FA Women's Cup
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| Founded | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Region |
 England
|
| Number of teams | 262 (2015–16) |
| Current champions |
Arsenal (14 titles) |
| Most successful club(s) |
Arsenal (14 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | BBC |
| Website | FA Women's Cup |
 2016–17 FA Women's Cup
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The Football Association Women's Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football clubs in England – designed as an exact equivalent to the FA Cup.
The competition began in 1970–71 as the Mitre Challenge Trophy, organised by the Women's Football Association (WFA). There were 71 entrants, including teams from Scotland and Wales.
Since the Football Association (FA) took over direct control of English women's football in 1993, the teams affiliated with male FA Premier League and Football League counterparts have dominated the re–branded competition. Arsenal won in 2004, beating Charlton Athletic 3–0 in the final on 3 May. On 2 May 2005, Charlton made amends for the disappointment of the two previous years, by beating Everton 1–0. Arsenal regained the trophy on 1 May 2006, beating Leeds United 5–0. Wins in 2007, 2008 and 2009 gave Arsenal a record ten titles.
The FA Women's Cup often shared sponsorship with its men's equivalent (but not with the 2012 to 2014 sponsor, Budweiser). The current cup holders are Arsenal. They beat Chelsea 1–0 in the final at Wembley Stadium on 14 May 2016.
The FA Women's Cup trophy was one of the first prestigious trophies to be made in the Thomas Lyte silver workshop.
As with the men's tournament, clubs from higher leagues do not have to enter at the early qualifying rounds. The current entry point after the league (Women's Premier League) restructuring is.
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Wikipedia