Arsenal and Chelsea enter European last four with women’s game in flux

W hen Arsenal completed a dramatic second-leg turnaround against Bayern Munich and Chelsea battled to a historic shootout defeat of the eight-time European champions Lyon in the Champions League quarter-finals, it hinted at a shifting of the sands.

It was the first time in five years and only the second time in the competition’s 22-year history that two English teams had reached the final four. When Chelsea play at home to Barcelona in their first leg on Saturday and Arsenal visit Wolfsburg on Sunday, it would be easy to paint their feats as coincidental, their relative strength coming at times of transition for other European powers. There would be an element of truth to that, particularly in the case of Lyon, who staggered to the quarter-finals with a lengthy injury list.

However, there is also a wider narrative at play, with the investment in the Women’s Super League and its growth starting to present itself in Europe. England’s top division stands at a crossroads, ready to step into the next phase of its development, with a company set to be launched by the Football Association to lead the league towards independence. Heading the consultation on what the top two divisions should look like is the highly regarded former Nike director Nikki Doucet.

Critically, in England, all major players in women’s football, from clubs to the FA to media partners, are broadly singing from the same hymn sheet on the potential for growth, profitability and sustainability. The level of commitment and self-interest varies but most parties are taking the future of women’s football in the country extremely seriously.

That is reflected in the profile of the individuals in the working group which Doucet is overseeing, with Manchester City’s