FA Youth Cup
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Founded | 1952 |
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Region |
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Current champions | Manchester City (4th title) |
Most successful club(s) | Manchester United (11 titles) |
Website | The FA Youth Cup |
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The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It is dominated by the youth sides of professional teams, mostly from the Premier League, but attracts over 400 entrants from throughout the country.
At the end of the Second World War the FA organised a Youth Championship for County Associations considering it the best way to stimulate the game among those youngsters not yet old enough to play senior football. The matches did not attract large crowds but outstanding players were selected for Youth Internationals and thousands were given the chance to play in a national contest for the first time. In 1951 it was realised that a competition for clubs would probably have a wider appeal. The FA Youth Challenge Cup (1952–53 season) was restricted to the youth teams of clubs, both professional and amateur, who were members of the FA.[1]
The notion of a youth cup was thought of by Sir Joe Richards, the late President of the Football League. He initially put forward the idea to the league clubs but they were not enthused; Richards then took the idea to the Football Association, who liked the idea and created the competition in the same year.[2] The Youth Cup trophy itself was purchased by the Football League during World War II. However, they never found a use for it. Football League secretary Fred Howarth found the trophy in a cupboard at the Starkie Street office and handed it over to the Football Association.[2]
Manchester United are the competition's most successful club, winning it eleven times. The current holders are Manchester City, who defeated Leeds United 4–0 in the 2024 final.
The tournament has served as a springboard into the professional game for many top British players. The likes of George Best, John Barnes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Frank Lampard, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere, and Gareth Bale had all won the tournament or played in the final. The 1991–92 FA Youth Cup famously spawned the rise of Fergie's Fledglings.
Finals
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Chelsea_3_Man_City_1_%284-2_agg%29_%2826605635752%29.jpg/220px-Chelsea_3_Man_City_1_%284-2_agg%29_%2826605635752%29.jpg)
- ^ Prior to 2018–19, finals were played over two legs; the aggregate scores are listed.
Performance by clubs
[edit]Club | Title(s) | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
Manchester United | 11 | 4 | 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1964, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2022 | 1982, 1986, 1993, 2007 |
Chelsea | 9 | 4 | 1960, 1961, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | 1958, 2008, 2013, 2020 |
Arsenal | 7 | 3 | 1966, 1971, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2009 | 1965, 2018, 2023 |
Manchester City | 4 | 8 | 1986, 2008, 2020, 2024 | 1979, 1980, 1989, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
West Ham United | 4 | 4 | 1963, 1981, 1999, 2023 | 1957, 1959, 1975, 1996 |
Liverpool | 4 | 4 | 1996, 2006, 2007, 2019 | 1963, 1972, 2009, 2021 |
Aston Villa | 4 | 3 | 1972, 1980, 2002, 2021 | 1978, 2004, 2010 |
Everton | 3 | 4 | 1965, 1984, 1998 | 1961, 1977, 1983, 2002 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 2 | 1970, 1974, 1990 | 1981, 1995 |
Ipswich Town | 3 | 0 | 1973, 1975, 2005 | |
Crystal Palace | 2 | 2 | 1977, 1978 | 1992, 1997 |
Sunderland | 2 | 1 | 1967, 1969 | 1966 |
Millwall | 2 | 1 | 1979, 1991 | 1994 |
Watford | 2 | 1 | 1982, 1989 | 1985 |
Leeds United | 2 | 1 | 1993, 1997 | 2024 |
Newcastle United | 2 | 0 | 1962, 1985 | |
Norwich City | 2 | 0 | 1983, 2013 | |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 | 4 | 1958 | 1953, 1954, 1962, 1976 |
Coventry City | 1 | 4 | 1987 | 1968, 1970, 1999, 2000 |
Blackburn Rovers | 1 | 3 | 1959 | 1998, 2001, 2012 |
West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 2 | 1976 | 1955, 1969 |
Middlesbrough | 1 | 2 | 2004 | 1990, 2003 |
Burnley | 1 | 0 | 1968 | |
Chesterfield | 0 | 1 | 1956 | |
Preston North End | 0 | 1 | 1960 | |
Swindon Town | 0 | 1 | 1964 | |
Birmingham City | 0 | 1 | 1967 | |
Cardiff City | 0 | 1 | 1971 | |
Bristol City | 0 | 1 | 1973 | |
Huddersfield Town | 0 | 1 | 1974 | |
Stoke City | 0 | 1 | 1984 | |
Charlton Athletic | 0 | 1 | 1987 | |
Doncaster Rovers | 0 | 1 | 1988 | |
Sheffield Wednesday | 0 | 1 | 1991 | |
Southampton | 0 | 1 | 2005 | |
Sheffield United | 0 | 1 | 2011 | |
Fulham | 0 | 1 | 2014 | |
Nottingham Forest | 0 | 1 | 2022 |
Hat-tricks
[edit]Including qualifying and preliminary round matches.
Multiple hat-tricks
[edit]Players who have scored multiple hat-tricks in the FA Youth Cup. As players are usually only eligible for the FA Youth Cup for one or two seasons (rather than indefinitely/their whole career), scoring multiple hat-tricks is an even more exceptional feat.
