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Wikipedia - FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System. Nearly 600 teams participate in this knockout competition with semi-finals played over two legs. The final is played at Wembley Stadium.
The 2024 winners were Romford, who beat Great Wakering Rovers 3–0 at Wembley Stadium.
History
Until 1974, football players were categorised as either professionals or amateurs. Amateurs were not paid (at least not officially) by their clubs; amateur clubs had their own national cup competition, the FA Amateur Cup. Professionals were paid to play by their clubs; until the creation of the FA Trophy in 1969 there was no national knock-out competition specifically for professional clubs outside the Football League.
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 competition. Well over 200 clubs entered in the first season, 1974–75, when 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 September 2021 Hinckley AFC set a new record score in the competition, beating St Martins 18–0.
The competition is named after the Football Association (FA) and the trophy awarded to the winners is known as the Vase. The tournament provides an opportunity for non-league clubs to compete against each other and potentially progress to the later stages of the competition, with the ultimate goal of reaching the final at Wembley Stadium.
The England FA Vase is a prestigious competition that showcases the talent and passion of non-league football clubs across the country. It is a chance for these teams to make a name for themselves and compete for silverware on a national stage. The tournament is highly competitive and attracts a large following of fans who support their local clubs as they battle it out for glory in the England FA Vase.