FA Sunday Cup

FA Sunday Cup
Founded	1964
Region	England
Current champions	Trooper FC
Most successful club(s)	Hetton Lyons Cricket Club (4 titles)

The FA Sunday Cup is a knock-out amateur competition founded in 1964 for English Sunday league football teams.

Prior to 1960 The Football Association did not permit clubs or players under its jurisdiction to take part in competitive football played on Sunday. A change of policy by the governing body in 1960 allowed Sunday leagues to become affiliated to County Associations and, four years later, The FA started the Sunday Cup to allow Sunday players to compete in a national knock-out tournament.^[1]

The Sunday Cup trophy was presented to the FA by the Shah of Iran as a gift to mark the centenary of the FA in 1963. It was created by Iranian silversmiths.^[2]

In the Cup's first season (1964–65), teams representing Sunday players in various counties entered with London winning the two-legged final 6–2 against Staffordshire.^[1]

In the first final featuring club sides, Ubique United beat Aldridge Fabrications 1–0 in 1965–66.

After The Sunday Cup’s inaugural season, 1,600 requests for entry forms for the following season’s competition were received. Entries for season 2017–18 were 80. Since its inception in 1964-65 (53 years ago) the competition has been won by 42 different sides.

The most successful team is Hetton Lyons Cricket Club FC with 4 wins, in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. St Joseph's (Luton) have appeared in a record seven finals, winning on three occasions in 1995, 1996 and 2023. Eight teams have been successful on two occasions – Carlton United in 1967 and '73, Newtown Unity in 1972 and '74, Fantail in 1980 and '81, Nicosia in 1991 and 2004, Oyster Martyrs in 2011 and '13, Humbledon Plains Farm in 1990 and 2014, Hardwick Social in 2017 and 2018, and Campfield FC in 2015 and 2020.

In 2018, Hardwick Social FC became the first club for 22 years to retain the trophy since St Joseph's (Luton) in 1995-96.

The latest holders are St Joseph's (Luton) who were crowned as the 2022-23 FA Sunday Cup winners at Derby's Pride Park as they defeated Aigburth Arms in a 3-2 success. St Joseph's McCafferty scored an equalising goal in the first half, with Watkins scoring the team's second goal. At 90 minutes St Joseph's were 2-1 ahead with 6 minutes of additional time to play; the Aigburth arms then scored an equaliser with a 93rd-minute penalty kick with the winning goal scored by Blake in the final minute of the game.^[3]

SFA Finals 1961-1965

The National Sunday Football Association was founded in 1932 and re-formed in 1950. It was not affiliated to, nor recognised by the FA, and asserted itself as an alternative authority to the FA. It inaugurated a national knock-out club competition in 1960/61.

For the first few years it was an authentic national competition. However, the increasing affiliation of regional SFAs and leagues to the FA diminished the competition and it was never truly national after 1963, but it persevered for a number of seasons after the FA started their national competition. Nevertheless, the SFA winners were arguably the leading Sunday clubs remaining outside the FA affiliated Sunday leagues.

The first five finals were played at the Hare & Hounds, Leyton, East London.

Season	Winner	Score	Runners-up
1960–61	Walsall Wofflers	2-0	Stamford Rovers
1961–62	Forest Gate Mount Athletic	2–0	Ashford Victoria
1962-63	Forest Gate Mount Athletic	3-3, aet 5-3	Chiswick East Barnes
1963–64	Forest Gate Mount Athletic	4-1	Hull Anlaby
1964–65	Edmonton Park United	5-1	Hull Esso

Finals since 1965 (FA sanctioned)

The results of the finals to date:

Season	Winner	Score	Runners-up
1964–65	London	6–2 aggregate	Staffordshire
1965–66	Ubique United	1–0	Aldridge Fabrications
1966–67	Carlton United	2–0	Stoke Works
1967–68	Drovers	2–0	Brook United
1968–69	Leigh Park	3–1	Loke United
1969–70	Vention United	1–0	Ubique United
1970–71	Becontree Rovers	2–0	Saltley United
1971–72	Newtown Unity	4–0	Springfield Colts
1972–73	Carlton United	2–1	Wear Valley
1973–74	Newtown Unity	3–0	Brentford East
1974–75	Fareham Town Centipedes	1–0	Players Athletic Engineers
1975–76	Brandon United	2–1	Evergreen
1976–77	Langley Park Rams Head	2–0	Newtown Unity
1977–78	Arras	2–1	Lion Rangers
1978–79	Lobster	3–2	Carlton United
1979–80	Fantail	1–0	Twin Foxes
1980–81	Fantail	1–0	Mackintosh
1981–82	Dingle Rail	2–1	Twin Foxes
1982–83	Eagle	1–1, replay 2–1	Lee Chapel North
1983–84	Lee Chapel North	4–3	Eagle
1984–85	Hobbies United	2–2, 1–1 replay, 2–1 second replay	Avenue
1985–86	Avenue	1–0	Glenn Sports
1986–87	Lodge Cottrell	1–0	Avenue
1987–88	Nexday	2–0	Humbledon Plains Farm
1988–89	Almithak	3–1	East Levenshulme
1989–90	Humbledon Plains Farm	2–1	Marston Sports
1990–91	Nicosia (Liverpool)	3–2	Ouzavich
1991–92	Theale	3–2	Marston Sports
1992–93	Seymour	1–0	Bedfont Sunday
1993–94	Ranelagh Sports	2–0	Hartlepool Lion Hotel
1994–95	St Joseph's (Luton)	2–1	B & A Scaffolding
1995–96	St Joseph's (Luton)	2–1	Croxteth & Gilmoss RBL
1996–97	Marston Sports	1–0	Northwood
1997–98	Olympic Star	1–1, 5–3 penalties	St Joseph's (Luton)
1998–99	Little Paxton	2–2, 4–3 penalties	St Joseph's (Luton)
1999–2000	Prestige Brighams	1–0	Albion Sports
2000–01	Hartlepool Lion Hillcarter	0–0, 3–2 penalties	Houghton Centre
2001–02	Britannia	2–0	Little Paxton
2002–03	Duke of York	3–1	Allerton
2003–04	Nicosia	3–1	U K Flooring
2004–05	Gossoms End	3–2	Albion Sports
2005–06	Hetton Lyons Cricket Club	5–3	St Joseph's (Luton)
2006–07	Coundon Conservative	5–0	Lebeq Tavern Courage
2007–08	Hetton Lyons Cricket Club	3–2	Coundon Conservative
2008–09	Scots Grey	4–3 a.e.t	Oyster Martyrs
2009–10	Hetton Lyons Cricket Club	4–2	Magnet Tavern
2010–11	Oyster Martyrs	1–0	Paddock
2011–12	Hetton Lyons Cricket Club	5–1	Canada
2012–13	Oyster Martyrs	4–3	Barnes Albion
2013–14	Humbledon Plains Farm	5–2	Oyster Martyrs
2014–15	Campfield FC	2–0	OJM
2015–16	New Salamis	1–1, 4–3 penalties	Barnes AFC
2016–17	Hardwick Social	1–1, 3–1 penalties.	New Salamis
2017-18	Hardwick Social	2-0 a.e.t	Gym United
2018-19	Aylesbury Flooring	3–1	Birstall Stamford
2019-20	Campfield FC	1-0 A.E.T	St. Joseph's (Luton)
2021-22	Baiteze Squad	2-0	Highgate Albion
2022-23	St Joseph’s (Luton)	3–2	Aigburth Arms