City's first signing of the January transfer window.
Chelsea looking to out do us now. Going to be an interesting season if City and Chelsea are competitive with the likes of Arsenal and the Champions Liverpool. I saw Arsenal last season and they were awesome. Only didn't win the league because they fielded an inelligeble player and had points deducted when they thrashed Liverpool at Widnes.
Still waiting for Karen Carney. Come on City.
http://mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2014/J ... tt-signingCity's women's team have signed New Zealand international Betsy Hassett on a one-year contract.
The central midfielder joins the club having plied her trade in America and Germany. During her time in the States, she made her senior international debut in a famous 1-0 victory over Argentina in the 2008 Peace Queen Cup and she has since made over 50 competitive appearances for the Football Ferns, scoring six goals.
“I’m a bit nervous about the move but extremely excited,” she said. “It’s the perfect opportunity for me to start somewhere new and create myself into the person and player I want to become.
“I'm really impressed with the club and its program. I like the idea of being part of a side that’s entering the FA WSL for the first time.
"This way, we can start from scratch with a new style and I can play to my strengths rather than trying to adapt to an already existing and established environment.”
Born in Titirangi, Auckland, Hassett began playing football with her older brothers at the age of four. She continued to play through her adolescent years and captained her college team to a third-place finish at the National Schools Tournament in her homeland.
She then made the move to America to progress her footballing career, attending the University of Berkeley, California. Whilst studying a range of subjects – including public health, environmental science, philosophy and Swahili – Hassett played for university team, the California Bears, between 2009 and 2012.
The 23-year-old went on to play a pivotal role in the 2011 Women’s World Cup and the 2012 Olympics for New Zealand. In London, she was a key part of the squad that became the country’s first to reach the second round of a major FIFA tournament.
Having made such an impressive impact in her homeland, the midfielder hopes to increase her country’s awareness of women’s football. In addition to her international exploits, Hassett also spent a year in the Frauen-Bundesliga 2 with SC Sand and is optimistic that her endeavours will serve to help her new team as they bid to tackle England’s top women’s league for the first time.
“I will share all the experience I have but I also think it is important to continue to gain more and more experience from playing with new players in another new environment,” she explained.
“Women’s football in England is getting stronger and stronger and I think more and more women will want to come and play here. The FA WSL offers players the chance to grow both on and off the field and this will keep pushing the league’s competition level higher and higher. “
Hassett will meet her new teammates over the coming weeks, joining fellow recruits Jill Scott, Karen Bardsley, Toni Duggan and Steph Houghton in the move to Manchester.
First-Team Manager Nick Cushing is thrilled with the latest addition to the club’s already-impressive side.
“We are delighted to have Betsy for next season,” he said. “Her excellent domestic and international record adds the necessary experience and mentality that we are looking for.
"We look forward to her joining the rest of the squad for pre-season."
http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... ester-cityChelsea Ladies have signalled their intention to keep pace with an exciting arms race in the Women's Super League by completing the signing of two England internationals, Katie Chapman and Gilly Flaherty.
The midfielder Chapman has won 82 caps for her country while the 22-year-old defender Flaherty has been capped at youth level and has been called up by the England manager, Mark Sampson, for next month's training camp in La Manga.
Both players have joined Chelsea from Arsenal, where they won a host of honours and previously worked with Emma Hayes, who was assistant at the north London club before being appointed Chelsea manager in 2012. Their arrival follows the recent captures by Chelsea of Laura Bassett and Rachel Williams from Birmingham Ladies.
"Emma is looking to build a team and they're moving in the right direction," says Chapman, whose triumphs at Arsenal include six league titles. "We've made some good signings this season and strengthened the squad. Obviously we've come from a winning team and we are winners ourselves so we're aiming to come here and prove ourselves as players and make the club stronger."
"Katie is the best at what she does in this country and I am sure any manager would say the same," said Hayes. "Her experience and winning mentality is what sets her apart and she is a fabulous role model too. Gilly is the best uncapped player in the country. She will become a bedrock for club and country as she has all the hallmarks of a top-class player."
Chelsea finished second from bottom of the league last season but are determined to challenge at the top end when the new season kicks off in April with a fresh structure, as an eight-team league is expanded to include 18 sides spread over two tiers and featuring promotion and relegation. The stakes have been raised higher by Manchester City, who will compete in the top flight for the first time this season and have declared their ambition to make an immediate impact by signing four England internationals in recent months as well as the New Zealand midfielder Betsy Hassett.
That investment exceeds the increased commitment shown to the women's game last season by Liverpool, who transformed themselves into champions after two successive bottom-place finishes. That was the first time in nine years that Arsenal did not win the league.
"There's been a lot of movement in the women's game to strengthen different teams," says Chapman. "Hopefully that will make it more competitive and there will be more teams in the running for the league, which is a good sign in itself."
This season's expansion of the league is part of the Football Association's plan to improve the women's game and spread its appeal. It represents the latest evolutionary stage of the semi-professional WSL, which was introduced in 2011 with fixtures running through the summer rather than the winter in a bid to attract bigger crowds, a move that has met with success so far as average attendances across the league exceeded 500 for the first time last season.
The introduction of Manchester City this term is expected to raise the interest and standard still further. But Chapman, while welcoming City's participation, reckons the Manchester club should not be considered as favourites and Chelsea's greater experience will count. "They're obviously new to the league so it's a whole new ball game for them," says Chapman of City. "They've got to come in and stamp their authority and see what the league is like, whereas Chelsea have been there and know the league and have strengthened the squad for this season and are aiming high … I think we stand in good stead and Chelsea are going to be the ones to watch."
by Dameerto » Thu Nov 28, 2013 1:42 pm 
