County football association

The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player registration as well as promoting development amongst those bodies and referees.

There are currently 50 county FAs. Most county FAs align roughly along historic county boundaries, although some cover more than one county, and some of the major cities, particularly those with a strong football tradition, have their own FAs.^[1] The Sheffield FA was the first to be created, in 1867. Additionally, the three branches of the British Armed Forces, as well as the Amateur Football Alliance, which has a strong presence in the south-east of England, are listed as having their own County FAs not corresponding to geography.^[2][3]

County football associations host 'county cups' – knockout cup competitions held at a sub-regional level, which are open to affiliated members of the county FA. Typically, county FAs will host cup competitions at the following levels: senior, intermediate, junior, women's, veterans, senior Sunday football, intermediate Sunday football and junior Sunday football.

List of county FAs

Association^[2]	Area	Founded	Main county cup
Amateur Football Alliance		1907^[4]	AFA Senior Cup
Army		1888^[5]	Army FA Challenge Cup
Bedfordshire	Bedfordshire	1894^[6]	Bedfordshire Senior Cup
Berks & Bucks	Berkshire   Buckinghamshire	1878^[7]	Berks & Bucks Senior Cup
Birmingham	Black Country   Warwickshire	1875^[8]	Birmingham Senior Cup
Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire	1884^[9]	Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup
Cheshire	Cheshire	1878^[10]	Cheshire Senior Cup
Cornwall	Cornwall	1889^[11]	Cornwall Senior Cup
Cumberland	Cumberland	1885^[12]	Cumberland Senior Cup
Derbyshire	Derbyshire	1883^[13]	Derbyshire Senior Cup
Devon	Devon	1887^[14]	Devon St Lukes Challenge Cup
Dorset	Dorset	1887^[15]	Dorset Senior Cup
Durham	County Durham	1883^[16]	Durham Challenge Cup
Essex	Essex	1882^[17]	Essex Senior Cup
Gloucestershire	Gloucestershire	1886^[18]	Gloucestershire Senior Cup
Guernsey	Guernsey	1893^[19]	Guernsey FA Cup
Hampshire	Hampshire	1887^[20]	Hampshire Senior Cup
Herefordshire	Herefordshire	1893^[21]	Herefordshire Senior Cup
Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire	1885^[22]	Herts Senior Cup
Huntingdonshire	Huntingdonshire	1894^[23]	Huntingdonshire Senior Cup
Isle of Man	Isle of Man	1890^[24]	Isle of Man FA Cup
Jersey	Jersey	1905^[25]	Le Riche Cup
Kent	Kent	1881^[26]	Kent Senior Cup
Lancashire	Lancashire	1878^[27]	Lancashire Senior Cup
Leicestershire & Rutland	Leicestershire   Rutland	1887^[28]	Leicestershire and Rutland Senior Cup
Lincolnshire	Lincolnshire	1881^[29]	Lincolnshire Senior Cup
Liverpool	Merseyside	1882^[30]	Liverpool Senior Cup
London	London	1882^[31]	London Senior Cup
Manchester	Greater Manchester	1884^[32]	Manchester Senior Cup
Middlesex	Middlesex	1883^[33]	Middlesex Senior Cup
Norfolk	Norfolk	1881^[34]	Norfolk Senior Cup
Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	1887^[35]	Northamptonshire Senior Cup
Northumberland	Northumberland	1882^[36]	Northumberland Senior Cup
Nottinghamshire	Nottinghamshire	1882^[37]	Nottinghamshire Senior Cup
Oxfordshire	Oxfordshire	1884^[38]	Oxfordshire Senior Cup
Royal Air Force		1920^[39]	RAF Challenge Cup
Royal Navy		1904^[40]	Royal Navy Cup
Shropshire	Shropshire	1877^[41]	Shropshire Senior Cup
Somerset	Somerset	1885^[42]	Somerset Premier Cup
Staffordshire	Staffordshire	1887^[43]	Staffordshire Senior Cup
Suffolk	Suffolk	1885^[44]	Suffolk Senior Cup
Surrey	Surrey	1882^[45]	Surrey Senior Cup
Sussex	Sussex	1882^[46]	Sussex Senior Challenge Cup
Westmorland	Westmorland	1897^[47]	Westmorland Senior Challenge Cup
Wiltshire	Wiltshire	1884^[48]	Wiltshire County FA Senior Cup
Worcestershire	Worcestershire	1893^[49]	Worcestershire Senior Cup
East Riding	East Riding of Yorkshire	1902^[50]	East Riding Senior Cup
North Riding	North Riding of Yorkshire	1881^[51]	North Riding Senior Cup
Sheffield and Hallamshire	South Yorkshire	1867^[52]	Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup
West Riding	West Yorkshire	1896^[53]	West Riding County Cup

