhere,” she said.

“You wouldn’t call it ‘Chelsea gentlemen’, so why would you call us ladies?

“There are all those connotations of what a lady stands for as opposed to what a woman stands for.

“I think it will make people sit up, maybe take more notice.”

The club is also set to stop calling the men’s team the “first” team, to give the female players greater parity with their male counterparts.

Emma Hayes, Chelsea FC Women manager, said: “This name change demonstrates the club’s desire to put women’s football at the front and centre of everything we do.

“Chelsea’s commitment to the women’s game is unwavering and this decision is something I fully support.”

The move follows a similar decision made by rival team Arsenal last year, who became Arsenal Women, with the “women” part only used when necessary for clarity.

Nine teams in the Women’s Super League, the highest women’s league in England, have “ladies” in their names, while seven have “women”.

Some teams, such as Brighton & Hove Albion, do not have either word in their name, while other team names include the London Bees, Millwall Lionesses and Doncaster Rovers Belles.