2020–21 Women's FA Cup

The 2020–21 Women's FA Cup was the 51st staging of the Women's FA Cup, a knockout cup competition for women's football teams in England. Manchester City were the defending champions, having beaten Everton 3–1 in the previous final.[1] The draw was split regionally until the fourth round proper.

2020–21 Women's FA Cup
CountryEngland
Wales
Teams376
ChampionsChelsea (3rd title)
Runners-upArsenal
Matches played369
Goals scored1904 (5.16 per match)

Teams

A total of 376 teams had their entries to the tournament accepted by The Football Association, an increase of 76 from the previous year.[2] 174 teams from outside the top four divisions will enter at the extra preliminary round with another 109 joining in the preliminary round. The 47 teams that play in the FA Women's National League Division One (tier 4) are given exemption to the second round qualifying, while teams in the Northern and Southern Premier Divisions (tier 3) enter at the second round proper. Teams in the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship (tiers 1 and 2) are exempted to the fourth round proper.[3]

RoundClubs
remaining
Clubs
involved
Winners from
previous round
Games playedGoals scoredPrize money
WinnerLoser
Extra preliminary round37617482520£300£75
Preliminary round2901968795540£360£90
First round qualifying192989849235£400£100
Second round qualifying14396[lower-alpha 1]4947228£450£115
Third round qualifying9548482493£600£150
First round7124241251£850£215
Second round5936[lower-alpha 2]121661£1,000£250
Third round411818929£1,250£315
Fourth round3232[lower-alpha 3]91687£2,000£500
Fifth round161616838£3,000£750
Quarter-final888417£4,000£1,000
Semi-final44426£5,000£1,250
Final22213£25,000£15,000
  1. 47 FA Women's National League Division One teams added
  2. 24 FA Women's National League Premier Division teams added
  3. 23 FA Women's Championship and FA WSL teams added

Extra preliminary round

Bristol Rovers (in blue) and Bristol & West prepare to kick off

As a result of 376 teams entering the competition, 174 teams were drawn into an extra preliminary round, which were played on Sunday 6 September 2020.[4]

Preliminary round

98 matches were scheduled for the preliminary round on Sunday 20 September 2020, made up of the 87 winning teams from the extra preliminary round plus the 109 teams that were granted a bye into the preliminary round.[5]

First round qualifying

49 matches were scheduled for the first round qualifying on Sunday 4 October 2020, made up of the 98 winning teams from the preliminary round and did not include the introduction of any new teams.[6]

Second round qualifying

48 matches were scheduled for the second round qualifying on Sunday 18 October 2020, made up of the 49 winning teams from the first round qualifying and included the introduction of 47 teams from the fourth-tier FA Women's National League Division One.[7]

Third round qualifying

24 matches were scheduled for the third round qualifying on Sunday 1 November 2020, made up of the 48 winning teams from the second round qualifying and did not include the introduction of any new teams.

First round proper

Twelve matches were scheduled for the first round proper, pending a fixture date due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The round was eventually scheduled for Sunday 13 December 2020. The round was made up of the 24 winners from the previous round and did not include the introduction of any new teams.[10]

TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)Att.
1FC United of Manchester (5)1–2Liverpool Feds (4)
2Chester-le-Street (4)0–3Brighouse Town (4)
3Newcastle United (4)3–1Barnsley (4)
4Wolverhampton Wanderers (4)3–0Stourbridge (6)
5Lincoln City (4)3–1Solihull Moors (4)
6Wem Town (4)4–3Boldmere St. Michaels (4)
7Harlow Town (5)2–9Ipswich Town (4)
8Kent Football United (4)1–1 (4–3 p)Enfield Town (4)
9Billericay Town (4)4–0Maidenhead United (4)
10Leyton Orient (4)2–1Actonians (4)
11AFC Bournemouth (5)0–5Southampton F.C. Women (4)
12Exeter City (4)1–1 (3–4 p)Cheltenham Town (4)

Second round proper

18 matches were scheduled for the second round proper originally scheduled for Sunday 3 January 2021. The round was made up of the 12 winners from the previous round and included the introduction of 24 teams from the third-tier FA Women's National League Premier Division.[11] With only one game able to go ahead, the competition was suspended on 4 January 2021 following further government restrictions on non-elite sport due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[12] The competition recommenced on 31 March, with the second-round matches being held on 4 April.[13]

TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)Att.
1Sunderland (3)5–1Sheffield F.C. (3)
2Liverpool Feds (4)2–3 (a.e.t.)Huddersfield Town (3)
3Brighouse Town (4)3–0 (a.e.t.)Newcastle United (4)
4Middlesbrough (3)3–1Hull City (3)
5Burnley (3)1–0 (a.e.t.)Fylde (3)
6Wolverhampton Wanderers (4)2–2 (5–4 p)Nottingham Forest (3)
7West Bromwich Albion (3)5–2Lincoln City (4)
8Loughborough Foxes (3)0–6Derby County (3)
9Stoke City (3)A–WWem Town (4)
Stoke City withdrew.
10Crawley Wasps (3)2–3Gillingham (3)
11Billericay Town (4)2–1Ipswich Town (4)
12Hounslow (3)0–4Leyton Orient (4)
13Watford (3)3–1MK Dons (3)
14Chichester & Selsey (3)3–1Kent Football United (4)
15Portsmouth (3)A–WCheltenham Town (4)
Portsmouth won 2–0 but later disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.[14]
16Southampton F.C. Women (4)3–0Plymouth Argyle (3)
17Keynsham Town (3)0–1Yeovil United (3)
18Cardiff City (3)0–1Oxford United (3)

Third round proper

Nine matches were played on Sunday 11 April 2021. The round was made up of the 18 winners from the previous round and did not include the introduction of any new teams.[15]

TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier)Att.
1Huddersfield Town (3)1–1 (5–3 p)Brighouse Town (4)
2Middlesbrough (3)4–0Wem Town (4)
3Burnley (3)0–0 (3–1 p)Sunderland (3)
4Oxford United (3)3–1Billericay Town (4)
5West Bromwich Albion (3)1–4Derby County (3)
6Watford (3)1–4Wolverhampton Wanderers (4)
7Cheltenham Town (4)1–2 (a.e.t.)Gillingham (3)
8Southampton F.C. Women (4)3–0Yeovil United (3)
9Leyton Orient (4)1–2Chichester & Selsey (3)

Fourth round proper

16 matches were played on the weekend of 18 April 2021. The round was made up of the nine winners from the previous round and introduced 23 teams from the first and second-tier FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship.[16]

16 April 2021 Chelsea (1) 5–0London City Lionesses (2)Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames
19:00
Report Referee: Chloe Anderson
17 April 2021 Manchester City (1) 8–0Aston Villa (1)Academy Stadium, Manchester
12:00
Report
18 April 2021 Birmingham City (1) 5–1Coventry United (2)Damson Park, Solihull
12:30
Report
  • Stevens 90+2'
18 April 2021 West Ham United (1) 11–0Chichester & Selsey (3)Victoria Road, Dagenham
13:00
Report Referee: Sarah Garrett
18 April 2021 Leicester City (2) 1–0Liverpool (2)Farley Way Stadium, Quorn
14:00
Report
18 April 2021 Middlesbrough (3)0–9 Sheffield United (2) Bedford Terrace, Billingham
14:00 Report
18 April 2021 Burnley (3)0–6 Manchester United (1) County Ground, Leyland
14:00 Report
Referee: Jane Simms
18 April 2021 Everton (1) 2–1Durham (2)Walton Hall Park, Liverpool
14:00
Report
  • Sharpe 46'
18 April 2021 Huddersfield Town (3) 3–2Derby County (3)Storthes Hall, Huddersfield
14:00
  • Elford 15', 76'
  • Sanderson 72'
  • Joyce 18'
  • Ward 83'
18 April 2021 Oxford United (3)1–2 (a.e.t.) Charlton Athletic (2) Marsh Lane, Oxford
14:00
Report
  • Lumsden 16'
  • Godden 107'
18 April 2021 Arsenal (1) 10–0Gillingham (3)Meadow Park, Borehamwood
14:00
Report
18 April 2021 Lewes (2)1–2 Southampton F.C. Women (4) The Dripping Pan, Lewes
14:00
Report
  • Freeland 39'
  • Panting 78'
18 April 2021 Crystal Palace (2) 3–0London Bees (2)Hayes Lane, Bromley
14:00
Report
18 April 2021 Wolverhampton Wanderers (4)2–5 Blackburn Rovers (2) CKW Stadium, Castlecroft
15:00
  • Miller 10'
  • Walker 57'
Report

Fifth round proper

Eight matches were scheduled for the fifth round proper and played Sunday 16 May 2021 with the exception of Chelsea who were competing in the 2021 UEFA Women's Champions League Final on that day and as such had their FA Cup game against Everton rescheduled to Thursday 20 May 2021. The round was made up of the 16 winners from the previous round.[17]

