FA Cup

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Image:FA Cup.jpg

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is the main "knockout" cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association.

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, commencing in 1872 (the Scottish Cup beginning a year later in 1873). As such its prestige as the sport's premier domestic cup competition is without par around the world. As it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is great scope for "giant-killers" from the lower divisions to eliminate top clubs from the tournament. A record 674 teams have entered the FA Cup in 2005-2006. In comparison, the League Cup, a lower prestige English football knockout tournament, can only have the 92 members of the Football League (who organise the competition) and FA Premier League compete.

The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament. The equivalent competition for women's teams is the FA Women's Cup. The women's cup has a much lower public profile than the men's, in common with all women's football in England. Many nations also have similar competitions, inspired by this legendary tournament.

Arsenal F.C. are the current holders of the trophy, although they have been eliminated from the 2005-2006 Cup by Bolton Wanderers.

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Format

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random - there are no seeds. The draw also determines which team will play at home. If a match is drawn, there is usually a replay at the ground of the other team although it is possible for teams to agree in advance not to replay a tie in which case the initial match will be settled by means of extra time and penalty shootouts if necessary. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and penalty shootouts, though in the past further replays were possible, and some ties took as many as six matches to settle.

Traditionally, the final is played at London's Wembley Stadium. However, due to extensive redevelopment of Wembley, finals have been played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff since 2001. Although early venues include Kennington Oval and the Crystal Palace Park, this was the first time the final had been played outside of England (it should be noted that Welsh sides such as Cardiff City F.C. do participate in the cup). The FA had hoped that the 2006 final would take place at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium, but the FA Cup final on May 13, 2006 will be played at the Millennium Stadium, because the builders have failed to guarantee that it will be completed on time.

The semi-finals are contested at neutral venues; in the past these have usually been the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final, such as Old Trafford in Manchester, Villa Park in Birmingham and Hillsborough in Sheffield. However, in 2005 both semi-finals were held at the Millennium Stadium. In future years it is expected that all semi-finals will be played at the new Wembley Stadium. However, in 2006 The FA have decided to revert to the neutral ground system - Chelsea will play their tie with Liverpool at Old Trafford whilst West Ham will play their tie with Middlesbrough at Villa Park on 22 and 23 April respectively.

The competition begins in August with the Extra-Preliminary Round contested by clubs occupying a low position in the English football league system, which any FA affiliated club meeting a basic standard of ability and ground facilities may enter. 644 clubs entered the competition in the 2003/04 season, a (then) record 660 for 2004/05 (the old record was 656 in 1921/22), and new record of 674 for 2005/06. Following the Extra-Preliminary Round is a Preliminary Round, four Qualifying Rounds, and six Rounds of the competition proper, followed by the Semi-Finals and the Final. All of FA Premier League and Football League clubs may enter. Non-league clubs may also enter if they competed in the previous season's FA Trophy or FA Vase and are deemed to be playing in an "acceptable" league for the current season. All clubs entering the competition must have a suitable and safe stadium capacity.

Clubs higher up the English football league system are given byes to certain rounds. For example, clubs playing in the Conference North or Conference South are given exemption to Second Qualifying Round, while those from the Conference National are given exemption to the Fourth Qualifying Round. Clubs from Football League One and Football League Two are given exemption into the First Round proper in November, and Football League Championship and Premier League teams are given exemption into the Third Round, traditionally held in the first weekend in January. The Final is played at the end of the season in May.

Since the foundation of The Football League, Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were only elected to the Football League in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of only two 18-team divisions; Spurs's victory then would be comparable to a team near the bottom of the third level of the English football pyramid (currently League One) winning today.

The winning team qualifies by right for the first round of the UEFA Cup. If the winners also qualify for the Champions League by merit of league position, the losing finalist qualifies for the UEFA Cup in their place. If both finalists qualify for the Champions League, an extra UEFA Cup place is given on the basis of Premier League position.

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Trophies

Image:Littletinidol.jpg At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, also known as the "FA Cup", which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation was made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain, mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation has been made on a podium on the pitch. The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team; a common riddle asks, "What is always taken to the Cup Final, but never used?" (The answer is, "the losing team's ribbons"). Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners' and losers' medals.

