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Women’s FA Cup prize fund to double

The FA has today announced a new landmark investment into the Women’s FA Cup which will see the total prize fund for the competition double in size.

An additional investment of £3m has been approved by The FA Board, bringing the total prize fund for the competition to £6m. The new agreement means there will be a significant increase in prize money for clubs competing from the Third Round Proper onwards for the 2023-24 season.

Clubs competing in the Third Round Proper will now access a prize pot of £44,000 per match, a substantial uplift on the £12,500 pot allocated for the same round in the 2022-23 competition. There will be an increase in the prize pot for each match between the Third Round Proper and the Final, with the Final prize pot also significantly increasing from £150,000 to £538,000 to ensure success in the competition is rewarded.

This season’s funding increase aligns with when Barclays Women’s Championship 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.

This is the second time in successive seasons that The FA has increased the prize money for the Women’s FA Cup. Last year’s increase was weighted towards growing the prize fund for the earlier rounds of the competition from the First Round Qualifying to the Second Round Proper to the benefit of clubs lower down the pyramid.

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. Last season the Women’s FA Cup Final sold out for the first time, with a record crowd of 77,390 turning out to watch Chelsea defeat Manchester United 1-0 to win their fifth title. As the Women’s FA Cup continues to grow, The FA is committed to increasing its prize money with the ultimate objective of there being equal prize money between the men’s and women’s competitions.

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. That’s why we’re delighted to be making a second successive increase to the prize fund, ensuring that as clubs progress through the competition they receive financial rewards that will empower them to invest in their own futures. 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.”

The 2023-24 season of the Women’s FA Cup is at the First Round Proper stage. Tickets for the Final, which will take place in May 2024, are now on sale at thefa.com/tickets.