Unlocking the Prestige of the FA Trophy
Captured at Wembley Stadium, the ISUZU FA Trophy takes center stage.
Introduction to the FA Trophy: The Underdog’s Silverware
As another season began, so did the domestic cups. The FA Trophy will get underway shortly with the draws already in place and ready. FA Trophy carries quite a bit of significance for the teams from much lower divisions, even beneath the EFL teams.
The FA Trophy, not to be confused with the EFL Trophy, is a competition for the semi-professional teams in the lower leagues of English Football. The competition was designed to give clubs in the lower league a genuine chance to win an official domestic trophy. Â
Historical Background: The Genesis of a Semipro Classic
The FA Trophy is named after the English Football Association(FA) and its inaugural season was in 1969. The semi-professional teams that paid their players wages were not allowed to participate in the FA Amateur Cup.
Hence the decision was taken to introduce a new domestic cup in which only the semi-professional teams could take part. As time has passed the rule of eligibility has also changed.
BT Sport broadcasts the final of the FA Trophy. The final takes place at Wembley Stadium.
Eligibility Rules: Who Can Compete and How
Every semi-professional team takes part in the FA Trophy. Since 2008 more teams have been allowed in the competition. 1-4 levels of the National League System take part in the competition as well. The 1-4 levels are equivalent to the English Football’s League System tier 5-8 teams.
The tournament covers four different leagues – the National League, the Southern League, the Northern Premier League, and the Isthmian League.
A total of 320 teams are eligible to take part in the FA Trophy.
Tournament Format: Navigating the Knock-out Rounds
The FA Trophy has a straight Knock-out round format. Ties are settled in one game. There are no replays or rematches if the ties are drawn. If the scoreline is tied at the end of the game then it goes directly to the penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.
Even in the semi-finals, there are no two-legged ties, rematches, or replays, the tie is played at the home of the team that is drawn out first from the hat. At the end of the game if the score is tied then penalties are taken to determine the winner. There is no extra-time either, it’s straight to the penalties after 90 minutes.
The final is a regular affair. 90 minutes of football, 30 minutes of extra time if the game is tied after normal time – with two 15-minute halves each. If the match still finishes goalless after 120 minutes of football then penalties will determine the champions.
As of 2022-23, the FA Trophy has 320 teams because of fixture congestion. There are three qualifying rounds prior to the start of the proper competition. Teams from the lowest level(level 8) start from qualifying round one, and teams from level 7 start the competition from qualifying round three.
Teams from level 6 start from the second round proper and teams from level 5 start from the third round proper – much like the FA Cup. The competition has eight rounds proper.
Current Holders
FC Halifax Town are the current holders of the FA Trophy after they triumphed over Gateshead FC in the final last year in May. It is the 2nd title for FC Halifax Town overall.
In an intensely contested 2022/23 FA Trophy final at Wembley, Halifax Town clinched their second title, narrowly defeating Gateshead with a 1-0 scoreline. The game’s decisive moment came just before the halftime whistle. Midfielder Jamie Cooke capitalized on a poorly executed back pass to Gateshead’s goalkeeper, James Montgomery. Cooke darted in, stabbing the ball into the net in the 44th minute, and that strike proved to be the game-winner.
Only being separated by two points in the National League standings, both sides appeared evenly matched until the unfortunate slip-up. Montgomery, unable to react in time, saw Cooke intercept the wayward pass and notch the decisive goal.
The second half was rife with desperate attempts by Gateshead to level the score. They threw everything at Halifax but couldn’t crack the goalkeeping prowess of Sam Johnson. One of the most nail-biting moments for Gateshead supporters came when Adam Campbell took a half-volley shot from the edge of the box, only to be denied by a resilient Johnson.
Halifax, who had previously secured the Trophy in 2016 by defeating Grimsby 1-0, nearly widened the gap in the second half. Millenic Alli, Halifax’s vibrant talent, orchestrated a solo run nearly the full length of the pitch before launching a ferocious strike, which was heroically saved by Montgomery.
Though Gateshead made commendable efforts to equalize, they couldn’t alter the scoreboard. With this win, Halifax not only reaffirmed their status as formidable competitors in English lower-league football but also relished the euphoria that comes with lifting a trophy in front of 27,374 fans at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
Champions of the Past: Record Holders
Scarborough, Woking, and Telford United are the most successful teams in the FA Trophy history. All three teams have won the Cup competition three times in their history. Talking about history, Scarborough and Telford United are now both defunct. Woking, currently seated 7th in the National League, is the only club amongst the three still alive in English Football.
