Emma Hayes calls for two-division Women's League Cup to be scrapped to help focus on promoting WSL

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has called for the Continental League Cup between the top two divisions to be scrapped for the benefit of the Women’s Super League.

Speaking ahead of two rounds of the Continental Cup, Hayes said the competition dilutes the WSL just when the league is attempting to build its brand and suggested it should be restricted to Championship clubs.

Her outspoken comments emerge as Hayes's Manchester United counterpart Casey Stoney revealed her surprise decision to reject the chance to play at Old Trafford because she felt it would not grow United's fan base.

Hayes's side face Crystal Palace away on Sunday in the group stage of the cup before facing a trip to Lewes, another Championship club . “This competition, that competition... boom, one f****** league, it’s not difficult," she said. "Get rid of the Continental Cup, get rid of it, make more league fixtures."

Chelsea attracted a record crowd for a league game at Kingsmeadow last weekend as over 4,000 spectators watched them beat Arsenal, but the Blues will now have to wait five weeks for their next home game, with an international break splitting the two Continental Cup weekends.

“How are we going to get continuity?" Hayes added. "Play each other three times and if you want the Continental Cup put it in WSL 2 [division two], or not. I don’t know what we’re doing. Sell the WSL! Why are we diluting our product?”

Many teams, including Hayes’ Chelsea, have been staging matches at larger stadiums owned by the men’s side of their clubs to get more people to watch the women’s game. Manchester City’s Etihad welcomed a league record crowd of over 31,000 people for the first women’s Manchester derby, and games at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge and West Ham’s London Stadium have attracted almost 25,000 fans each.

The big question was when United would announce a game at Old Trafford, but Stoney revealed this week that this is not going to happen.

“The club are open to discussions but I’ve said no,” said Stoney. “It’s not something that I want because I’m very keen on growing the audience here [at Leigh Sports Village] and starting to sell this out first rather than doing a one off game where there’s no carry over. I watched City’s next attendance [after the game at the Etihad] and it didn’t pay off at all.”

Stoney said that even with 31,000 people the Etihad still felt empty. She feels her funds could be spent more effectively: “It costs a lot of money to open a stadium like that. What I could do with that in my budget! I’d rather invest it into marketing and get this [Leigh Sports Village] sold out consistently.”

United host City in the Continental Cup on Sunday before heading to Everton in a fortnight. Asked about Hayes's plea to scrap the competition, Stoney said that United do not have the same problem as Chelsea. “I can understand that it’s difficult when you can’t get any continuity in terms of growing your crowd, we’re lucky, we’re at home and we’ve got a derby so I’m not complaining.”

“We’ve got a really difficult group this time, it still gives us a great opportunity to play Man City three times, Everton three times. Yes, we’d like more league games but for us it’s kind of the same because of the group we’re in. It means less travelling to play those games and it also gives you the opportunity to try new things and to give those young players a chance.”

United were in the Championship last season so they have seen it from the perspective of a division two side. “It was brilliant for us last season,” said Stoney. “We needed it last season because it meant that we could play better teams.”