The present FA Cup trophy is the fourth. The first, the 'little tin idol', was used from the inception of the Cup in 1871-2 until it was stolen from a Birmingham shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on September 11, 1895. It was never seen again and is presumed to have been melted down. The second trophy was a replica of the first, and was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving president Lord Kinnaird. It was sold at Christie's on May 19 2005 for £420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes) to David Gold, the chairman of Birmingham City. A new, larger, trophy was bought by the FA in 1911 designed and manufactured by Fattorini's of Bradford and won by Bradford City in its first outing, the only time a team from Bradford has reached the final. This trophy still exists but is now too fragile to be used, so an exact replica was made and has been in use since the 1992 final. Therefore, though the FA Cup is the oldest domestic football competition in the world, its trophy is not the oldest; that title is claimed by the Scottish Cup.

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Sponsorship

Since the start of the 1994-95 season, the FA Cup has been sponsored. However, to protect the identity of the famous competition, the name has never changed from "The FA Cup", unlike in sponsorship deals for the League Cup. Instead, the competition has been known as "The FA Cup sponsored by ..."

From the 2006/2007 season it will formally be known as "The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON" after the German energy company signed a 4 year sponsorship deal [1].

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Giant-Killers

The FA Cup has a long tradition of lower-division and non-league teams becoming "giant-killers" by defeating highly-ranked opponents. There are various famous giant killing feats, and every club will remember their own successes. However, the most famous results are arguably those of:

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Famous Shock Results

  • Walsall 2 Arsenal 0 (1932-1933, Round 3)
  • Colchester United 1 Huddersfield Town 0 (1947-1948, Round 3)
  • Colchester United 3 Bradford City 2 (1947-1948, Round 4)
  • Yeovil Town 2 Sunderland 1 aet (1948-1949, Round 4)
  • Worcester City 2 Liverpool 1 (1950-1951, Round 3)
  • Everton 1 Leyton Orient 3 (1951-1952, Round 3 replay)
  • Birmingham City 0 Leyton Orient 1 (1951-1952, Round 4)
  • Arsenal 1 Norwich City 2 (1953-1954, Round 4)
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Bournemouth 1 (1956-1957, Round 3)
  • Bournemouth 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1 (1956-1957, Round 4)
  • Chelsea 1 Crewe Alexandra 2 (1960-1961, Round 3)
  • Oldham Athletic 1 South Shields 2 (1969-1970, Round 1)
  • Colchester United 3 Leeds United 2 (1970-1971, Round 5)
  • Hereford United 2 Newcastle United 1 (1971-1972, Round 3 replay)
  • Sunderland 1 Leeds United 0 (1972-1973, Final)
  • Burnley 0 Wimbledon 1 (1974-1975, Round 3)
  • Blyth Spartans 3 Stoke City 2 (1977-1978, Round 3)
  • Bournemouth 2 Manchester United 0 (1983-1984, Round 3)
  • Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Liverpool 0 (1983-1984, Round 4)
  • York City 1 Arsenal 0 (1984-1985, Round 4)
  • Birmingham City 1 Altrincham 2 (1985-1986, Round 3)
  • Wimbledon 1 Liverpool 0 (1987-1988, Final)
  • Middlesbrough 1 Grimsby Town 2 (1988-1989, Round 3)
  • Sutton United 2 Coventry City 1 (1988-1989, Round 3)
  • Oldham Athletic 2 Everton 1 (1989-1990, Round 5)
  • Oldham Athletic 3 Aston Villa 0 (1989-1990, Quarter-Final)
  • Liverpool 3 Crystal Palace 4 (1989-1990, Semi-Final)
  • West Brom 2 Woking 4 (1990-1991, Round 3)
  • Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1 (1991-1992, Round 3)
  • Liverpool 0 Bristol City 1 (1993-1994, Round 3 replay)
  • Stockport County 2 Queens Park Rangers 1 (1993-1994, Round 3)
  • Birmingham City 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2 (1993-1994, Round 3)
  • Kidderminster Harriers 1 Preston North End 0 (1993-1994, Round 4)
  • Barnsley 3 Manchester United 2 (1997-1998, Round 5 replay)
  • Gillingham 3 Sheffield Wednesday 1 (1999-2000, Round 5)
  • Leicester City 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2 (2000-2001, Quarter-Final)
  • Cardiff City 2 Leeds United 1 (2001-2002, Round 3)
  • Shrewsbury Town 2 Everton 1 (2002-2003, Round 3)
  • Slough Town 2 Walsall 1 (2004-2005, Round 1)
  • Oldham Athletic 1 Manchester City 0 (2004-2005, Round 3)
  • Burscough 3 Gillingham 2 (2005-2006, Round 1)
  • Fulham 1 Leyton Orient 2 (2005-2006, Round 3)
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Notable events in the FA Cup

