And a lot has happened
since the 2014 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Hull City.
My first ever Blog
Guest, Beverley Rogerson, visited my flat in 2014 and suggested that it needed
a female touch. I didn’t take any notice
of that suggestion, so instead, I’ve added a female touch to The Giant Killing
Adventure.
Following the
success of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, in which 28.1 Million people watched the
BBC footage, we’ve decided to follow the Women’s FA Cup, in homage to the
excellent football and sportsmanship (or is that sportswomanship?/sportspersonship?)
that was on display throughout the tournament.
I had first-hand
experience, as regular blog guest, Tim Webster, and I spent a week in Nice, supporting
England V Japan and Thailand V Sweden. The atmosphere was amazing, the fans
were fantastic, and I felt a real family vibe in which everyone seemed welcome.
The week in Nice was very nice, although it felt like a niche trip!
At the top level in
the England, women’s football seems to be moving in the right direction. The Women’s Super League (top division) has
just received a multi-million sponsorship deal from Barclays and there has been
recent discussion between the FA and the Premiership about the possibilities of
the WSL being taken over by the Men’s top division. Many of the top men’s teams now support a
women’s team. This was shown last year by Manchester United investing in a successful
team that won the Championship (2nd division), after a gap of 15
years or so without having adult female representation. The 2019/20 season is
also going to improve as some games are already being moved to the larger men’s
stadiums and there is talk of possible double-headers to co-inside with the men’s
game and bigger crowds.
All the above seems fantastic
but more needs to be done! I don’t want to be Mr Doom and Gloom but average
attendances for the WSL last year were only 965 and clubs still need to be financially
supported by their retrospective men’s teams. There are rules and regulations
that can prevent good lower teams from moving up the divisions. All WSL Teams
need to be fully professional and all Championship Teams need to be semi-professional
– this is a great idea but only if the club in question can afford it. That is
why I want to begin this journey with the FA cup. I want to go to the lower
league clubs, I want to check out their standards and facilities and I want to shout
about how good (or bad) they are… let’s support the sport at all levels!
The Women’s FA Cup
started in the 1970/71 season (then known as the Mitre Trophy). That year it
had 71 entrants and it was won by Southampton.
In 1993 the FA took over the competition and Arsenal are the record
holders with 14 Cup victories.
The 2019/20 football
season sees the 49th Women’s FA Cup competition and this time 300
teams have entered. As in 2014, we will be diving into this river at the Extra
Preliminary Round. As before, the aim is to follow by picking one game in
the beginning round and following the winner to each consecutive round until we
reach the smooth surface of Wembley in May 2020.
This journey will
take you through women’s grass-roots football as we visit the villages, towns
and cities of our great nation – all united in one goal... winning at football.
Only 20 teams will be taking part in the Extra Preliminary Round (18th
August) and those 10 winners will move into the Preliminary Round on Sunday
September 1st – at that point 98 ties will be taking place as we
edge closer to Wembley!
Before
we begin, let’s have a quick recap on last year’s 2018/19 final:
Last
Year’s final was held on 4th May 2019 between Manchester City and
West Ham United. It was City’s 2nd
ever appearance and West Ham’s first, but City were heavily favoured to
win. This turned out to be no Giant
Killing, as City came away with a comfortable 3 – 0 Victory in front of 43,264
fans. One of the best things about women’s football is the price – tickets for
the FA Cup final were only £15 for adults and kids could go for free! There was even an early bird package in which
you could purchase an adult ticket for £7.50!
Yes, that’s £7.50 and kids could still go for free – this is like 1980s
prices so let’s get involved and support the women’s game.
1989
prices with a 2019 attitude!
As
you can see from the image, Manchester City Women play at the City Academy
Stadium, around 200 miles from Wembley
Stadium. Join me later in the week to see where our FA Cup journey
begins...
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