Sapphire Cup
The competition is held during the Women's National Premier League season.Ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup which was to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the governing body of football in New South Wales, Football NSW announced a new women's knock out cup tournament, that would replicate the men's Waratah Cup[1] The name of the competition was a nod to the historical roots of women's football in NSW, named after the NSW Sapphires who represented New South Wales between 1996 and 2004 in the Women's National Soccer League, which was the precursor competition to the professional A-League Women.[2] It was announced by Football Australia that starting in 2024, the winners of the Sapphire Cup will have the opportunity to qualify for the Women's Australia Cup, which will run parallel to the men's competition.[3] The first Sapphire Cup final was contested by two Sydney-based teams, APIA Leichhardt and Northern Tigers.[5] The following season, the Northern Tigers went one step further, lifting the trophy after a 2-1 victory over Sydney University SFC.