Marc Skinner praises Lewes for raising issue of FA Cup prize money

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has praised Lewes’ request for equal prize money ahead of the two teams’ FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

Skinner’s support comes after the Championship side submitted an open letter calling for equal prize money in the men’s and women’s FA Cup.

Lewes highlighted the £45,000 in prize money they have earned after winning three games is significantly less than the £450,000 handed to men’s teams who enter the competition in the third round.

“Coming from grassroots as well I commend Lewes for their open voice and raising it because I think we’re never going to change anything unless we’ve raised the issues that we’re going through,” Skinner said.

“The realities are, I support the growth of women’s football and I support the Lewes message in terms of what we can continue to grow and the speed in which we’re growing.

“I would hope that we maintain that from a funding perspective and increase that, so I commend all of the girls at Lewes and everybody fighting hard behind the scenes to work for equality and equity because we’re part of that and we’ve got to do our job as well.

“I support the message of, in whatever the funding mechanism is, can we keep growing the funding that keeps coming into our game to support teams that need it, as well as teams that are at the top end competing to win as well.”

Lewes’ letter was addressed to former England midfielder Karen Carney, who has been commissioned by the Government to look at the standards of the women’s professional game across the football pyramid.

Skinner acknowledged the responsibility for raising the profile of the women’s game falls on the shoulders of those both inside and outside the sport.

He said: “There is a responsibility for everybody involved inside, but also watching, to keep growing it so that we can keep supporting every player that’s playing within the two divisions and below. Because, if we don’t keep funding grassroots too, where do the next stage of England players and Lionesses beyond come in?

“For us it’s about playing our part, making sure we make football as visible as possible to make sure we keep growing the audiences so that can cascade to everybody, but we all have to play our part and then I’m hopeful and I’ve seen positive signs that we are progressing.

“Everybody wants it quickly of course and hopefully we can fast forward that as we get more visibility.”

Lewes chief executive Maggie Murphy also expressed her pride in the club’s players, commending their bravery in stepping forward and wanting to build a better future for the next generation in women’s football.

The Football Association also added that it is “always looking to make further improvements” to the women’s game.

An FA spokesperson said: “The Vitality Women’s FA Cup has seen record levels of investment into the competition, and this season the prize fund has increased almost ten-fold, to £3m per season.

“Women’s football continues to be in a growth phase and our primary focus is to attract new audiences to the competition with live matches on free-to-air television with the BBC.

“We are always looking to make further improvements and investment across the women’s game to help it thrive in the future.”