Regional football federation SAFA Cape Town has announced that the prize money for both men and women in the Coca-Cola Amateur Cup will be equal from the upcoming Round of 32.

 They said the decision is to make good on their promise to bring equality to Cape Town’s biggest amateur football competition – a pertinent move in the Women’s Month of August.

 Furthermore, Safa Cape Town has committed that as of the Round of 32, clubs will receive their prize money within seven days of being knocked out or winning the competition. In the past, clubs had to wait long after the competition was completed for their winnings to be paid to their Local Football Association.  

 The awarding of equal prize money is to ensure the women’s game is treated with the same respect and admiration of the men’s competition, and removes the notion created in the past that one competition is more prestigious than the other.

 Last year, Safa paid the winners of both senior men and women R35 000 prize money. That was different to the 2021 prizes when women in the Round 32 and Last 16 received less than men U18, as seen in the table below.

 “We have seen the way the nation has gotten behind Banyana Banyana in recent times, and it is clear that the women’s game deserves as much respect and admiration as men,” said SAFA Cape Town President, Bennett Bailey, in a statement.

 “We’ve also seen a major increase in young female footballers participating in organised football, which is evident by the three streams currently running in the SAFA Cape Town Regional Women’s Development League. We must offer them something to aspire toward.

 “It’s only fair that women are offered the same recognition as men because they work just as hard to make it to the final at Athlone Stadium every year.”

 This year’s Coke Cup winners will walk away with R35,000 and the runners-up will take home R25,000. That will bring the total prize money for the 2023 edition, including the youth division, to almost R400 000.

Edited by Nicklaus Kruger