The Capital Women's Senior Cup is an annual women's association football cup competition run jointly by the Middlesex FA, the London FA, the Surrey FA and the Amateur Football Alliance. The competition is open to clubs in tiers 3-5 of the Women's Football Pyramid and under-21 and under-23 teams of clubs in tiers 1-2 of the Women's Football Pyramid.[1]
| Organising bodies | Middlesex FA, Surrey FA, London FA, Amateur Football Alliance |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Region | Greater London |
| Number of teams | 18 clubs (2023-24) |
| Current champions | Arsenal WSL Academy (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Charlton Athletic (5 titles) |
History edit
The Capital Women's Cups were established in 2013, on the initiative of Jackie Newing of the Amateur Football Alliance.[2] The intention was to consolidate London's fragmented system of county cups, which saw considerable mismatches across the five geographical cup competitions, into three competitions based on league position.[2]
Initially the Senior Cup was open to all clubs in tiers 1-5 of the Women's Football Pyramid, but since 2018 this has been restricted to tiers 3-5, plus under 23 teams from the top two tiers.
The Intermediate Cup is open to clubs in tiers 6 and 7 and the Junior Cup is open to Greater London Women's Football League Division 1 and 2 clubs, plus any club in tier 7 or below (including clubs not in a league).[1]
It replaced the London Women's Cup, the Middlesex FA Women's Cup and the Surrey Women's FA Cup. Administration of the competitions rotate between the four organising associations.
The first five editions of the tournament were dominated by Charlton Athletic W.F.C..[3] Their run of dominance was only ended by reformating the competition to exclude tier 1 and 2 senior teams.
Women's Super League and Women's Championship academy clubs have enjoyed mixed fortunes in the competition. Arsenal W.F.C. Academy won the 2022-23 edition of the tournament[4] whereas in 2023-24 only Tottenham Hotspur W.F.C. Academy progressed beyond the second round, losing to Haringey Borough in the quarter finals.[5]
Format edit
The tournament is a single-legged, unseeded, knock-out competition with team. If a tie is level after 90 minutes, the match is decided by a penalty shoot-out.[1]
Winners and Finalists edit
| Season | Winners | Runners up | Score | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Charlton Athletic | Queens Park Rangers | 2-1[6] | Imber Court, Molesey[7] | |
| 2014–15 | Charlton Athletic | West Ham United | 5-0[8] | Earlsmead Stadium, Harrow | 222 |
| 2015–16 | Charlton Athletic | Tottenham Hotspur | 3-0[9] | Harry Abrahams Stadium, Finchley | |
| 2016–17 | Charlton Athletic | Tottenham Hotspur | 2-1[3] | Harry Abrahams Stadium, Finchley | 136[10] |
| 2017–18 | Charlton Athletic | Crystal Palace | 2-1[11] | Bedfont Recreation Ground, Bedfont | |
| 2018–19 | Actonians. | Leyton Orient | 1-0[12] | Reynolds Fields, Perivale | 181 |
| 2019–20 | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2020–21 | Queens Park Rangers | Actonians. | 2-2 (4-3 p)[13] | Bedfont Recreation Ground, Bedfont | 317 |
| 2021–22 | Ashford Town | Dulwich Hamlet. | 2-0[14] | Meadowbank, Dorking | 204 |
| 2022–23 | Arsenal Academy | AFC Wimbledon | 2-1[4] | Green Lane, Hounslow | 400[15] |
| 2023–24 | Silver Jubilee Park, Hendon | ||||
Statistics edit
Performance by club edit
| Club | Winners | Runners Up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Athletic | 5 | 0 | 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| Actonians. | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ashford Town | 1 | 0 | 2022 |
| Arsenal Academy | 1 | 0 | 2023 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 | |
| West Ham United | 0 | 1 | |
| London Seaward | 0 | 1 | |
| Dulwich Hamlet. | 0 | 1 | |
| AFC Wimbledon | 0 | 1 |
References edit
- ^ a b c https://www.thefa.com/-/media/cfa/amateurfa/files/capital-womens-cup-rules-season-2023-24.ashx
- ^ a b London, My (2014-04-20). "Four west London sides gear up for Capital Women's Cup". My London. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ a b "WOMEN'S TEAM | Charlton lift the Capital Cup for a fourth successive year | Charlton Athletic Football Club". www.charltonafc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ a b "A gallant cup final defeat for the Dons". www.afcwimbledon.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Results". www.londonfa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Capital Womens Cup Match Reports". www.londonfa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "Ladies Final Date". QPR FC.
- ^ "West Ham United 0-5 Charlton Athletic - It's a fantastic effort from all the players, hails treble winning boss Jeremy Parsons". Kentish Football. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ O'Neill, Jen (2016-05-06). "Cardiff And Spurs Contest FAWPL Cup Final - SheKicks". shekicks.net. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Capital Women's Cup Senior Final". www.middlesexfa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Frith, Wilf (2018-05-07). "Charlton Athletic Women grab late Capital Cup winner - SheKicks". shekicks.net. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Actonians Ladies Win Capital Women's Senior Cup". www.middlesexfa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ Association, The Football. "QPR WOMEN WIN CAPITAL WOMEN'S SENIOR CUP". www.middlesexfa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ Association, The Football. "ASHFORD TOWN (MIDDLESEX) WIN THE CAPITAL WOMEN'S SENIOR CUP". www.middlesexfa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "First team fixtures and results 2022/23". afcwimbledonwomen.co.uk. 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2024-03-21.