Page 8 - Raynes Park Vale vs Sheerwater FA Vase

HiSTOry Of THE fa VaSE

n 1974 The FA Council had decided to
Iabolish the official distinction between
amateur and professional footballers and
this meant the end of The Amateur Cup
and Amateur Internationals involving
England.
Two-hundred and twenty clubs entered
The Vase in its first season but they did
not include those clubs which had domi-
nated in The Amateur Cup. Enfield, Hen-
don, Dagenham, Skelmersdale United
and others at their level were immediate-
ly allocated to The FA Trophy.
For the first time in history, small clubs
– even village clubs – had the chance of
playing in a national final at Wembley.
The first Vase Finalists were Hoddes- worth at the old Wembley. Tamworth
don Town from the Spartan League and won the replay 3-0 at Peterborough
Epsom & Ewell from the Surrey Senior and Ian Moores, a former Division
League. The Hertfordshire side edged one player with Tottenham Hotspur,
home 2-1 before a crowd of 9,000. scored one of the goals.
The 2013-14 Vase competition was the
Les Ferdinand led the attack
40th in history. Wembley has hosted 34
Even a competition as democratic as Finals, Villa Park and St Andrews two
The Vase had its elite clubs in the early each, Upton Park and White Hart Lane
years. Billericay Town, initially of the one each. Thirty-two different clubs
Essex Senior League, won it three times have got their hands on The Vase, do-
in four seasons. Halesowen Town, then nated by former FA Councillor Frank
in the West Midlands Regional League, Adams. Whitley Bay lead the way with
appeared in three Finals and were suc- four wins.
cessful in two of them. They even beat a Aficionados of The Vase competition
Southall side that had a young Les Ferdi- tend to rate the 1992 Final between
nand leading the attack. Wimborne Town and Guiseley as the
Until the new Wembley opened in 2007 best so far. Wessex League Wimborne
the record attendance for a Vase Final had a modest record in the competi-
was the 26,489 who saw the drawn 1989 tion before then, having never ven-
Final between Sudbury Town and Tam- tured beyond the Third Round, but