Bharat Ramprasad, the founder of the Philly Blues supporters’ group, and 13-year-old daughter Gemma Benedetti both share a love for their beloved Blues.

And this summer they will create more special memories together as they attend a Chelsea Women game for the first time when they travel to New Jersey to watch us take on NJ/NY Gotham as part of our USA pre-season tour.

The family’s love for the club all started with Bharat and his family friend who lived in Wimbledon. While on trips to London, they would make the journey to Stamford Bridge and his fascination grew.

He passed the baton on to Gemma at an early age. From wearing Chelsea kits as a baby to sitting with her dad while the Blues played without then understanding the rules of football – it has all resulted in a shared passion for both our men and women’s teams.

For Gemma, a budding centre-midfielder, our clash with Gotham is a chance to watch her heroes up close. For Bharat, an opportunity to cheer on those in Chelsea blue once more with his daughter in tow.

For the family, including Bharat’s wife and Gemma’s mum Toni Nicole, another experience to cherish.

‘With my wife and Gemma too, it has become a family thing,’ said Bharat. ‘We’ve taken trips together to watch Chelsea around Europe.

‘It’s really great to have that with Gemma. It’s our Saturdays or Sundays. We go to her match, she plays and then we come home and watch Chelsea, the men and the women. It’s a great thing to have as a family and to anchor around.

‘Seeing Gemma have so much passion for soccer and her own game, but also to have this fan experience that we can all share together. That’s really special.’

While she admires our men’s players, the women are something of idols to Gemma, who has ambitions to go far in the game in her own right. The match against Gotham is a chance to watch some of those role models in action, but she admits, it will be an educational trip, too.

‘I’m really excited to hopefully see Sam Kerr,' said Gemma. When I started following the women’s team, she was immediately the player I loved to watch.

‘I like her style of play – it just seems so effortless. She’s an inspiration.

‘Watching Chelsea Women has really inspired me to broaden the amount of soccer I watch – like during the World Cup I watched a lot of Australia and England play - and the players that I follow. So being able to watch them this summer is going to be amazing.

‘I’m just hoping to learn a lot from their style of play and maybe find some things that I can incorporate into my game to help me improve as a player.’

You have to see it to be it – and Bharat knows Gemma can look up to the players at the club she supports and know the sky is limit. It’s another reason why he loves the Blues so much.

‘Especially having a daughter, it certainly has opened my eyes to women’s sport and the importance of supporting women’s sports,’ added Bharat.

‘One of the things we’ve talked about is how proud we are that the club we follow have been at the forefront of really pushing the women’s game, through the success on the pitch and what has been implemented at the club.

‘It makes us really proud as Chelsea supporters that our women’s team are really promoting women’s football worldwide.’

As the founder of the Philly Blues, Bharat knows more than most about the benefits of Chelsea travelling to the USA on our pre-season tours. With the men based there last year, it was an opportunity to connect and engage with the players in a number of different ways like open training and Q&As.

And although the women won’t be in his city and he won’t be as hands on organising such events, the Chelsea fan appreciates the importance of the women travelling Stateside for only the second time.

‘Since I founded the Philly Blues, the two biggest opportunities we’ve had to grow as a group have been when Chelsea’s men’s team were here in Philadelphia,’ explained Bharat.

‘Getting to meet all the players and engaging with them was priceless in 2012. We’re now 12 years on from that first time and the people who were there then still speak about that unique experience.

‘Last year, when the men were based here we got to do the same thing and go to do a Q&A. One of my friends in the UK joked that we get more over here than they do, but it really is a chance for these unique moments and grow the interest with the US fans.

‘I know for this game in New Jersey we’re going with some of Gemma’s friends who are not necessarily Chelsea fans, but it gives them a chance to connect with the game and hopefully grow their interest in the team.’

Not only will our USA fans get to engage with the women’s team this summer, it is a chance for our American players, such as Catarina Macario, to play in front of a home crowd for the first time in Chelsea colours.

For Gemma, it’s an opportunity to see someone whose path she hopes to follow up close.

‘It is really amazing to see how the American players are starting to really transition to the European leagues. It’s definitely something that I find inspiring and look up to.

‘I, of course, have a dream to play professionally and I’m really hoping that will work out like it has for people [like Cat]. If I was able to one day play or a club like Chelsea, it would just be amazing.’

It will be a match of firsts in New Jersey. Not only a first Chelsea Women’s match for these two fans, but also a first match at the helm for our new head coach Sonia Bompastor.

To be there at the beginning? Well, that is just the icing on the cake for Bharat.

‘It’s something we can look back on and say we were there when it all started – the new era for Chelsea Women,’ he added.

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