The governing body of association football in England, FA announced a new annual women’s international competition in collaboration with the leading sports marketing agency Pitch International.
The annual tournament will include four teams which will have the English women’s national team and three other teams which will be selected by the FA.
Baroness Sue Campbell, director of women’s football at the FA said, “Pitch International is a world leader in organizing events, has a superb track record in women’s football, and is perfectly placed to lead the delivery of this new tournament, giving England fans the opportunity to see their team take on some of the best opposition in the world on an annual basis will create substantial interest, leading to a broader fanbase and strengthening grassroots participation. It will also provide the England team with the best preparation heading into the major tournaments over the next four years.”
The new tournament was announced with the motive of creating more opportunities for the England women’s team due to their busy schedule after the end of this year with the upcoming European Championship in 2022 followed by a FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, and other Euros in 2025.
Cat Watson, director of women’s sport at Pitch said, “We have seen first-hand the increased appetite for top-quality women’s football through our distribution of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, we’re excited to be building on our commitment to women’s football, by investing in and delivering a new tournament featuring the best teams and players from around the world, that will be broadcast to a global audience.”
Pitch International Agency also holds the rights to the FA WSL which is the top-tier of women’s English football.