Rank | Player | Club(s) | Hat-tricks |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Chelsea | 3 |
2 | ![]() |
Manchester United | 2 |
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Liverpool | ||
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Guiseley |
FA Girls' Youth Cup hat-tricks
[edit]The FA Girls' Youth Cup has been contested since at least 2012, and is the equivalent competition for under-17 women's association football teams. Of the known hat-tricks, all have been in scored in matches featuring Blackburn Rovers W.F.C.: two for Blackburn Rovers and one in the 2012–13 final against them.
Player | Year | Match | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carla Humphrey | 2013 | Arsenal 3–1 Blackburn Rovers | Scored a hat-trick in the final. | [46] |
Keira Walsh | 2014 | Blackburn Rovers 6–0 Sunderland | Walsh is a defensive midfielder. | [47] |
M. Settle | 2022 | Stoke City 1–5 Blackburn Rovers | [48] |
Attendance record
[edit]The highest attendance at an FA Youth Cup match was 67,492 for the Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest final at Old Trafford on 11 May 2022, which Manchester United won 3–1.[49]
International capped winners
[edit]- Tables are ordered by date of first cap.
1950s
[edit]Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keith Newton | DF | Blackburn Rovers | 1959 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Shay Brennan | FW | Manchester United | 1955 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Fred Pickering | DF | Blackburn Rovers | 1959 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Mike England | DF | Blackburn Rovers | 1959 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Phil Kelly | DF | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1958 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Joe Carolan | MF | Manchester United | 1956 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Wilf McGuinness | MF | Manchester United | 1954, 1955, 1956 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Bobby Charlton | FW | Manchester United | 1954, 1955, 1956 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
David Pegg | FW | Manchester United | 1953, 1954 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Billy Whelan | FW | Manchester United | 1953 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Duncan Edwards | MF, FW | Manchester United | 1953, 1954, 1955 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
1960s
[edit]Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jimmy Rimmer | GK | Manchester United | 1964 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Billy Hughes | FW | Sunderland | 1967 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Dave Thomas | FW | Burnley | 1968 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Dennis Yaager | MF | Everton | 1965 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Sammy Nelson | FW | Arsenal | 1966 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Pat Rice | DF | Arsenal | 1966 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Bobby Moncur | FW | Newcastle United | 1962 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
David Sadler | FW | Manchester United | 1964 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Peter Bonetti | GK | Chelsea | 1960 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Terry Venables | MF | Chelsea | 1960, 1961 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
George Best | FW | Manchester United | 1964 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Bobby Tambling | FW | Chelsea | 1960 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
1970s
[edit]Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry Fenwick | DF | Crystal Palace | 1977, 1978 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Derek Statham | DF | West Bromwich Albion | 1976 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Steve Lovell | FW | Crystal Palace | 1978 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Kevin O'Callaghan | MF | Millwall | 1979 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Noel Brotherston | MF | Tottenham Hotspur | 1974 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Jerry Murphy | MF | Crystal Palace | 1977, 1978 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Kenny Sansom | DF | Crystal Palace | 1977 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Peter Nicholas | MF | Crystal Palace | 1978 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
John Wark | MF | Ipswich Town | 1975 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
John Gidman | DF | Aston Villa | 1972 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Brian Little | FW | Aston Villa | 1972 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Graeme Souness | MF | Tottenham Hotspur | 1970 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
1980s
[edit]Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
David James | GK | Watford | 1989 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Andy Hinchcliffe | DF | Manchester City | 1986 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
David White | MF | Manchester City | 1986 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Mark Walters | MF | Aston Villa | 1980 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Jeremy Goss | MF | Norwich City | 1983 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Steve Morrow | DF | Arsenal | 1988 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Pat Scully | DF | Arsenal | 1988 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Paul Gascoigne | MF | Newcastle United | 1985 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Tony Rees | FW | Aston Villa | 1980 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
John Barnes | FW | Watford | 1982 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
1990s
[edit]2000s
[edit]2010s
[edit]2020s
[edit]Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taylor Harwood-Bellis | DF | Manchester City | 2020 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Morgan Rogers | MF | Manchester City | 2020 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Maxi Oyedele | MF | Manchester United | 2022 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Kobbie Mainoo | MF | Manchester United | 2022 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Cole Palmer | FW | Manchester City | 2020 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Oscar Bobb | FW | Manchester City | 2020 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Callum Marshall | FW | West Ham United | 2023 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
Alejandro Garnacho | FW | Manchester United | 2022 | ![]() |
v ![]() |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ FA Youth Cup history: TheFA.com website.
- ^ a b Inglis, Simon (1988). Football League and the men who made it. Harper Collins. p. 205. ISBN 978-0002182423.
