The FA Cup, or Football Association Challenge Cup to give it its right title, is the oldest football competition in the world. It was begun in 1871, when it was suggested that "a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association".
Merely eight teams were entered for the first round which was played on the 11 November 1871. The final was played at the Oval on 16 March, 1872 and was won by The Wanderers who defeated The Royal Engineers by the only goal of the match.
Not only is the FA Cup the oldest association football competition in the world but it is also one of the biggest. It is open to teams who play on most degrees of the English football league system and during the 2009 - 2010 season, 762 teams entered the competition.
Because it is the one competition that mixes teams of all levels of playing ability, it does allow for the occasional ?upset? when a ?minnow? from a lower league defeats one of the more bet on upper echelon clubs.
Whilst at least one such giant killing act will occur in any given season, no non-league club has ever won the tournament since Tottenham Hotspur won the trophy in 1901 while playing in the old Southern League.
For some reason, certain teams appear to acquire a reputation as giant killers and Yeovil Town holds the current record for most wins against teams playing in the league. There are a number of sporting records associated with the FA Cup, some of them standing for a considerable length of time .
One name connected with many early records is that of Lord Kinnaird. He played in the second final in 1873 and then played in a further eight, thus setting up a record which still stands to this day of playing in nine finals. He played on the winning team no fewer than five times, a further record which is still unbroken.
However he is also credited with a less fortunate record, that of scoring the first ?own goal" in cup history in 1877. He was playing in goal and involuntarily stepped back past his own goal line.
In 1886 Blackburn Rovers were the second club to win three successive finals, and is the sole club still in existence who can claim this feat as the first club to do so. The Wanderers went out of existence in 1883.
The record for the largest win in FA Cup history is held by Preston North End who in 1887 defeated Hyde 26-0. One of the longest standing sporting records was ultimately broken in 2009 by Everton?s Louis Saha whose 25 second goal beat that of the 30 second goal scored by Bob Chatt of Aston villa in 1895 . A record which had stood for 115 years!
After a timespan of seven years when the Cup final was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while the new Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt, The Cup Final has returned to its traditional home at Wembley where it has been played since 1923 when the well-known ?White Horse? took place between Bolton and West Ham. This match also holds the record for fan attendance when an estimated 200,000 fans crammed in.
Merely eight teams were entered for the first round which was played on the 11 November 1871. The final was played at the Oval on 16 March, 1872 and was won by The Wanderers who defeated The Royal Engineers by the only goal of the match.
Not only is the FA Cup the oldest association football competition in the world but it is also one of the biggest. It is open to teams who play on most degrees of the English football league system and during the 2009 - 2010 season, 762 teams entered the competition.
Because it is the one competition that mixes teams of all levels of playing ability, it does allow for the occasional ?upset? when a ?minnow? from a lower league defeats one of the more bet on upper echelon clubs.
Whilst at least one such giant killing act will occur in any given season, no non-league club has ever won the tournament since Tottenham Hotspur won the trophy in 1901 while playing in the old Southern League.
For some reason, certain teams appear to acquire a reputation as giant killers and Yeovil Town holds the current record for most wins against teams playing in the league. There are a number of sporting records associated with the FA Cup, some of them standing for a considerable length of time .
One name connected with many early records is that of Lord Kinnaird. He played in the second final in 1873 and then played in a further eight, thus setting up a record which still stands to this day of playing in nine finals. He played on the winning team no fewer than five times, a further record which is still unbroken.
However he is also credited with a less fortunate record, that of scoring the first ?own goal" in cup history in 1877. He was playing in goal and involuntarily stepped back past his own goal line.
In 1886 Blackburn Rovers were the second club to win three successive finals, and is the sole club still in existence who can claim this feat as the first club to do so. The Wanderers went out of existence in 1883.
The record for the largest win in FA Cup history is held by Preston North End who in 1887 defeated Hyde 26-0. One of the longest standing sporting records was ultimately broken in 2009 by Everton?s Louis Saha whose 25 second goal beat that of the 30 second goal scored by Bob Chatt of Aston villa in 1895 . A record which had stood for 115 years!
After a timespan of seven years when the Cup final was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while the new Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt, The Cup Final has returned to its traditional home at Wembley where it has been played since 1923 when the well-known ?White Horse? took place between Bolton and West Ham. This match also holds the record for fan attendance when an estimated 200,000 fans crammed in.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with tickets for London Olympics. Click a link if you are interested in 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.
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