The History of FA Cup
The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world, starting way back in 1871-72 season. Each year, clubs from grassroots all the way up to Premier League compete for the chance to walk out at Wembley and become heroes for their clubs. Despite all the changing of the sport with global streaming figures putting pressure on the matches to be more European and Global, the FA Cup is still regarded as one of the biggest and best trophies to go for in England.
Founding and Early Years
The competition was founded by Charles W. Alcock, who was then Secretary of the Football Association (FA), with the aim of creating a knockout tournament open to all member clubs. The inaugural tournament featured just 15 teams, however only 12 ended up playing. Wanderers FC won the very first FA Cup, defeating The Royal Engineers 1-0 in the final, played at Kennington Oval. The early days of the Cup was dominated by amateur clubs, which reflected the early composition of football in England.
Rise of Professionalism and Growth
By the late 19th Century, professional football clubs began to emerge with clubs from the industrial regions of England (Lancashire and Midlands) dominating. The final also moved to Crystal Palace in 1895 and stayed there until 1914.
Following World War I, the FA Cup gained more popularity as the country grew out of the depression from war. The Final was moved to Wembley and in 1923 an estimated 200,000 spectators tried to get in to watch, leading to the famous White Hore Final as a lone police horse managed the crowd. By the time of World War II, the FA Cup became a major national event and was a symbol of the sport’s revival following the War. The match became televised and famously the 1953 ‘Matthews Final’ was the highlight of the early finals.
Modernisation and Global Popularity
As technology improved so did the global audience. The term ‘Giant-Killing’ was coined as non-league clubs were introduced taking on their professional counterparts. Games like Hereford beating Newcastle United are still as iconic today as their were in 1972. Even the final could cause an upset as in 1988 when Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang beat Liverpool.
As Wembley was being redeveloped, the FA Cup final moved to Cardiff for six years. The new Wembley reopened in 2007 and the final still sits as one of the key dates in the football calendar. The Cup is an entrance into Europe for winners, has offered great opportunities for the likes of Portsmouth in 2008 and Wigan Athletic in 2013.
Currently Arsenal hold the record for the most FA Cup wins with 14, but they are closely followed by Manchester United with 13. The record goalscorer is Ian Rush with an incredible 41 goals.
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