Football League Group Cup

The Football League Group Cup was a shortlived football competition which first took place prior to and during the 1981-82 season. For Football League clubs it was seen as a replacement for the Texaco Cup/Anglo-Scottish Cup, which had been discontinued due to the withdrawal of Scottish League clubs. Additionally it may be considered a forerunner of the Football League Trophy, which commenced from the 1983-84 season. However, the two competitions are not be confused as the teams and numbers who entered the competitions differed (although many played in both).

There were 32 participants in the pre-season part of the competition. They were split geographically into 8 mini-leagues each of 4 clubs, with the 32 clubs involved including representatives from the Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions of the Football League. The 8 group winners went through to a knock-out stage which was completed during the season.

1981-82 Final(played at Blundell Park, Grimsby, on April 6th 1982)
* Grimsby Town 3 Wimbledon 2

The competition continued in a similar format for the 1982-83 season, but was re-named the Football League Trophy. This time the entrants also included two First Division clubs, Norwich City and Watford. 1982-83 Final(played at Sincil Bank, Lincoln, on April 20th 1983)
* Lincoln City 2 Millwall 3

The competition was discontinued for the 1983-84 season, with the Associate Members Cup being seen as a replacement. To add to the confusion the Associate Members Cup was itself re-named the Football League Trophy in 1992. The entries in this new cup, however, are restricted to Third Division/Second Division/League One and Fourth Division/Third Division/League Two clubs.

See also

* Texaco Cup (1971–1975)
* Anglo-Scottish Cup (1976–1981)
* Football League Trophy (1983–Present)