Nonleague Cup Competitions  

Nonleague clubs have a plethora of local cup’s to enter but on a national scale the Nonleague Cup competitions to win are the FA Trophy and the FA Vase. 

The early 1970s brought about a fundamental change in the structure of English football with the Football Association finally bowing to the inevitable by abolishing the distinction between professional and amateur players.  This would have a great impact on the Nonleague Cup competitions. 

This became official in 1974 and finally ended the age of the ‘shamateur’ with clubs making payments to allegedly amateur players.  The abolition of their status meant the end of the FA Amateur Cup with the creation of a new competition; the FA Vase. 

The game now had two national Nonleague cup competitions for its clubs to play for; the Vase and the FA Trophy which had been founded only five years earlier.   

Both competitions promised national glory and, more importantly, a Wembley appearance and were enthusiastically greeted by NonLeague clubs.   

The Trophy, only open to clubs in the higher echelons of the Pyramid, caught the imagination of the fans with over 28,000 at Wembley to see Macclesfield beat Telford United 2-0 in the first final in 1970.  The first FA Vase final was won by Hoddeston Town in 1975 but interestingly both Nonleague Cupcompetitions each spawned a dynasty in their early years with a single club being dominant. 

In the FA Trophy Telford United appeared in each of the first two finals but it was Northern Premier League side Scarborough who made the Trophy their own during the mid-1970s.   

The club reached the final on four occasions between 1973 and 1977 winning the trophy three times in 1973 (2-1 v Wigan Athletic); 1976 (3-2 v Stafford Rangers); 1977 (2-1 v Dagenham) and losing to Matlock Town in 1975.   

Scarborough’s remarkable record helped to create a northern stranglehold on the competition but it was a different story in the Vase with Essex club Billericay Town being triumphant three times in the first five years. 

Town’s first success came in 1976 with a narrow one goal victory over United Counties League team Stamford.  Yorkshire side Sheffield FC were despatched after a replay the next season with Billericay again lifting the Vase in 1979 when, as an Athenian League side, they beat Almondsbury Greenway from the Gloucester League 4-1.   

The match was played before the biggest attendance so far in a Vase final with over 17,500 turning up at Wembley to see an historic victory for the Essex team.  The game being notable not only for the biggest winning margin so far but also for the goalscoring feats of Doug Young.   

The Billericay striker notched a hat-trick; the first seen in a cup final at the famous old stadium since Geoff Hurst bagged his three against the German’s in the 1966 World Cup Final.  Young is still the only player to have scored a hat-trick in the final of the Vase while no-one has yet achieved the same feat in the Trophy. 

Nonleague Cup Competitions Winners To 2007

FA Trophy Winners 

3: Scarborough, Telford United, Woking 

2: Altrincham, Enfield, Grays Athletic, Kingstonian, Macclesfield Town, Stafford Rangers, Wycombe Wanderers 

1: Barrow, Bishop’s Stortford, Burscough, Canvey Island, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United, Dagenham, Hednesford Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Matlock Town, Morecambe, Northwich Victoria, Stevenage Borough, Wealdstone, Yeovil Town 

FA Vase Winners 

3: Billericay Town 

2: Brigg Town, Halesowen Town, Tiverton Town 

1: Arlesey Town, Blue Star, Bridlington Town, Colne Dynamoes, Deal Town, Didcot Town, Diss Town, Forest Green Rovers, Guiseley, Hoddesdon Town, Nantwich Town, St Helens Town, Stamford, Stansted, Tamworth, Taunton Town, Truro City, VS Rugby, Whickham, Whitby Town, Whitley Bay, Wimborne Town, Winchester City, Yeading