"Several official supporters' clubs have hit out at a proposed new format for the Women's FA Cup, stating the changes will ruin the "magic" of the competition and mean the "rich will only get richer". The Football Association has suggested a 'road-to-Wembley bracket', which would map out a team's route from the last 32 onwards. There would also be an introduction of seeds in the draw, with four spots awarded to the top four teams from the previous Women's Super League season."
"An FA spokesperson told The Guardian "no decisions have been made" around the competition's future, but said it "needs to evolve". "We committed in our women's and girls' game strategy, Reaching Higher, to review the Adobe Women's FA Cup, recognising the need to evolve the competition and strengthen its commercial potential," said the spokesperson. "This would enable us to reinvest more funding into both the competition itself and the wider women's football ecosystem, which is vital for long-term, sustainable growth.""
Proposed changes would introduce a 'road-to-Wembley' bracket from the last 32 and add seeded draws, with four seeds for the top WSL teams. The League Cup will be renamed and adopt a Swiss-style group stage, and teams qualifying for the Women's Champions League will no longer play in the League Cup. The FA says the changes aim to create consistent high-quality later-round matches, boost commercial potential and allow reinvestment into the competition and wider women's football ecosystem under the Reaching Higher strategy. Several official supporters' clubs and fan groups have criticised the proposals as elitist, claiming they erode sporting merit and damage the competition's magic.
Read at www.bbc.com
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