  • On July 20, 1871, C. W. Alcock proposed that 'a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association', giving birth to the FA Cup.
  • On March 16, 1872, Wanderers became the first winners of the FA Cup, beating Royal Engineers 1-0 at The Oval. Only 15 clubs enter, 12 play and there are 13 games in total.
  • In 1873, for the first and only time the competition lives up to the name Challenge Cup. The Wanderers beat Oxford University in a one off challenge match to retain the Cup. The rules change for the following season.
  • In 1884 and 1885 Scottish side Queen's Park of Glasgow reached the English cup final. The first time a non English side reached the English cup final. They lost both times. Scotland had their own SFA Cup since 1873.
  • The record score in an FA Cup tie was set in 1887 when Preston North End defeated Hyde United 26-0.
  • William Townley scores the first hattrick the history of the FA Cup final in the match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday (6-1)
  • In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur became the only non-League team to win the FA Cup with a 3-1 replay victory over Sheffield United.
  • In 1903 Bury defeated Derby County 6-0, in what is still the highest score in an FA Cup final.
  • In 1914, George V became the first monarch to watch the FA Cup Final between Burnley and Liverpool in the last cup final played at Crystal Palace.
  • In 1915 Sheffield United beat Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford in the last final held before the competition was cancelled during the First World War. It became known as "The Khaki Cup Final", owing to the large number of uniformed soldiers in attendance.
  • In 1922, England amateur international Wilfred Minter scores 7 goals for St Albans City against Dulwich Hamlet. Dulwich win 8-7.
  • In 1923 the first FA Cup final was played at Wembley, and saw West Ham United lose to Bolton Wanderers. The match drew an over-capacity crowd of more than 200,000 and was played with spectators lining the edge of the pitch. Spectators spilled onto the field, but were moved back by mounted policemen, resulting in the final being nicknamed the "White Horse Final"
  • The 1927 final resulted in a Cardiff City victory over Arsenal. To the present day, Cardiff City are the only non-English based team to win the trophy.
  • The 1945-1946 FA Cup was the first played since the competition was suspended during World War II. As the intermediate Football League North and Football League South were of variable quality, to boost clubs' income each tie was played over two legs (one home, one away with the scores being added together to decide who went through) to increase the number of matches in the season. Matches that were level at the end of both legs were replayed at the stadium of whichever team had played the second leg away. The semi-finals and final (both played at neutral venues) remained single match affairs.
  • The final of 1953 is known as the Matthews Final. The match between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers saw Stanley Matthews, at the age of 38, in his third attempt to win an FA cup winners medal for Blackpool. Bolton were 3-1 up with 22 minutes remaining and looked set to win the match when Blackpool's Stan Mortensen scored from a Matthews cross. With less than five minutes remaining Blackpool equalised from a Mortensen free kick and shortly after the restart, with everybody anticipating extra time, Matthews passed to Bill Perry who put the ball in the back of the net securing a 4-3 victory for Blackpool. This was the first football match attended by The Queen. [2]
  • The final of 1956 saw Manchester City win 3-1 against Birmingham City. Roughly 15 minutes before the end of the game, Man City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann (a German who had been taken as a prisoner of war by the British in 1945) injured his neck when he made a save at the feet of Birmingham's Peter Murphy. Despite being in terrible pain he continued to play till the end of match and collected his winners' medal still clutching his neck. An x-ray later revealed that he had broken his neck.
  • 1956-57 also the record for highest number of rounds played in set, when former League club New Brighton played in nine rounds. They started in the preliminary round, and progressed through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to Burnley. They had just one replay - for their first round tie.
  • 1958 saw Leeds United beaten 2-1 at home to Cardiff City in the third round for the third consecutive year.
  • 1961 saw Tottenham Hotspur become the first club in the 20th century to win the FA cup and league championship in the same season, known famously as The Double.
  • In 1967 the first substitutes were allowed after many years of finals proving unbalanced due to injuries which forced players into leaving the field early. Players had suffered broken bones in the 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1965 finals.
  • 1970 saw the first Wembley final to go to a replay. The replayed final was played at Old Trafford and contested between Chelsea and Leeds United. It was the last final to be played outside of Wembley before it was moved to the Millennium Stadium in 2001. When Peter Osgood scored for Chelsea in the final, he became the last player to date (and ninth in total) to score in every round of the cup.
  • 1971 saw the longest tie in Cup history. Oxford City and Alvechurch play 6 games for a total of 660 minutes. Alvechurch won the final game 1-0 to progress to the first round proper.
  • In 1972 the FA Cup celebrated its 100th birthday (though not its 100th season, due to interruptions for the two world wars). Leeds United won the final against holders Arsenal.
