The Women’s FA Cup has received a landmark £3m investment to ensure significant financial benefit for clubs participating from the third round onwards.
The total prize money on offer has doubled to £6m, building on the success of last season’s competition that saw a record crowd of 77,390 witness Chelsea‘s 1-0 win over Manchester United at Wembley.
With interest continuing to grow in women’s football, the new agreement means there will be a huge financial uplift for clubs who make it through to the third round proper.
Those who compete at that stage of the competition will access a prize pot of £44,000 – a substantial uplift on the £12,500 pot allocated for the same round of the 2022/23 edition.
The eight teams who reach the quarter-finals will compete for a prize pot of £112,500 – £90,000 goes to the winner and £22,500 to the loser – and the semi-final offering has risen to £200,000 from last season’s figure of £62,500.
The winner of the Women’s FA Cup will pocket £430,000 from a pot of £538,000, which dwarfs the £150,000 competed for by Chelsea and United in 2022/23.
|
Round |
£ per match |
Winner |
Loser |
Total £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Third Round |
£44,000 |
£35,000 |
£9,000 |
£880,000 |
|
Fourth Round |
£67,000 |
£54,000 |
£13,000 |
£1,072,000 |
|
Fifth Round |
£100,000 |
£80,000 |
£20,000 |
£800,000 |
|
Quarter-final |
£112,500 |
£90,000 |
£22,500 |
£450,000 |
|
Semi-final |
£200,000 |
£160,000 |
£40,000 |
£400,000 |
|
Final |
£538,000 |
£430,000 |
£108,000 |
£538,000 |
|
Total* |
£5,994,000 |
*Including preliminary rounds
Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, said, “Doubling the prize money showcases The FA’s clear commitment to the future of the Women’s FA Cup and will help us maintain its stature as the most prestigious domestic women’s cup competition in the world.
“Ultimately, we want the women’s competition to receive the same prize money as the men’s, and this new increase is a positive step in the direction of achieving that long-term ambition.”
This season’s funding increase aligns with when WSL clubs enter the competition.
28 teams from outside of the professional game also compete in the Third Round Proper, meaning clubs from Tier 3 and below of the women’s football pyramid will collectively access a minimum additional prize pot of £404,000 compared to if they had made the same stage last season.
With a record 460 teams competing in the 2023/24 Women’s FA Cup, more clubs from across the divisions will benefit from the two annual increases in prize money.
