Forget about the Ladies… Chelsea’s triumphant female team which clinched the cup and league double this season is now to be known as Chelsea FC Women, to put the team on a more equal footing with the men’s Premier League side.

It’s a change that’s been coming for some while – it was first proposed at the start of this extraordinary season, but the rebranding exercise had to wait as the new name will require altering a lot of letterheads, signs and registration documents.

The club said that the name change was  “representative of a modern view on language and equality”, and was “in keeping with the way our governing bodies, supporters, squad and management regard the women’s game”.

It also means that the club will resist the temptation to refer to the men’s team as the ‘first’ team, recognising the growing status of women’s football, and Chelsea’s success as a leading light within it.

Chelsea FC Women manager Emma Hayes, now a proud mum, said: “This name change demonstrates the club’s desire to put women’s football at the front and centre of everything we do.

“Chelsea’s continued commitment to the women’s game is unwavering and this decision is something I fully support.”

But fans can still cheer on ‘the Blues’ at Kingsmeadow when the new season starts in August!