County's Clubs Involved In Women's FA Cup

As the differing levels beautiful game kicks-off over the coming weeks, both the men’s, and women’s game, can look forward to excitement aplenty, both on, and off the field of play.

That excitement will be the results on the field, whilst off it, the release of the fixtures, and the cups, oh, the romance a good cup run can give.

A number of Nottinghamshire-based women’s football clubs have entered this season’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup, which will see the final played, at Wembley Stadium, on 15 May 2022.

Of the clubs entered, Andy Cook’s Nottingham Forest, of the FA Women’s National League North, are exempt until the First Round Proper, which doesn’t take place until 14 November, whereas in the earlier rounds, there’s several clubs bidding for a chance at glory.

This season the FA have done away with the preliminary rounds, so, the expected, mid-August start, will now be in mid-September instead, beginning on the 12^th in that of the First Qualifying Round, and where three clubs from the region will be playing – Arnold Eagles Women, Nottingham Trent University, and Sherwood Women, all of the East Midlands Women’s Regional League.

An impressive, 418 clubs, have entered this years’ competition and, the draw for the opening two rounds have now taken place.

Three further Nottinghamshire clubs enter at the Second Qualifying Round stage, which takes place on 3 October – Adam Dunleavey’s Notts County Women, Andi Bell’s Mansfield Town Ladies, and Rise Park Ladies.

Affecting Nottinghamshire clubs, the first two qualifying round draws are as follows –

First Qualifying Round

Epworth Town Colts Belles (North Lincolnshire) vs. St Joseph’s Rockware of Worksop Women; Hinckley Ladies (Leicestershire) vs. Nottingham Trent University Women; Sherwood Ladies vs. Kettering Town Women (Northamptonshire); Arnold Eagles Ladies vs. Nuneaton Borough Ladies (Leicestershire).

Second Qualifying Round

Epworth/SJR Worksop vs. Thackley Ladies (West Riding); Notts County Women vs. Sherwood/Kettering; Rise Park Ladies vs. Northampton Town Ladies (Northamptonshire); Hinckley/NTU vs. Bugbrooke St. Michaels Ladies (Northamptonshire)/Rugby Town Women (Warwickshire); Loughborough Students Women (Leicestershire) vs. Arnold/Nuneaton; Allexton & New Parks Ladies (Leicestershire) vs. Mansfield Town Ladies.

The remaining Nottinghamshire club entering this years’ competition is Long Eaton United Ladies, managed by Jake Poole, and play in the FA Women’s National League Division One Midlands – they’ll enter the competition at the final, Third Qualifying Round Stage, matches which for will be played on 24 October.

Round dates for the Vitality Women’s FA Cup (kick-off 2pm unless mutually agreed)

First Qualifying Round – 12 September 2021
Second Qualifying Round – 3 October 2021
Third Qualifying Round – 24 October 2021
First Round – 14 November 2021
Second Round – 28 November 2021
Third Round – 12 December 2021
Fourth Round – 30 January 2022
Fifth Round – 27 February 2022
Quarter-Finals – 20 March 2022
Semi-Finals – 17 April 2022
Final – 15 May 2022

Nottinghamshire clubs partaking in this season’s competition, alphabetically, are Arnold Eagles Women, Long Eaton United Ladies, Mansfield Town Ladies, Notts County Women, Nottingham Forest Women, Nottingham Trent University Ladies, Rise Park Ladies, and Sherwood Women.

Further information regarding the Vitality Women’s FA Cup can be found HERE whilst all the latest news and interviews from the Women’s Game, can found via the Nottingham Sport.