Other FAs with equivalent status

There are an additional five recognised bodies that have representation on the FA Council on the same level as County FAs.^[3]

Association^[3]	Founded
Cambridge University	1856^[54]
English Schools	1904^[55]
Independent Schools	1960s^[56]
Oxford University	1872^[57]
Women's Football Conference	1983^[58]

See also

• English football league system
• The Football Association
• The FA Council

References

1. "Memorandum on Areas and Overlapping of Associations". The FA. 12 January 1951. from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
2. The Football Association. "County FAs". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
3. . thefa.com. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
4. "History". www.amateur-fa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
5. "History". www.armyfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
6. "125 Years". www.bedfordshirefa.com. 5 September 1994. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
7. "History Berks & Bucks FA". www.berks-bucksfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
8. "MS 519 - Birmingham County Football Association". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
9. "About (County Handbook)". www.cambridgeshirefa.com. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
10. "About". www.cheshirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
11. "History". www.cornwallfa.com. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
12. "About". www.cumberlandfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
13. "History". www.derbyshirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
14. "About". www.devonfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
15. "About". www.dorsetfa.com. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
16. "Our History". www.durhamfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
17. "History". www.essexfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
18. "History". www.gloucestershirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
19. "History". www.guernseyfa.com. 1 July 1919. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
20. "History". www.hampshirefa.com. 1 July 2000. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
21. "History". www.herefordshirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
22. "Our History". www.hertfordshirefa.com. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
23. "History of Huntingdonshire FA". www.huntsfa.com. 26 October 1938. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
24. "[History]". www.isleofmanfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
25. "History". www.jerseyfa.com. 24 July 1905. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
26. "KR Community Partner". www.kentfa.com. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
27. "History". www.lancashirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
28. "Leicestershire & Rutland County FA Strategy 2021-2024". calameo.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
29. "Our History". www.lincolnshirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
30. "History". www.liverpoolfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
31. "History". www.londonfa.com. 30 January 1923. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
32. "Our Game In Manchester". www.manchesterfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
33. "History". www.middlesexfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
34. "History". www.norfolkfa.com. 24 August 1999. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
35. "Football Association, Regional". The Straw Plaiters – Victorian History of Luton Town Football Club. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
36. "History". www.northumberlandfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
37. "About". www.nottinghamshirefa.com. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
38. "The website for the Oxfordshire FA". www.oxfordshirefa.com. 9 September 1999. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
39. "About". www.royalairforcefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
40. "History". www.royalnavyfa.com. 13 January 1904. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
41. "The website for the Shropshire Football Association". www.shropshirefa.com. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
42. "History". www.somersetfa.com. 7 December 1940. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
43. "Our History". www.staffordshirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
44. "History". www.suffolkfa.com. 20 March 1935. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
45. "History". www.surreyfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
46. "History". www.sussexfa.com. 2 November 1999. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
47. "History Westmorland County FA". www.westmorlandfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
48. "About". www.wiltshirefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
49. "History". www.worcestershirefa.com. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
50. "History". www.eastridingfa.com. 10 February 1902. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
51. "About". www.northridingfa.com. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
52. "Changing Lives Through Football - About us". www.sheffieldfa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
53. "Our History". Leeds & District FA. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
54. Knapton, Sarah (30 July 2020). "How Sheffield lost their position as world's oldest club". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
55. "History". English Schools' Football Association. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
56. "5. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FA AND ISFA". Independent Schools Football Association. 27 August 1953. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
57. "History". OUAFC. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
58. The Football Association. "History of women's football". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.

External links

• The County FAs, The FA
• County FA contact details
• , Premier League