English FA set to increase FA cup prize fund

The Football Association (FA) in England plans to increase FA Cup prize money with the aim of helping lower league clubs, says chief executive Martin Glenn. The FA in October signed a six-season overseas broadcast rights deal for the FA Cup which was reported to be worth £820 million. Glenn said the FA could raise the current £25m fund because of the deal, which starts from the 2018/2019 season. “The FA Cup is a great way of redistributing money to the lower leagues,” he said. “The prize fund is £25m. We’re looking to increase that over the coming years and hopefully benefit the smaller clubs.” Glenn also said the FA may look at introducing a “unity” payment which would help split money more equally. Under the current system, clubs receive a larger amount of money if their game is televised. Sports Minister Tracey Crouch had warned however last month that the government would legislate to force through FA reforms if the governing body does not make changes itself. She had set a deadline of April for the FA to “set a path to reform”. Glenn reiterated some of the concerns of five former FA executives, including previous chairman Greg Dyke, who said the organisation was held back by “elderly white men”. Figures show that of the FA Council’s 122 members, 92 are aged over 60, eight are women and four are from ethnic minority backgrounds. “It’s over-represented by white males who are quite old and it doesn’t reflect the people actually in the game and that’s the opportunity,” said Glenn. “With council reform, we’d like to see term limits and the government would like to see term limits so (that) you can’t stay there for life. “You might do three sets of four years and then move on so (that) fresh blood can come through.” The FA Cup third round saw many top-flight sides rotate their squad, with Bournemouth making 11 changes before they lost 0-3 away at League One side Millwall. But Glenn said he was happy for teams to use the competition to juggle their resources. “I think Bournemouth were an outlier. Eddie Howe can make his own reasons for it,” he said. “It doesn’t upset me. The Premier League teams really understand the value the FA Cup brings them. “People want to do well in the Cup, but the positive side is that these bigger clubs have big squads, you want to give people game time. “Giving a chance for young players to get real-game experience is not a bad thing.”