FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual
football competition for teams playing in the lower regional leagues of
England.
Prior to
1974, football players were either professionals or amateurs. Professionals were paid to play by their clubs, and the only cup competitions such clubs were allowed to enter were the
FA Cup and, for clubs outside
The Football League, the
FA Trophy. Amateurs, on the other hand, did not get paid by their clubs, and such clubs had their own cup competition, the
FA Amateur Cup.
In
1974, with many of the top amateur players receiving payment for playing,
The Football Association abolished the distinction, scrapped the Amateur Cup and introduced the FA Vase for the majority of clubs who had previously played in the Amateur Cup.
Well over 200 clubs entered in the first season,
1974-
75 and
Hoddesdon Town of the
Spartan League beat
Epsom & Ewell of the
Surrey Senior League 2-1 in the final at
Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 9,000.
In recent years, entry to the FA Vase has been restricted to clubs in the eighth and lower tiers of the
English football league system, (those in the three levels above that qualified for the FA Trophy.) Reorganization of the
National League System for 2004 onwards moved the dividing line down to the new "Step 5" (ninth tier overall). Only four teams have managed to win the FA Vase more than once. Two FA Vase winners,
Forest Green Rovers and
Tamworth, have gone on to play in the
Football Conference at the top level of the non-league pyramid.
In
2001-
02,
Whitley Bay of the Northern League beat
Tiptree United at
Villa Park.
In
2002-
03, 465 clubs entered, with two qualifying rounds preceding the six proper rounds, semi-finals and final.
Brigg Town beat
AFC Sudbury 2-1 in the
2003 final at
West Ham United's
Boleyn Ground.
For the
2003-
04 season; the final was played at
St Andrews, the home of
Birmingham City, on Saturday
16 May 2004.
Winchester City defeated AFC Sudbury 2-0 in front of a crowd of 5,080. Sudbury were again the losers on
May 14,
2005, falling 3-2 to
Didcot Town at
White Hart Lane in front of 8,862. The current holders are 2005-06 winners
Nantwich Town who overcame
Hillingdon Borough 3-1 at St Andrews.
