- FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy is an English football competition for clubs playing in levels 5-8 of the
English football league system "(steps 1-4 of theNational League System )", which currently covers the three divisions of theFootball Conference along with the Southern League,Isthmian League , andNorthern Premier League . Clubs in lower levels of theNational League System play in theFA Vase .History
It was created by
the Football Association in 1969 forsemi-professional teams, to complement the existingFA Amateur Cup . When the latter was abolished in 1974, the leadingamateur teams joined the Trophy. The final was traditionally held at the old Wembley Stadium, but was moved toVilla Park during Wembley's redevelopment. The 2005-06 final was held at Upton Park,London .The FA Challenge Trophy attendance record was set in 2007, when Kidderminster Harriers played
Stevenage Borough in the first final to be held at the newWembley Stadium , in front of 53,262 fans.Scarborough (1973, 1976, 1977), Telford United (1971, 1983, 1989), and Woking (1994, 1995, 1997) share the record for the most victories (three) in the final.
Mark Stimson holds the record for being the first manager to win the trophy for three consecutive seasons (albeit at two different clubs) in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The most successful manager in the history of the Trophy is Geoff Chapple who won the Trophy an incredible 5 times in 7 seasons with Woking and Kingstonian. In 1985 Wealdstone became the first team to win the "Non-League Double" of F.A. Trophy andFootball Conference championship (although in the pre-Conference era both Macclesfield Town and Stafford Rangers had done the double ofNorthern Premier League championship and F.A. Trophy in 1970 and 1972 respectively).Scarborough, Macclesfield Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Colchester United, Wycombe Wanderers, Cheltenham Town, Yeovil Town and Morecambe have gone on to play in
the Football League .The trophy itself was presented to the FA in 1905 by Ernest Cochrane, a barrister, to be used in an international competition between England, the US and Canada to promote football in
North America . This competition was never instigated.Finals
References
External links
[http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFATrophy/ FA Trophy at the FA website]
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