16 May 2021 Blackburn Rovers (2)0–1 Charlton Athletic (2) Sir Tom Finney Stadium, Bamber Bridge
12:00 Report King 78' Referee: Elizabeth Simms
16 May 2021 Manchester United (1)2–3 Leicester City (2) Leigh Sports Village, Leigh
12:00
Report
Referee: Rebecca Welch
16 May 2021 Birmingham City (1) 3–2Southampton F.C. Women (4)Damson Park, Solihull
12:30
Report
  • Morris 84'
  • Pusey 87'
16 May 2021 Tottenham Hotspur (1) 2–1 (a.e.t.)Sheffield United (2)The Hive Stadium, Edgware
14:00
Report
  • Watson 80'
Referee: Abigail Byrne
16 May 2021 Arsenal (1) 9–0Crystal Palace (2)Meadow Park, Borehamwood
15:00
Report
20 May 2021 Chelsea (1) 3–0Everton (1)Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames
19:00
Report Referee: Kirsty Dowle

Quarter-finals

Following a three-month hiatus to the competition during the second round proper from 4 January to 4 April 2021 due to government guidelines, the final stages of 2020–21 Women's FA Cup were delayed until the 2021–22 season. The competition recommenced at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday 29 September 2021.[18] As a result of playing the competition across two seasons, clubs were able to register new players barring certain restrictions: any player who had not yet featured in the 2020–21 Women's FA Cup could be registered. Up to three players who appeared in the competition for teams that had been eliminated prior to the quarter-final stage could be registered for their new club but no player who appeared for a different team still in the quarter-finals could be registered.

29 September 2021 Manchester City (1) 6–0Leicester City (2*)Academy Stadium, Manchester
19:00
Report Referee: Lucy May
Note: *Leicester City began the competition as a second division team but will contest the latter part as a first division team following promotion at the end of the 2020–21 season.
29 September 2021 Birmingham City (1)0–4 Chelsea (1) St Andrew's, Birmingham
19:45 Report
Referee: Elizabeth Simms
29 September 2021 Arsenal (1) 5–1Tottenham Hotspur (1)Meadow Park, Borehamwood
19:15
Report Attendance: 1,563[19]
Referee: Kirsty Dowle
29 September 2021 Brighton & Hove Albion (1) 1–0Charlton Athletic (2)Broadfield Stadium, Crawley
19:00 Gibbons 68' Report Referee: Emily Heaslip

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played on Sunday 31 October 2021 and both televised by the BBC.[18]

31 October 2021 Manchester City (1)0–3 Chelsea (1) Academy Stadium, Manchester
12:45 Report
Attendance: 1,343
Referee: Rebecca Welch
31 October 2021 Arsenal (1) 3–0Brighton & Hove Albion (1)Meadow Park, Borehamwood
16:45
Report Attendance: 1,328[20]
Referee: Abigail Byrne

Final

The final was played at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 5 December 2021.[18]

Arsenal0–3Chelsea
Report
Attendance: 40,942
Referee: Helen Conley (Durham)[21]

Television rights

Round BBC BT Ref.
Quarter-finals Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (BBC Four) [22]
Semi-finals Manchester City v Chelsea (BBC One)
Arsenal v Brighton and Hove Albion (BBC Two)
[23]
Final Arsenal v Chelsea (BBC One and BT Sport 1) [24]

References

  1. "Everton Women 1-3 Man City Women (aet): Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie score as City win FA Cup". Sky Sports.
  2. "The Women's FA Cup Season 2020–2021 List of 376 Clubs Accepted" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  3. "The Women's FA Cup Season 2020–2021 List of Exemptions" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. "Extra preliminary Round draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  5. "Preliminary round draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. "First round qualifying draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  7. "Second round qualifying draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  8. "7 Wolves women lincoln molineux 20-21" (PDF). Wolverhampton Wanderers.
  9. @DulwichHamletFC (18 October 2020). "Record Breaking Attendance" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  10. "First round proper draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  11. "The Vitality Women's FA Cup second round draw was made on Monday morning". The Football Association.
  12. "'Non-elite' football suspended following latest COVID-19 restrictions". The Football Association. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  13. "Women's FA Cup: Postponed 2021 competition to resume on 31 March". BBC Sport. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  14. "Pompey Women kicked out of Women's FA Cup for fielding ineligible player against Cheltenham Ladies". Portsmouth News.
  15. "Third round proper draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  16. "Fourth round proper draw" (PDF). thefa.com. The Football Association. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  17. "Fifth round draw". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  18. "Remaining Cup dates confirmed". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  19. Attendance for the NLD in the women's FA Cup: 1,563
  20. "Arsenal Women 3-0 Brighton & Hove Albion Women". BBC. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  21. Stoddart, Craig (17 November 2021). "Helen Conley is chosen for Cup final". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  22. "BBC to show Arsenal v Spurs in Women's FA Cup". 8 September 2021.
  23. "Women's FA Cup semi-finals on the BBC". 14 October 2021.
  24. "Arsenal vs Chelsea: Women's FA Cup final prediction, kick off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
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