- ^ a b c d "FA Youth Cup". Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "1960 FA Youth Cup". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Liverpool career stats for Michael Owen - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ Classic Man Utd Videos and Clips (17 March 2021). Liverpool v Man Utd 1996 FA Youth Cup 5th Rd (Michael Owen Hat-Trick). Retrieved 20 June 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "HAT-TRICK FOR LENNON". www.leedsunited.com. 3 December 2002. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Chelsea through in Youth Cup with win over Dartford". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Tammy's treble fires Chelsea through in FA Youth Cup". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Youth team score six in FA Youth Cup win over Southport". fc-utd.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Mpofu hat-trick fires Tamworth through in FA Youth Cup". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ a b "YOUTH CUP REPORT: LUTON 4 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 3". www.lutontown.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Ugbo fires Chelsea to Youth Cup Final". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/southshieldsfc/posts/video-callum-guy-scored-a-hat-trick-for-the-mariners-in-last-nights-fa-youth-cup/1471078292986891/?_rdr [bare URL]
- ^ "FA Youth Cup holders Chelsea safely through". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Mason Greenwood Scored a Stunning Hat-Trick to Knock Chelsea Out of the FA Youth Cup". www.versus.uk.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Young Lions Into Next Round of the FA Youth Cup With Emphatic 11-0 Victory". Guiseley AFC. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "FA YOUTH CUP: Hugill hat-trick helps Sunderland U18s advance in cup". SportsByte. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Report. Hornchurch 11-0 Dagenham & Redbridge (FA Youth Cup)". Hornchurch FC. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ https://www.chelseafc.com/en/videos/last-time-out--fa-youth-cup-v-huddersfield-rma3qxaje6qxs_epq17upo4vjsttro5h [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.mkdons.com/news/2020/november/ifollow-insider-lewis-johnson-on-fa-youth-cup-hat-trick/ [bare URL]
- ^ a b "Duo hit hat-tricks as Holbeach United under-18s shine on their FA Youth Cup debut - The Voice". 9 September 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Musialowski hat-trick helps U18s beat Fleetwood in FA Youth Cup - Liverpool FC". www.liverpoolfc.com. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Balagizi on Youth Cup hat-trick: 'I'm so happy to have helped the team'". Liverpool FC. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Rugby Town 3-1 Solihull Moors (FA Youth Cup) | Solihull Moors FC". www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Kamara nets a hat-trick in FA Youth Cup win". Norwich City. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Hats off to young star Simms as Latics progress in FA Youth Cup". The Oldham Times. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b "FA Youth Cup Report: Spitfires 8-3 Yeovil Town". eastleighfc.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Hat-Trick For Oudnie-Morgan as U18s Hit Nine in Youth Cup - Ipswich Town News". TWTD.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "18'S PROGRESS IN FA YOUTH CUP". Sutton Common Rovers FC. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ https://www.ntfc.co.uk/news/2022/november/youth_cup_011122/ [bare URL]
- ^ "U18 Report: Ballard hits hat-trick in dramatic FA Youth Cup tie". www.southamptonfc.com. 3 December 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "U18S EASE INTO FA YOUTH CUP THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND". southend united fc. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "FA YOUTH CUP REPORT | Bury Town 1 Charlton 4 | Charlton Athletic Football Club". www.charltonafc.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ FA Youth Cup | City 5-0 Fleetwood | Oboavwoduo's hat-trick helps power City into the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals! 🤩 | By Manchester CityFacebook. Retrieved 19 July 2024 – via www.facebook.com.
- ^ Oxford City FC (19 October 2023). Hat-Trick hero Phil Croker reflects on FA Youth Cup victory. Retrieved 19 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ https://x.com/EmiratesFACup/status/1699440471712354803 [bare URL]
- ^ 🗣️ We caught up with hat trick hero Elliott Wenham after our FA Youth Cup team beat Dartford 5 - 1 last night. | By Maidstone United (Official)Facebook. Retrieved 19 July 2024 – via www.facebook.com.
- ^ West Ham United FC (7 April 2023). West Ham 6-1 Southampton | Mubama Hat-Trick Seals Spot In Cup Final | FA Youth Cup Highlights. Retrieved 19 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ https://www.fgr.co.uk/news/sully-this-is-the-best-week-of-my-life [bare URL]
- ^ "Under-18s defeated in FA Youth Cup second round". South Shields FC. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Consett hit Sunderland RCA for six to progress in FA Youth Cup". 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Tomlinson Hat-trick In Youth Cup Charge – Mickleover Football Club". 5 September 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Squires, Theo; Killen, Stephen; MacDonald, Keifer (20 January 2024). "Liverpool U18 vs Arsenal highlights - Reds score seven in FA Youth Cup". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Beesley, Chris (12 December 2024). "Harrison Armstrong with astonishing display as Everton win 7-0". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "WSL: Man City v Arsenal - Preview". WSL: Man City v Arsenal - Preview. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ FC, Blackburn Rovers. "Walsh treble secures semi-final spot". Blackburn Rovers FC. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "FA Girls' Youth Cup: Man City and Teesside Sport win on pens". OneFootball. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Stone, Simon (11 May 2022). "Record crowd watch Man Utd win FA Youth Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
External links
[edit]- The FA Youth Cup at The Football Association official website