Teams at every step of the pyramid will be encouraged to embrace AI as part of a new partnership the Football Association’s director of women’s football hopes will help boost attendances at overlooked local clubs.

On Thursday the FA announced a new three-year deal which will see tech company Adobe take over as title sponsor for the Women’s FA Cup, which this year boasts a doubled prize pot from £3million to £6m.

But while the women’s game has witnessed unprecedented recent growth, particularly following the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph, Baroness Sue Campbell admits clubs below the top tiers have not equally benefitted from the boost.

The FA’s director of women’s football told the PA news agency: “If you’re talking about Newcastle in tier three, they’re getting 20,000 people through the gates already, but you could also be talking about another club at tier three who are lucky if they get two people at a game.

“So we’ve got a long way to go still to get people to commit to come. There are a lot of lessons to learn by looking around, we’ve really done some good looks across at the United States where they get massive audiences for relatively low-tier games, but I think there’s a different culture in the way Americans either play sport or watch it.

“So we are having to build that culture of attending women’s games. The volume of interest is just growing and growing (but) people aren’t used to going and looking at their local women’s team.

“I think that’s what part of this (partnership) is about, using the FA Cup to connect clubs with their local population, their local community, looking at how they generate content which excites people to want to come, which gives them an interest in the individuals that are playing.”

Marketing is key to drawing those audiences, but, like ticket sales, staffing and resources across the lower tiers of English women’s football vary wildly.

Part of the new partnership will see Adobe give access to and train all 460 clubs in the competition on what it describes as an “AI-first” content creation app the FA hopes will allow teams to better market and promote themselves to boost interest and attendances, without putting undue strain on already-stretched staff.

Campbell, who in September announced she will retire from her role at the FA in 2024 after eight years, appreciates a one-size-fits all approach will not work but is optimistic about the technology’s potential.

She said: “We’ll have to think about how we support those clubs that perhaps are the one-person club, where they are trying to organise the post, send out the kit and also do the marketing.

“I hope we can actually enable these people to do things they perhaps don’t even know right now they are capable of doing. I think we will have to tailor it according to what is there, but we’ve got really good intelligence from the FA’s point of view about where every club in that structure is, and I’m sure we can adapt.”

Beyond the practical and potential financial advantage there is, at least for Campbell, also a more philosophical benefit in putting the latest tech in the hands of hundreds of clubs.

She added: “I think women and girls often haven’t had a voice, and certainly not in football. We’re gradually giving them one, and I think therefore the potential is just enormous.”

Sam Kerr says she loves the pressure of the big occasion and having the opportunity “to do something great” as the Chelsea striker prepares for Sunday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United.

Among the numerous important goals Kerr has scored for the Blues since joining in 2019-20 are a brace in each of the last two finals, when Emma Hayes’ side overcame Arsenal 3-0 and then Manchester City 3-2 after extra-time.

The prolific Australian also netted twice in stunning fashion on the final day of the 2021-22 Women’s Super League season as Chelsea came from behind to beat United 4-2 and claim the title for a third successive year.

Ahead of what is the first women’s FA Cup final to sell out Wembley, Kerr said: “I play this game to score goals and I love the pressure, I love the big games, I love being able to have a moment in the palm of your hands and be able to do something great.

“So I get excited about these games. People are still talking about that Man United last game of the season, and for me that was so exciting. I think it’s exciting when there’s another moment like that on the horizon.”

The 29-year-old also scored in Chelsea’s two WSL wins over United this term, including the only goal in March’s encounter at Kingsmeadow.

On the build-up to big matches, she added: “You can’t think about losing ever – that’s number one sin of a footballer.

“If you think about that, that’s going to happen. I only think about the good things. Once you start thinking negative thoughts, that’s the only way you’re going to go.

“I visualise scoring a goal, the celebration, seeing my family after the game, all the things that make me play football.”

Kerr, who is keen to stress she is a “very lucky player” in terms of getting “the most amazing service” from her team-mates, has scored 87 times for Chelsea and helped them win seven major trophies in her three-and-a-half years with the club so far.

And she has emphasised she feels like she still has “a lot more to give and a lot I want to achieve”, adding: “For me it’s about still getting better.

“Obviously you can’t look into the future, but I see myself going bigger and better than what I am now, and hopefully continue winning trophies with this team.”

After the conclusion to a season that could see Chelsea secure another double – they are currently second in the WSL, a point behind Marc Skinner’s United with a game in hand – Kerr is set for some summer, skippering her country as they co-host with New Zealand the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

She said: “It’s a bit crazy to think about it all to be honest.

“I think (I’ll reflect) after this whole summer, after it’s all said and done, but it’s been an amazing journey to get here.

“It’s not just about 2023. I think last year was amazing and then this year is obviously going to probably be the biggest year of my career and my life and something I’ll remember forever.

“It’s a whirlwind, but I’m enjoying it and I’m really proud to be a part of all of this change in women’s football.”