  • The 1973-74 compitition saw the record set for the highest number of games played by one club. Bideford played 13 games over five rounds: one for the 1st qualifying round, two for the 2nd qualifying round, five for the 3rd qualifying round, four for the 4th qualifying round, and one for the 1st round proper. Multiple replays no longer take place, so this record is unlikely to be beaten.
  • The 1977-78 competition saw New Brighton's 1956-57 nine-round record equalled by Blyth Spartans, who progressed from the 1st qualifying round to the 5th round proper. The games for the 2nd qualifying round and the 5th rounds proper went to a replay.
  • The 1979-80 competition saw the nine-round record equalled by Harlow Town, who progressed from the Preliminary round through four qualifying rounds to the fourth round proper, where they lost to Watford. The matches for the 2nd and the 3rd rounds went to a replay.
  • In 1980, West Ham United became the last side to date to win the competition from outside the top division in football. They were a Second Division outfit when they beat holders Arsenal 1-0 thanks to a goal by Trevor Brooking. Three clubs - Queens Park Rangers in 1982, Sunderland in 1992 and Millwall in 2004 - have since reached the final, though all three lost.
  • In 1983 Norman Whiteside, at 18, became the youngest player ever to score in an FA Cup final, whilst playing for Manchester United against Brighton and Hove Albion. As of 2005 this record remains unbroken.
  • In 1984, Johnny Hore's Plymouth Argyle side narrowly missed out on being the first Third Division side to reach the final. In a tense semi-final at Villa Park, Watford came out on top, 1-0 victors. Starting in the first round proper, Argyle had beaten Southend United (in a replay), Barking, Newport County (in a replay), West Bromwich Albion and Derby County (in a replay).
  • In 1985, Kevin Moran of Manchester United became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final.
  • In 1988 underdogs Wimbledon beat Liverpool 1-0 to cause an upset, Lawrie Sanchez scoring a 37th minute header for the Dons from a Dennis Wise free kick. Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant saved a 61st minute John Aldridge penalty in the second half, becoming the first goalkeeper to do so in an FA Cup final. He was also the first goalkeeper to captain a team to FA Cup success.
  • In 1989 during the opening minutes of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 96 people were crushed to death because of overcrowding. See the Hillsborough disaster.
  • In 1991, after the Arsenal vs Leeds United third round tie went to a third replay, the FA decided that one replay, then extra time, then a penalty shootout would be a suitable alternative to a fixtures backlog.
  • In 1993, the final between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday went to a replay and then extra time. The FA decided that important neutral venue ties from then on, such as the semi-final and final, should be decided "on the day".
  • In 1997 Division Two (or level three) side Chesterfield narrowly and controversially missed out on becoming the first side from outside the top two divisions to reach an FA Cup final, having led 2-0 against 10-man Middlesbrough. With the score at 2-1, a shot hit the bar and went over the line but wasn't given by referee David Elleray. The Spireites instead were pegged back to 2-2. Extra time ended 3-3 but Middlesbrough won the replay convincingly to meet Chelsea in the final at Wembley.
  • In 1997, Ruud Gullit became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, as his Chelsea side beat Middlesbrough 2-0.
  • Also in 1997, the fastest ever goal in a Wembley FA Cup final was scored by Chelsea's Roberto di Matteo after 43 seconds.
  • 2000 was the last final to be played at the old Wembley stadium. Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0.
  • The first FA Cup final played outside of England was in the final of the 2000/2001 season at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Liverpool came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. Arsenal went back to Wales the following two seasons to win the Cup.
  • In 2001 Tony Roberts became the first goalkeeper to score in a FA Cup fixture.
  • For the first time, the FA Cup was played under a roof in the final of the 2002/2003 season, held on May 17, 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, with Arsenal and Southampton benefitting from cover from the rain (Arsenal were the 1 - 0 winners). This Final was also the first in which a goalkeeper was substituted. Paul Jones replaced the injured Southampton goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
  • That same year, Team Bath (from the University of Bath) became the first university team to enter the competition since Gonville & Caius in 1881, and progressed through the qualifying rounds before being knocked out in the first round proper by Mansfield Town.
  • In 2004 Roy Keane of Manchester United became the first player to play in six finals since the 19th century, and Curtis Weston of Millwall F.C. became the youngest ever player to play in the final at the age of 17 years and 119 days, beating the record of James Prinsep of Clapham Rovers set as long back as the 1879 final.
  • In 2004, Yeading from the Isthmian Premiership were drawn at home against FA Premiership side Newcastle United. This marked the first time two teams six divisions apart had faced each other in the cup. Newcastle won the match 2-0.
  • The 2005 FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Arsenal was the first final ever to have to go to penalties. After ordinary time and extra time, the score was still 0-0. Arsenal won the shootout – and thus the Cup – 5-4.
  • During the 2005 final, José Antonio Reyes became the second man ever to be sent off in an FA Cup Final, when he was dismissed for a second yellow card at the end of extra time. Roy Keane extended his own record by appearing in his seventh final.
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Past Winners of the FA Cup

