Optus Sport has announced it has secured the rights to stream the Women’s FA Cup Final on Sunday, 15 May. It’s the third season in a row the broadcaster has exclusively streamed the final, which this year will see Chelsea defend the title against Manchester City.
With Matildas captain Sam Kerr headlining a formidable Chelsea side and her international teammates Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso representing Manchester City, audiences can look forward to seeing some of Australia’s best footballers battle it out to lift the silverware.
Interest in women’s football has exploded on Optus Sport, which has been a pioneer in promoting and broadcasting women’s football since 2019 with its coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Barclays FA Women’s Super League (WSL).
The strong growth amongst Optus Sport fans can be seen in almost a 150% increase in viewership season-on-season for its WSL coverage and the overall growth of customers engaging with both live and on-demand replay content.
Clive Dickens, VP of TV, content and product development at Optus said, “We’re delighted to once again be the exclusive broadcaster of the Women’s FA Cup Final.
“Interest in women’s football is sky-rocketing – this is evident in the record-breaking stadium attendance overseas and here in Australia where we have seen a significant increase in viewers of our WSL coverage on Optus Sport.
“With the guarantee of an Aussie lifting the trophy at this year’s Women’s FA Cup Final, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil on the horizon, there’s never been a more exciting time to bring the game to our viewers.
“With fan-favourites Liverpool noticeably absent from this year’s WSL season, but with a return on the cards for the Reds in 2022/23, we’re expecting our viewership to continue its upward trajectory come the league’s kick-off next season,” Dickens concluded.
The Women’s FA Cup Final announcement follows news last year that Optus Sport has renewed its exclusive media rights for the Premier League through to 2028 and the Barclays FA Women’s Super League through to 2024.
Optus Sport will broadcast the upcoming UEFA Women’s Euro, with every match live and exclusive as well as securing the Australian rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.