Page 3 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.17 2020-21

The Football Association has this week confirmed the dates for the
remaining rounds of the 2020-21 Vitality Women’s FA Cup, with the
Final at Wembley Stadium connected by EE celebrating 50 years of
the competition.
Following the pausing of this season’s campaign over the
winter due to government guidelines, dates for each round have had
to be pushed back, meaning the final three rounds will be played on
the following dates and go into next season. These follow the already confirmed Fifth Round,
which takes place 16-20 May:
Quarter Finals: Wednesday 29 September 2021
Semi Finals: Sunday 31 October 2021
Final: Sunday 5 December 2021
All four Quarter Finals will be available to watch across the BBC and FA Player, while
both Semi Finals will be live on the BBC. The Final, at Wembley Stadium, will kick off at 3pm
and will be broadcast live on BBC One.
The 2021 Vitality Women’s FA Cup Final will be the climax of the 50th anniversary
celebrations and will take place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 5th December, the date when
100 years ago, the FA made the decision to ban women’s football.
Kelly Simmons, Director of Women’s Professional Game at the FA said: “To mark the
competition’s 50th anniversary, we felt it was fitting to schedule the 2021 Vitality Women’s FA
Cup Final on 5th December, a date for many which represents the game’s lowest ebb.
“We want to use the Cup Final day, always one of the most special in the calendar, as a
platform to celebrate the game’s historic trailblazers who we remain forever indebted to, whilst
also acknowledging the growth and development in the modern era.
“Watching our best players at one of the best stadiums in the world, will hopefully
continue to inspire a new generation to fall in love with women’s football.”
More details of the celebrations to be held and ticket details will be released in due
course.
The announcement means that this week’s Fifth Round ties will be the last competitive
matches each remaining team in the competition will play this season. Seven of the eight ties
are set to take place on Sunday, whilst the other - Chelsea v Everton - will take place next
Thursday, due to Chelsea’s involvement in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final on the
weekend. Two clubs from the FA Women’s National League, Huddersfield Town and
Southampton FC Women, remain in the competition and both have away ties against WSL
opponents.

Manchester United have announced this week that Casey Stoney will be stepping down from
her role as Women’s Head Coach from the end of the season.
Casey took over the role at United three years ago and after winning the FA Women’s
Championship in her first season, led the team into fourth place in the Barclays FA WSL in the
campaign which has just finished, missing out on a place in the UEFA Women’s Champions
League by a single point.
Casey’s final match in charge of Manchester United will be this Sunday, when they take
on Leicester City in the Fifth Round of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.
Four managers have either left or are leaving their positions at Barclays FA WSL clubs
since the last round of matches on the weekend. In addition to Casey, Joe Montemurro has left
Arsenal as announced last month, Matt Beard’s tenure as interim manager at Bristol City has
come to an end as has Marcus Bignot’s at Aston Villa, who this week announced that they have
parted company with Head Coach Gemma Davies and assistant Jenny Sugarman.
Issue no. 17 - 13 May 2021 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk