The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition[1] is the top annual cup tournament for
women's clubs in
English football.[2][3] Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup, and now Women's FA Cup (currently known as the Adobe Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reasons).
Designed as an equivalent to the
FA Cup in men's football, the competition began in
1970β71 as the Mitre Challenge Trophy, organised by the
Women's Football Association (WFA).[4] There were 71 entrants, including teams from Scotland and Wales.[5]
The WFA ran the competition for the first 23 editions, during which time
Southampton won the cup eight times.
The Football Association (FA) began administering English women's football in mid-1993.[6]
The competition, founded in 1970, was sponsored as the Mitre Challenge Trophy until April 1976.[8]
As a
Women's Football Association competition until 1992β93, it was known as the WFA Cup or more informally as the Women's FA Cup. After the running of the competition passed to the FA in 1993β94, the Association renamed it as the FA Women's Cup,[9][10] until 2015.[11][12] The name was officially reworded as the Women's FA Cup in June 2015,[13] before that year's
final.[14][15] The tournament rules, as in the men's FA Cup, name it the Challenge Cup Competition.[1]
The first women's Mitre Challenge Trophy matches were played in
1970,[16] and the first final was held on 9 May 1971 at
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.[8] The WFA was initially named the Ladies Football Association of Great Britain,[8] and Scottish clubs were successful in reaching the first three finals of this tournament (albeit as runners-up). Two of these clubs were runners-up in England while also winning the
Scottish Women's Cup in the same season,
Stewarton Thistle in 1971 and Westthorn United in 1973.
All other clubs in the fifth tier or below are drawn to either play in the Extra Preliminary Round or have a bye to the Preliminary Round. After the initial preliminary rounds, there are three qualifying rounds before the First Round Proper. All rounds until the FA WSL and Championship teams enter in the Fourth Round are played on a geographical basis (north and south regions).
Trophies
The original Mitre Challenge Trophy has "disappeared", according to the WFA History records.[8] This cup was replaced in May 1979 when the Football Association donated a new trophy for the competition's winners, to mark the WFA's tenth anniversary.[8]
1970β71 cup winner
Sue Lopez said it was suspected that a player "tucked it away somewhere in a trophy cabinet", and she was trying to locate the original cup for the
National Football Museum in 2015.[17]
The current Women's FA Cup trophy was one of the first prestigious trophies to be made in the
Thomas Lyte silver workshop.[18]
List of finals
The following is a list of Women's FA Cup seasons and final results.[19][20]
Finalists are primarily clubs from England, unless denoted with for Scotland.
Where a season's Final is marked in bold, it has a specific article for the match.
In the late 1980s[25] and early 1990s,[26] television coverage of the WFA final was provided by
Channel 4.
Between 2001 and 2008, the final of the tournament was covered by the
BBC and presented by
Celina Hinchcliffe,
Rebecca Lowe, Ray Stubbs and Jake Humphrey; the punditry team was usually current players like Sue Scott and commentary usually by Steve Wilson and Lucy Ward or Faye White and always played on the May Day bank holiday. The final was also simulcast on
BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2009, the final was moved to
ITV1, with commentary from Jon Champion and Lucy Ward.
Sky Sports secured a three-year deal for live coverage from 2010 until 2012.[27]
Sponsorship
Sponsors of the original WFA competition (1970β1993) included
Mitre,[4] Pony wines and
Mycil.[26]
In the FA competition, the sponsors have been
UK Living (1995β1998),
AXA (1998β2002),
Nationwide Building Society (2002β2006) and
E.ON[28][29] (2006β2011). From 2007,
Tesco obtained additional branding and advertising rights through their partnership agreement with the FA.[30]
Despite sponsorship by these major companies, entering the tournament has actually cost clubs more than they often get in prize money. In 2015 it was reported that even if
Notts County had won the tournament outright the paltry Β£8,600 winnings would leave them out of pocket.[31] The winners of the men's
FA Cup in the same year received Β£1.8 million, with teams not even reaching the first round proper getting more than the women's winners.[32]
In September 2020, the FA announced that health and life insurance and investment company
VitalityHealth had signed a deal to become the sponsor of the competition until July 2023.[33]
In November 2023, after three years with Vitality, the FA announced that
Adobe Inc. would become the sponsor of the competition for three years, through to July 2026. The partnership would focus on "increasing fan engagement and raising the profile of the competition". In addition, all 460 clubs that participate in the competition would gain access to, and training on
Adobe Express, a graphic design tool.[34]
^
abcdef"The WFA Cup". History of the Women's Football Association. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
^Examples of use in 1993: "β FA SUNDAY CUP". Sandwell Evening Mail. 19 November 1993. p. 69. Retrieved 6 October 2020. "Derby day for ladies". Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette. 3 December 1993. p. 73. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
^"And on the following Sunday [1 November] the Lichfield girls visit Leicester City Supporters L.F.C. in the All British Ladies' F.A. Cup." "PALACE". Lichfield Mercury. 23 October 1970. p. 20. Retrieved 21 October 2020.