FA confirms men's and women's Community Shield double header at Wembley
The Football Association has confirmed that the first-ever double header men’s and women’s Community Shield will be played at Wembley this summer on August 29.
As reported by Telegraph Sport on Monday, the first Women’s Community Shield since 2008 will see the Barclays FA Women’s Super League Champions Chelsea face current Women’s FA Cup holders Manchester City in a game to be shown live on BBC One at 12:30 on Saturday Aug 29. The 2020 FA Cup winners Arsenal will then face Premier League champions Liverpool at 16:30, broadcast on BT Sport 1 & BT Sport Ultimate.
The double-header games will be played behind closed doors without fans at Wembley Stadium.
Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, said: “We are proud to announce the first ever double header of the FA’s Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 29 August. It’s a sign of our commitment to the women’s game and its growth, to have a curtain raiser that mirrors that of the men, with another high-profile fixture at Wembley Stadium.”
The 2020-21 curtain-raiser was being considered as a pilot event to allow a limited number of supporters to attend a live football match for the first time since all games moved behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is understood that the governing body is now highly unlikely to press ahead with the plans after similar tests in county cricket and snooker were abandoned.
The World Snooker Championship in Sheffield and a county match between Surrey and Middlesex allowed spectators in as part of a trial, but that was halted after the Government changed their guidance following a rise in cases.
With no elite domestic women’s football having been played since the Continental League Cup final on February 29 and pre-season games taking place behind closed doors, it is understood that the FA felt a curtain-raiser for women’s football was particularly important to maintain the game’s growing profile.
The Women’s Community Shield has not taken place in the WSL era, with the 2008 edition seeing Arsenal beat Everton 1-0.
