2012 Chelsea L.F.C. season

Chelsea L.F.C.'s 2012 season was the club's second season in the FA WSL and seventh in the top flight of English women's football, in its 20th year.

Review and events

Management changes

Chelsea manager Matt Beard resigned in July 2012 to become manager of Liverpool F.C. Women. Beard had been with Chelsea since the 2009–10 season.
Chelsea Ladies chair Peter Steward, who had been the club's assistant manager before Beard, filled in as caretaker manager on 5 July to oversee a 2–4 loss to Arsenal Ladies.
During the mid-season 2012 Summer Olympics break on 14 August, Chelsea announced the hiring of Emma Hayes, a former Arsenal Ladies assistant who had managed clubs and collegiate teams in the United States until 2010 but had since returned to England to work for her family's currency exchange company. Hayes managed her first match with Chelsea on 18 August 2012 in a 1–0 win at Doncaster Rovers Belles.

Signings

On 10 August 2012, Chelsea signed Spanish striker Adriana Martín to a short-term contract.

FA Women's Cup

Chelsea entered the competition in the fifth round as a FA WSL team. They beat The Seagulls and The Belles before they demolished Arsenal in the semi-finals. Chelsea were through to the FA Women's Cup Final for the first time in the cup history, alongside Birmingham City. They were unable to hold their lead in the full-time and even in the extra time and were defeated in the penalty shoot-out.

FA Women's League Cup

In the competition's new format, Chelsea were drawn into group B alongside Arsenal, Liverpool and Lincoln Ladies. Chelsea could manage only three points in the group stage and were eliminated in the last group match.