History
Sunday 13 July 2008
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At its meeting in Paris on 23 May 2000, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the proposal to introduce a European Women's club competition, and thus the UEFA Women's Cup came into being. For its ninth season in 2009/10 it was relaunched as the UEFA Women's Champions League as per a decision in December 2008.
Thirty-three teams involved
The draw for the 2001/02 competition took place during the 2001 UEFA European Women's Championship final tournament in Germany, with 33 teams setting out on the road to the final. One qualifying match was played before the teams were split into eight qualifying groups of four teams, playing mini-tournaments during September and October 2001.
Frankfurt triumph
The eight group winners contested the quarter-finals in March 2002 in a traditional home and away format with Umeå IK, HJK Hensinki, Toulouse FC and 1. FFC Frankfurt - the respective champions of Sweden, Finland, France and Germany - all advancing to the last four.
Fiercely contested
The two-legged semi-finals were both fiercely contested. Umeå defeated their Nordic rivals HJK 3-1 on aggregate, while Frankfurt's 2-1 first-leg success in France proved enough to see off a spirited Toulouse side. Something had to give at the Waldstadion final on 23 May 2002 and in the end it was Umeå's long unbeaten record as Frankfurt carried off the first UEFA Women's Cup with a 2-0 triumph.
Umeå success
By 2002/03, 35 clubs were entering, but in the semi-finals Umeå had their revenge on Frankfurt winning a penalty shoot-out 7-6 in Germany after both legs finished 1-1. Fortuna Hjørring of Denmark defeated England's Arsenal LFC 8-2 overall to progress to the final, by now a two-legged affair, but it was Umeå won 4-1 at home and 3-0 in the return to claim the trophy.
Champions win again
Forty teams played in the 2003/04 edition, but the big guns of Germany and Scandinavia again dominated. Umeå beat Danish title-holders Brøndby IF 4-2 overall to reach the final, where they were to play old rivals Frankfurt, who despite being held 0-0 in the first leg of their match with Sweden's Malmö FF, won the return 4-1. It was Umeå who prevailed in the final for the second year running, winning the opening leg 3-0 - the first time Frankfurt had lost over 90 minutes in the competition's history - and romping to a 5-0 victory in Germany.
New champion
Forty-three sides competed in the 2004/2005 edition as the competition went from strength to strength, with a German club triumphing for the second time. However it was 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam not their rivals from Frankfurt who triumphed after a 5-1 aggregate success over Swedish champions Djurgården/Älvsjö in the final.
All-German final
Again 43 clubs took part in 2005/06, and although Potsdam again made the final - following a victory against Djurgården/Älvsjö - it was Frankfurt who were to keep the trophy in Germany, after winning the first leg 4-0 away from home before gaining a 3-2 victory in front of a tournament record 13,200 crowd. Steffi Jones and Birgit Prinz scored in the second leg - just as they had in Frankfurt against Umeå back in the inaugural final four years before.
Surprise results
The format and entry remained stable for 2006/07, but in the quarter-finals the unthinkable happened - both German sides went out, Frankfurt losing to Kolbotn IL and Brøndby defeating Potsdam. However, in the last four Arsenal became the first English finalists as they saw off Brøndby and Umeå reached the showpiece for the fourth time with a comfortable triumph against Kolbotn. Arsenal won the first leg of the final 1-0 in Sweden and held on 0-0 in the return to lift the trophy.
Frankfurt's third
For 2007/08, 45 clubs were involved, but Arsenal's campaign ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of ambitious debutants Olympique Lyonnais. Two teams were in the last four for the first time, Lyon and ASD CF Bardolino Verona, and although both attracted crowds of more than 12,000 for the second legs they were pipped by Umeå and Frankfurt, setting up their third final meeting. Marta scored for Umeå after 12 seconds in the first leg but Conny Pohlers, a victor with Potsdam in 2005, swiftly equalised for a 1-1 draw in Sweden. A week later a 27,640 crowd gathered at the former Waldstadion and were delighted as Pohlers struck early in each half on Frankfurt's way to a 3-2 win, a 4-3 aggregate success and the honour of being the first three-time champions.
Duisburg's dream debut
In 2008/09, the last season before the UEFA Women's Cup became the UEFA Women's Champions League, the theme of newness started early as two debutants reached the final. FCR 2001 Duisburg knocked out German rivals Frankfurt in the quarter-finals and Lyon one round later to set up a tie with Russia's Zvezda-2005, who beat the holders in the second qualifying round then ousted Brøndby and Umeå. And it was Duisburg who kept the trophy in Germany as they defeated Zvezda 6-0 in Kazan before a 1-1 home draw at the MSV Arena, with the 28,112 crowd beating the record set by Frankfurt a year before.
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