We Take A Look At The FA's Commitment To
Raising The Standard and Profile Of The Women's Game. And Ask Why The Investment Doesn't Match The Ambition.
I think everyone is aware that the women's game has barely a fraction of the head spinning sums money the men get, but what is being done about it? The FA Women's Cup will be played at Wembley for the first time ever this year. How much will the winners receive in prize money? A look at the prize fund for The FA Cup for both the men's and women's competitions show a distinct lack of investment from the governing body. Arsenal and Aston Villa are guaranteed to receive £900,000 for just appearing in the final, with the winners earning double (£1.8m). The total prize fund for the Women's Cup is £68,700, with the winners getting just £5,000. Third round winners in the Men's Cup receive £67,500 each. The total prize fund for The FA Cup (men's) is over £15million, more than 220 times the prize fund for the women. This huge gulf in investment and awards angers me, and simply baffles many others. How can an organisation promote a sport, yet discriminate so fervently between genders. The women's game is growing, and so is investment, but that investment comes from media coverage and sponsorships. Should The FA not get involved with this increase in investment? There is nothing stopping The FA from increasing the prize fund to a more acceptable £1million (around the same as The FA Trophy).
Looking at the prize funds for other FA competitions shows
how much contempt is held towards the women's game. Even The FA Trophy, the non-league cup, receives more money. The total prize fund for The FA Trophy is over £1million, with the winners banking £50,000, ten times as
much as the women. The FA Vase, the amateur cup, is still
more with a total prize fund of £556,400, and the winners getting £25k (5x the women).
If all of those numbers have made your eyes a bit funny, let me break it down like this: the winners of each FA competition is as follows; The FA Cup (men's) £1,800,000, The FA Trophy £50,000, The FA Vase £25,000, The FA Women's Cup £5,000. If we want to promote the women's game, and get more girls into sport as a whole, The FA must set the example and match their "commitment" with suitable investment. I see a £1m FA Women's Cup prize fund as a step in the right direction. With proper investment, clubs can improve facilities, and get more out of their players and staff, creating a better experience for players and fans. How can we change perceptions when the people at the top are actively suppressing the game?
I would like to start a campaign to bring more investment to the women's game, a sport in which our top professionals earn £20,000 per year in comparison to their male counterparts being paid £250,000 per week. Without investment, the women's game will struggle to survive as an elite sport in the long term. Let's stand up for what's right and tackle this injustice. Sexual discrimination in football goes beyond The FA, but if we can make them take meaningful positive steps towards eradicating this unjust and unjustifiable gulf, we can show the world how truly great the women's game is.
Sign the petition below to bring the level of investment in the women's game up Change.org/TheFAWomensCup
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| Winners receive £5k |
I think everyone is aware that the women's game has barely a fraction of the head spinning sums money the men get, but what is being done about it? The FA Women's Cup will be played at Wembley for the first time ever this year. How much will the winners receive in prize money? A look at the prize fund for The FA Cup for both the men's and women's competitions show a distinct lack of investment from the governing body. Arsenal and Aston Villa are guaranteed to receive £900,000 for just appearing in the final, with the winners earning double (£1.8m). The total prize fund for the Women's Cup is £68,700, with the winners getting just £5,000. Third round winners in the Men's Cup receive £67,500 each. The total prize fund for The FA Cup (men's) is over £15million, more than 220 times the prize fund for the women. This huge gulf in investment and awards angers me, and simply baffles many others. How can an organisation promote a sport, yet discriminate so fervently between genders. The women's game is growing, and so is investment, but that investment comes from media coverage and sponsorships. Should The FA not get involved with this increase in investment? There is nothing stopping The FA from increasing the prize fund to a more acceptable £1million (around the same as The FA Trophy).
Looking at the prize funds for other FA competitions shows
 |
| Winners get £50k |
If all of those numbers have made your eyes a bit funny, let me break it down like this: the winners of each FA competition is as follows; The FA Cup (men's) £1,800,000, The FA Trophy £50,000, The FA Vase £25,000, The FA Women's Cup £5,000. If we want to promote the women's game, and get more girls into sport as a whole, The FA must set the example and match their "commitment" with suitable investment. I see a £1m FA Women's Cup prize fund as a step in the right direction. With proper investment, clubs can improve facilities, and get more out of their players and staff, creating a better experience for players and fans. How can we change perceptions when the people at the top are actively suppressing the game?
I would like to start a campaign to bring more investment to the women's game, a sport in which our top professionals earn £20,000 per year in comparison to their male counterparts being paid £250,000 per week. Without investment, the women's game will struggle to survive as an elite sport in the long term. Let's stand up for what's right and tackle this injustice. Sexual discrimination in football goes beyond The FA, but if we can make them take meaningful positive steps towards eradicating this unjust and unjustifiable gulf, we can show the world how truly great the women's game is.
Sign the petition below to bring the level of investment in the women's game up Change.org/TheFAWomensCup
<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">
<input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick" />
<input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="H8W8MNJXV4NTS" />
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