Club news
Written by: Jack
Lewes FC welcomes the news that the women’s FA Cup prize money is set to double this season as a necessary step forward towards full equality of FA Cup Prize Money.
We cannot risk the Women’s FA Cup becoming like the Men’s where 67% of the prize pot ends up with Premier League clubs. The clubs lower down the women’s pyramid deserve better.
Maggie Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Lewes FC said, “The FA continue to prove their commitment towards the growth of women’s football by enhancing FA Cup prize money significantly.
“This allows women’s teams to fight and win their own money and lessen dependency on the success and generosity of those holding the budgets of men’s teams.
“However, we are concerned by the distribution of the entire increase towards the later rounds only. We must not forget the scarcity of resources for clubs outside of the top two tiers who need to have a chance of winning these funds even more.
“The success of the WSL, Championship and the England team is dependent on the strength of the whole women’s football ecosystem. They cannot survive without a healthy pyramid and I worry we have lost a chance to strengthen the base to set us up for long term success.”
Lewes FC has campaigned for an equalization of FA Cup prize money and a redistribution of funds into earlier rounds for almost five years. Earlier this year, our players took on the mantel campaigning for equal FA Cup money ahead of their clash against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-final.
At the end of the club’s best ever run in the FA Cup, Lewes FC took home £51,000, a dramatic increase from the £7250 we would have taken home the season before, barely enough to cover travel for the games.
However, this season that cup run would be set to win £191,500, a hugely significant amount for smaller, independent clubs. We see these increases as a significant step forward towards full equalization of FA Cup money.