The Football Association (FA), English soccer’s governing body, has secured computer software company ADOBE as the new title sponsor for its Women’s FA Cup club competition for the next three years.
The deal will see the competition renamed the Adobe Women’s FA Cup through July 2026, while Adobe will look to increase social media engagement across the competition by giving the 460 participating clubs access to and training on Adobe Express – its AI-powered content creation app.
Adobe said the introduction of the software will enable clubs to create social media and brand content to engage the soccer community, raise their profile, and reach the next generation of fans and players.
As part of the deal, the FA will also receive access to wider Adobe Digital Media tools including the company’s Photoshop, Express, Firefly, and Acrobat platforms.
Simon Morris, Adobe’s vice president of international marketing, said: “The Adobe Women’s FA Cup is about inspiring stories of clubs and players that dare to dream. Cup runs, big away draws for underdogs, and the human stories behind them are truly the magic of the competition.
“Through our partnership, and by providing access and training on our industry-leading creative tools, we want to put those magic moments into the spotlight, helping the clubs, players, and fans tell their stories in ever more creative ways, as well as motivate the next generation of players and supporters of the women’s game.”
Adobe replaces UK health and life insurance company Vitality, which held the designation until July 2023 as part of a three-year deal that started during the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 FA Cup.
Before Vitality, energy company SSE held a four-year contract for title sponsorship rights to the competition.
The new designation adds to Adobe’s soccer portfolio, which also includes partnerships with North America’s National Women’s Soccer League, European soccer’s governing body UEFA German soccer giants Bayern Munich, and Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid. It also has a long-running technology partnership with Major League Baseball.
The new deal also comes two weeks after the FA announced that the prize fund for the competition has been doubled for the 2023-24 edition from a total of £3 million ($3.681 million) to £6 million after a £3 million investment was approved by the FA’s board of directors.
Last year’s Women’s FA Cup final attracted a record crowd of 77,390 to watch Chelsea beat Manchester United at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, said: “The Women’s FA Cup has grown to new heights over the last few years in parallel with the wider growth of the women's game, and we're delighted to have Adobe on board as we target the next phase of development for the competition.
“We share their passion for holistically celebrating the unique characteristics that make the Women's FA Cup the most special and prestigious domestic cup competition in the world. With Adobe's creative tools, used by some of the world’s biggest brands, we have a key opportunity to reach and engage new audiences for the women’s game.”
