The FA took over the running of the women’s game in 1993 and with over three million registered players, football is now the top participation sport for women and girls in England.
The FA ran a number of women’s competitions at the elite level, such as the Adobe Women's FA Cup and the FA Women's National League. The Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) and Women's Championship were previously overseen by the FA, until the formation of Women's Professional Leagues Limited and the separation in the summer of 2024.
We have a dedicated website for the Women's National League and if you're interested in the BWSL, Barclays Women's Championship and League Cup then you can find out more on their own dedicated website.
The Adobe Women’s FA Cup
The Football Association Women's Challenge Cup Competition, now known as the Women’s FA Cup, began in 1970 and is the largest and most prestigious domestic knockout competition within the women’s game.
Clubs are eligible to enter the competition provided they compete in the top division of a women’s county league or higher and more than 260 clubs regularly enter annually.
In 2015, the Final was played at Wembley Stadium for the first time reflecting the incredible growth in interest in the women’s game, attracting a then record crowd of 30,710.
The Final attendance has grown year-on-year since, with the 2023 Final between Chelsea and Manchester United attracting a new record crowd of 77,390.
The FA Women’s National League
The third and fourth tiers of the women’s pyramid, the FA Women’s National League, comprises six divisions: Northern Premier Division, Southern Premier Division, Division 1 North, Division 1 Midlands, Division 1 South East, Division 1 South West.
Northern Premier in 2023-24:
Brighouse Town
Burnley
Derby County
Fylde
Huddersfield Town
Liverpool Feds
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Stoke City
Stourbridge
West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Southern Premier in 2023-24:
Billericay Town
Cardiff City
Cheltenham Town
Gillingham
Hashtag United
Ipswich Town
London Bees
MK Dons
Oxford United
Plymouth Argyle
Portsmouth
Rugby Borough
Division One Midlands in 2023-24:
Boldmere St Michaels
Leafield Athletic
Leek Town
Lincoln City
Loughborough Lightning
Northampton Town
Notts County
Peterborough United
Sheffield FC
Solihull Moors
Sporting Khalsa
Sutton Coldfield
Division One North in 2023-24:
Barnsley
Chester Le Street Town
Chorley
Doncaster Belles
Durham Cestria
FC United of Manchester
Hull City
Leeds United
Norton & Stockton Ancients
Middlesbrough
Stockport County
York City
Division One South East in 2023-24:
Actonians
AFC Sudbury
AFC Wimbledon
Ashford Town
Cambridge City
Cambridge United
Chesham United
Haywards Heath Town
London Seaward
Norwich City
Queens Park Rangers
Worthing
Division One South West in 2023-24:
Abingdon United
AFC Bournemouth
Bridgwater United
Exeter City
Keynsham Town
Maidenhead United
Moneyfields
Portishead Town
Selsey
Southampton Women's
Swindon Town
Torquay United
