THE Women’s FA Cup could be set to see a tenfold increase in prize money, according to reports.
The Guardian says football chiefs are preparing to disclose details of an increase to the contest’s cash pot thought to be more than £2.5million.
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The move comes after the FA pledged to provide a significant rise in prize money.
And it follows a campaign led by supporters’ activists group the Women’s Fan Collective who organised protests at games.
Their backers led chants of ‘No ifs, no buts, we want an equal FA Cup in the competition’s fourth-round clashes this term.
The imbalance in the prize money for the competition between the men’s and women’s game has been the subject of much debate in recent seasons.
Men’s trophy winners collect £1.8million while Cup-winning women’s sides receive £25,000.
While the winning teams of women’s fifth-round clashes played in February received £3,000, men’s sides who triumphed at the same stage were awarded £180,000.
A number of WSL bosses have thrown their weight behind calls for an increased cash pot for the women’s competition.
Emma Hayes, Carla Ward, Rehanne Skinner and Hope Powell are among the managers who have backed the push following criticism of the gulf in prize money.
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In January, Brighton chief Hope Powell, 55, said: “With what the game is offering, the attention it’s receiving and the players and all that they do for the professionalisation of it all, everybody’s striving for that.
“There is an appetite for it with where the women’s game is at now, with its fanbase at (last year’s) final at Wembley and the (crowd) numbers (of more than 40,000) that game commanded.”
Tottenham manager Skinner, 42, added: “Everybody is working incredibly hard to evolve the women’s game.
“That’s got to be reflected in what the prize money is and the way the clubs are supported in terms of performance levels.