For the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final

The top 10 clubs by number of wins (and when they last won and lost a final):

Club Wins Last win Runners-up Lastfinal lost
1Manchester United11200462005
2Arsenal10200572001
3Tottenham Hotspur8199111987
4Aston Villa7195732000
5Newcastle United6195571999
=Liverpool6200161996
=Blackburn Rovers6192821960
8Everton5199571989
=West Bromwich Albion5196851935
=Wanderers F.C.518780N/A

Clubs with up to 4 wins:

Three clubs have won consecutive FA Cups on more than one occasion: Wanderers (1872, 1873) and (1876, 1877, 1878), Blackburn Rovers (1884, 1885, 1886) and (1890, 1891), and Tottenham Hotspur (1961, 1962) and (1981, 1982).

Six clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a League and Cup double, these are Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (1961), Arsenal (1971, 1998, 2002), Liverpool (1986) and Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999). Arsenal and Manchester United share the record of three doubles. Arsenal are the only club to win doubles in distinct decades, and have in fact won in three different decades.

In 1999, Manchester United added the Champions League crown to its double, an accomplishment known as The Treble.

In 2001, Liverpool did not win the league, but won the League Cup and UEFA Cup to complete a different treble. They also won the FA Charity Shield and the European Super Cup in 2001, at the start of the following season.

Leicester City hold the unfortunate record of having appeared in four FA Cup finals without ever winning the cup.

Kettering Town have scored the most goals in FA Cup history, having scored 803 goals between 1879 and 2005. (up to 12 October 2005) with Ollie Burgess scoring the 800th goal against St Albans City on 11 October 2005

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External links

Football in England (Women's)
League competitions The FA Cup competitions
FA Premier League England (men) FA Cup (Women's)
The Football League (Champ, 1, 2) (women) League Cup
Football Conference (Nat, N, S) List of clubs FA Community Shield
Northern Premier League (Prem, 1) List of venues Football League Trophy
Southern League (Prem, 1W, 1E) (by capacity) FA Trophy
Isthmian League (Prem, 1, 2) List of leagues FA Vase
English football league system Records FA NLS Cup

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