THE FA COMMUNITY SHIELD
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly known as the Charity Shield) is English football's annual curtain-raiser, contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. In the event that a team secures both honours, the Premier League runners-up provide the opposition.
Organised by the Football Association, proceeds from the match are distributed to charities and community-based initiatives across the country. Revenue generated from gate receipts and programme sales is shared among the 124 clubs that competed in the FA Cup from the first round onwards, allowing each club to support charitable projects of its choosing. The remaining funds are allocated to the FA's national charity partners. The fixture was first contested in the 1908-09 season, replacing the Sheriff of London Charity Shield.
History
The Community Shield evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, which was introduced in the 1898-99 season as a contest between professional and amateur teams - reflecting the long standing "gentlemen versus players" tradition in English football.
The original trophy stood at over six feet tall and remains one of the largest trophies ever competed for in the sport. The trophy was donated by Sir Thomas Dewar, who established a committee and drafted the regulations governing the competition.
The first match for the Shield was played on 19 March 1898 and was intended to be held annually as a charity fixture between the leading amateur side of the season and the country's top professional team.
Initially, the tournament proved highly successful, with funds raised from the annual fixture being distributed to hospitals and other charitable institutions. While London-based charities received the largest share of the proceeds, a portion was consistently allocated to charitable organisations in the town or city represented by a participating professional club.
The Football Association Charity Shield, as it was known at the time, was introduced to replace the Sheriff of London Charity Shield following a breakdown in relations between the FA and the leading amateur clubs.
Under the new format, the competition was contested between the Football League First Division champions and the Southern League champions. The inaugural match took place in 1908, featuring Manchester United and Queen's Park Rangers. The initial fixture ended in a 1-1 draw, necessitating a replay which Manchester United won 4-0. This remains the only Charity Shield match to have been decided by a replay. Both matches were staged at Stamford Bridge, London.
The competition evolved over subsequent years. In 1913, the Shield was contested between representative teams of Amateurs and Professionals, which in 1921 marked the first occasion on which the match was played between the Football League champions and FA Cup holders. Throughout the 1920s, the format continued to vary - often reverting to Amateurs versus Professionals - including in 1927, when the Professionals were represented by FA Cup holders Cardiff City and the Amateurs by the Corinthians.
From 1930, the format of League champions versus FA Cup winners was reinstated and, with a handful of exceptions, has remained in place to the present day. Notable deviations included the 1950 Shield, which featured the England World Cup squad against an FA representative side that had toured Canada, and the 1961 edition, contested between Tottenham Hotspur - fresh from securing the League and Cup double - and a Football Association XI.
From 1959 onwards, the match was moved to the start of the football season. Questions persisted regarding which teams should contest the Shield when a club achieved the Double. In 1971, Arsenal became only the second club to do so but declined to participate due to pre-season commitments. Consequently, Leicester City, as Second Division champions, were invited to face FA Cup runners-up Liverpool, and went on to win the trophy - despite never having won either major competition. A similar situation arose in 1972, when both League champions Derby County and FA Cup winners Leeds United declined to take part; substitutes Manchester City and Aston Villa contested the match, with City winning 1-0.
A significant milestone came in 1974, when the FA Secretary Ted Croker formalised the modern format, staging the fixture at Wembley Stadium between the reigning League and FA Cup holders. During the 1980s and early 1990s, drawn matches resulted in the trophy being shared for six months each, before penalty shoot-outs were introduced in 1993. With the establishment of the Premier League, the Shield thereafter became a showcase fixture between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners.
In 2002, the Charities Commission ruled that the Football Association had failed to meet certain legal obligations under charity law, citing insufficient clarity regarding the distribution of ticket revenues and delays in payments to nominated charities. As a result, the competition was rebranded as the Community Shield.
Current holders: CRYSTAL PALACE
Here's a full list of the Charity / Community Shield winners:
For details of the Community Shield final results click here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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