Women's FA Cup
| Founded | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Region |  England |
| Number of teams | - |
| Current champions | Arsenal |
| Most successful club(s) | Arsenal (10 times) |
 FA Women's Cup 2008-09 | |
The Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football clubs in England - designed as an exact equivalent to the FA Cup created 99 years earlier.
Since the creation of the FA Women's Premier League in 1993, the semi-professional teams affiliated with male Premiership and Football League counterparts have dominated the competition. Arsenal won the 2004 competition, beating Charlton Athletic 3-0 in the final on May 3. On May 2 2005, Charlton Athletic made amends for the disappointment of the two previous years, by beating Everton 1-0. Arsenal regained the trophy on May 1, 2006, beating Leeds United 5-0.
In recent years the final of the tournament has been covered by BBC TV, presented by Celina Hinchcliffe, Rebecca Lowe and commentary by Steve Lee. The final has also been simulcast on BBC Radio Five Live. From 2009, the final was moved to ITV1.
The FA Women's Cup shares sponsorship with its men's equivalent (for 2006 to 2010, E.ON). The current cup holders are Arsenal. They beat Sunderland 2-1 at the final at Pride Park on the May 4 2009.
List of finals
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners up | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Southampton | 4-1 | Stewarton & Thistle | ||
| 1972 | Southampton | 3-2 | Lee's Ladies | ||
| 1973 | Southampton | 2-0 | Westhorn United | ||
| 1974 | Foxdens | 2-1 | Southampton | ||
| 1975 | Southampton | 4-2 | Warminster | ||
| 1976 | Southampton | 2-1 | QPR | ||
| 1977 | QPR | 1-0 | Southampton | ||
| 1978 | Southampton | 8-2 | QPR | ||
| 1979 | Southampton | 1-0 | Lowestoft | ||
| 1980 | St Helens | 1-0 | Preston North End | ||
| 1981 | Southampton | 4-2 | St Helens | ||
| 1982 | Lowestoft | 2-0 | Cleveland Spartans | ||
| 1983 | Doncaster Rovers | 3-2 | St Helens | ||
| 1984 | Howbury Grange | 4-2 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1985 | Friends of Fulham | 2-0 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1986 | Norwich | 4-3 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1987 | Doncaster Rovers | 2-0 | St Helens | ||
| 1988 | Doncaster Rovers | 3-1 | Leasowe Pacific | ||
| 1989 | Leasowe Pacific | 3-2 | Friends of Fulham | ||
| 1990 | Doncaster Rovers | 1-0 | Friends of Fulham | ||
| 1991 | Millwall | 1-0 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1992 | Doncaster Rovers | 4-0 | Red Star Southampton | ||
| 1993 | Arsenal | 3-0 | Doncaster Rovers | ||
| 1994 | Doncaster Rovers | 1-0 | Knowsley United | ||
| 1995 | Arsenal | 3-2 | Liverpool | ||
| 1996 | Croydon | 1-1 | Liverpool | aet; Croydon won 4-2 on penalties | |
| 1997 | Millwall | 1-0 | Wembley | ||
| 1998 | Arsenal | 3-2 | Croydon | ||
| 1999 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Southampton Saints | ||
| 2000 | Croydon | 2-1 | Doncaster Rovers | Venue: Bramall Lane | |
| 2001 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Fulham | Scorer: Banks 52' | Venue: Selhurst Park |
| 2002 | Fulham | 2-1 | Doncaster Rovers | Scorers: Fulham: Yankey 55', Chapman 56', Doncaster: Handley 58' | Venue: Selhurst Park |
| 2003 | Fulham | 3-0 | Charlton Athletic | Scorers: Moore 18', Hills (o.g) 36', Williams (o.g) 61' | Venue: Selhurst Park |
| 2004 | Arsenal | 3-0 | Charlton Athletic | Scorers: Fleeting (3) 23', 25', 83' | Venue: Loftus Road |
| 2005 | Charlton Athletic | 1-0 | Everton | Scorer: Aluko 58' | Venue: Upton Park |
| 2006 | Arsenal | 5-0 | Leeds United | Scorers: Ward (o.g) 3', Fleeting 34', Yankey 35', K. Smith (pen) 73', Sanderson 77' | Venue: The New Den |
| 2007 | Arsenal | 4-1 | Charlton Athletic | Scorers: Charlton: Holtham 2', Arsenal: Smith 7', 80', Ludlow 15', 45' | Venue: City Ground |
| 2008 | Arsenal | 4-1 | Leeds United | Scorers: Arsenal: Smith 54', 83', Ludlow 58', Sanderson 60', Leeds: Clarke 68' | Venue: City Ground |
| 2009 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Sunderland | Scorers: Arsenal: Chapman 32', Little 90', Sunderland: McDougall 90' | Venue: Pride Park Stadium |
Performance by Club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1992-93, 1994-95, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 | ||
| Southampton | 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1982-83, 1986-87, 1987-88, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1993-94 | ||
| Millwall | 1990-91, 1996-97 | ||
| Croydon | 1995-96, 1999-2000 | ||
| Fulham | 2001-02, 2002-03 | ||
| Foxdens | 1973-74 | ||
| QPR | 1976-77 | ||
| St Helens | 1979-80 | ||
| Lowestoft | 1981-82 | ||
| Howbury Grange | 1983-84 | ||
| Friends of Fulham | 1984-85 | ||
| Norwich | 1985-86 | ||
| Leasowe Pacific | 1988-89 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2004-05 | ||
| Liverpool | - | ||
| Stewarton & Thistle | - | ||
| Lee's Ladies | - | ||
| Westhorn United | - | ||
| Warminster | - | ||
| Preston North End | - | ||
| Cleveland Spartans | - | ||
| Red Star Southampton | - | ||
| Knowsley United | - | ||
| Wembley | - | ||
| Southampton Saints | - | ||
| Everton | - | ||
| Leeds United | - | ||
| Sunderland | - |
The Cup winner competes with the FA Women's Premier League National Division winners for the FA Women's Community Shield.
See also
Media coverage (2009)
The final of the FA Women's Cup is broadcast live on ITV
In Australia the FA Women's Cup is broadcast by Setanta Sports Australia
External links
| National teams | |
|---|---|
| League competitions | |
| Cup competitions | |
| Awards | |
| History | |
