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Chelsea Women will donate their Barclays Women's Super League prize money of £100,000 to Refuge, a charity that supports women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Emma Hayes' side were awarded the 2019/20 WSL title last week on a basic points-per-game basis after the season was ended due to the pandemic.

There has been a huge rise in cases of domestic abuse during lockdown with the charity's website seeing an increase of more than 950 per cent since the start of lockdown.

Speaking to the official club website manager Emma said: "Up until now our involvement was about supporting the campaign publicly with a call to action but we all wanted to do more than that and if donating our prize money can ease some of the concerns and worries people have then it’s the least we can do.

"It’s an important message. It’s a campaign that’s really dear to us and the best way we can demonstrate our support further is by committing our prize money towards it and helping those in need."

Sandra Horley CBE, chief executive of Refuge, added: "We are incredibly grateful to Chelsea Women for not only shining a light on domestic abuse, but also supporting us with a significant financial commitment - this is an incredible gesture.

"Every penny we raise helps Refuge to provide life-saving and life-changing specialist services."

Refuge runs a Freephone 24-Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline, 0808 2000 247, which has seen an increase in over 60 per cent in demand during the pandemic.

The website www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk provides additional support information and an online form where women can request a safe time to be called back, as well as live chat support.

Women can also receive automated guidance via Refuge’s techbot on how to secure their devices. Please click here for information.

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