The Women’s League Cup group stage kicks off on Wednesday with 10 matches between Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2 teams and minimal fanfare. It is a tournament that has lost its way a little, lacking a strong identity, struggling to compete with heavily marketed WSL, WSL2 and FA Cup fixtures and does not garner much love from fans unless their club wins it.
It is understood WSL Football is considering the future of the League Cup. The idea of scrapping the competition has raised its head at various times as those concerned have grappled with where it fits in the women’s football ecosystem. There is some logic to the thought that instead of having to share the investment in women’s football across multiple competitions it could, and should, be focused on building up the ‘hero product’ – in the case of WSL Football, WSL and WSL2, andfor the Football Association, the FA Cup. The calendar is also tight, with available matchdays a premium resource.
