Gemma Davison perhaps has more invested than most in Tottenham’s Women’s Super League debut at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, because she was a key element of Chelsea’s revolution under Emma Hayes, winning the Double twice.
“I had a big part to play at Chelsea, they have the most amazing fanbase, and to get the Tottenham fans at Stamford Bridge, quite a big crowd, it’s really exciting, especially for the women’s game,” she says.
Throw into the mix that she spent her formative years at Arsenal and grew up a Gooner and the elements for a thrilling London derby are in place.
“You know what? I was saying I quite like the kit,” says, she laughing at her switch from red to white. “My family are all right [with the move], my dad is a Spurs fan. My brother doesn’t like me any more. But the club is brilliant.
“There was just something about Tottenham. I had been hearing whispers about Tottenham for quite a few years. It’s a big club and they should be in the FA WSL. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the future is really bright. It’s a bit of a pull.”
With all tickets for the Stamford Bridge opener free, there is an expectation of a shortfall in capacity. However, with the Manchester derby at the Etihad expected to break the previous league record of 5,265 who watched Arsenal win the league at the Amex last season, there is a hope that south London could outdo their northern rivals.
For the Chelsea and England centre-back Millie Bright, it feels right to progress after the summer’s World Cup in France. “It’s a crucial time,” she says. “If we step back now and don’t push on, we’ll lose that window to really push forward in the women’s game and get the attraction.
“Off the back of the World Cup, now is the time to keep people invested in the game and not just at national level but at club level, and keep people coming along and watching.”
Large crowds matter. “When I came to Chelsea and England, playing in big games, that got me excited – you play with no fear then. So in a way, it would be, not foolish, but silly to think Spurs are going to be intimidated by the fans. As a player, that would spark my drive and I’d be: ‘I’m ready for this.’ You’ve got no fear in that game whatsoever and you’re going to go and prove yourself to thousands and thousands of people.”
The bigger attendances, the sponsorship deals, the perks of being a professional: for Davison, at 32, the wait has been a lengthy one. “Is this not what women’s football deserves?” she says. “With the talent that is in the game now? It should have been like this a long time ago but we have it now and hopefully the opportunities will increase and I’ve no doubt they will.
“When I was 16 my dad was told women’s football would never go professional. Now look at it. We’re sitting in a room here full of journalists. It’s unbelievable.
“I was told I would never make it into first-team football, that I’d never play for England and that women’s football would never be professional and now I’m sitting here in St George’s Park wearing a Tottenham Hotspur shirt – so happy days.”
Having had to travel to the United States in search of professionalism in her youth, Davison is excited by the future that exists now for young players. “It’s biased isn’t it, but this is probably the most exciting league in the world,” she says. “You look at the players that we’re bringing over, big players who are some of the best in the world.
“I went to America and I went and played with Marta, but now everyone wants to come here. It’s setting a benchmark. America set a benchmark for us. We’re now doing the same. Commercially, it’s just getting bigger and bigger.”
Now she is a part of moulding the future. Having coached for 10 years, she runs sessions for elite kids – boys and girls – including the children of her former teammate Katie Chapman. She can see a better generation arriving.
“They are training more, three or four times a week, they are doing extra. We didn’t do that. They are getting more exposure, more information. The talent is already there and then you’re getting the development, more touches on the ball, you’re just going to get a better player.”
She had to stop playing with boys eventually, but kept playing “secretly for a long time with my friends on the local astro. That gave me the traits of my game because you can’t just sprint past a guy because he’s quicker so I had to use trickery. That’s moulded me as a player. That’s what I’m like, beating people with trickery and not just speed.”