Women kick off charity curtain-raiser

Charlton's Carla Procter and Arsenal's Kirsty Pealing in action

Arsenal 1-1 Charlton

Women's football - the country's fastest-growing sport - held its first FA Charity Shield match on Sunday.

The game kicked off the women's season with Premier League and FA Cup winners, Charlton - formerly Croydon - playing the League Cup holders, Arsenal.

And it was rather apt that the final score was a draw allowing both sides to take the inaugural title.

England's Marieanne Spacey gave the Gunners a 22nd-minute lead.

But victory was snatched from Arsenal when Emily Arnold's equalised for Charlton in the 88th-minute.

Over in Scandinavia and in America it is the top women's sport, it is only just breaking in over here

The FA's Katherine Knight

The event aimed to raise the profile of the women's game as well as raising money for charity.

All the proceeds from the event will be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity and organisers hope to make it an annual event like the traditional curtain-raiser to the professional men's football season.

Support was pledged from a number of stars including model Jordan.

Fans were treated to skills from the top women's football sides in the country.

Katherine Knight from the Football Association said: "Although the players are currently classed as amateurs, the FA has made a commitment to establish a women's professional league within the next few years.

Breaking

Knight said the popularity of the women's game had grown in recent years.

She said: "In 1993 we only had 80 girls teams in the whole country, today we have got nearly 4,000 including schools teams

"It isn't a male bastion anymore...it is something that everyone can enjoy and you don't have to be a millionaire to do it.

"Over in Scandinavia and in America it is the top women's sport, it is only just breaking in over here."