The Lancashire Football Association Challenge Trophy is an English football competition for senior non-league clubs who are members of the Lancashire County Football Association. The trophy was first played for in 1885, when it was known as the Lancashire Junior Cup. It is currently sponsored by Partners Foundation and is known as The Partners Foundation Challenge Trophy. Although officially the junior cup to the Lancashire Senior Cup it is still regarded as just as important as other county cup competitions.
| Founded | 1885 |
|---|---|
| Region | Lancashire |
| Number of teams | 28 |
| Current champions | Colne |
| Most successful club(s) | Chorley (18 wins) |
Format
editThe competition is open to senior non-league clubs within the historical boundaries of Lancashire. A total of 28 clubs currently enter the competition from six different leagues. As of 2008–09 the four clubs from the Football Conference each receive byes to the second round, where they are then joined by the twelve winners from the first round.
From the 2009–10 season the semi-finals have been played at the County Ground, Thurston Road in Leyland, with the final being held at the Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers. The 2011–12 final between Chorley FC and Kendal Town FC, played on 12 March 2012, attracted a crowd of 2,673.
History
editThe first Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy took place in the 1885–86 season, when Bells Temperance were the winners. The only times the trophy was not competed was 1915–18 during World War I, 1940–41 season during World War II, although it did continue for the rest of the war years, and 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chorley are the most successful club with eighteen wins, the first coming in 1893–94 and the last of which came in 2017–18. Former non-league clubs Morecambe, who now play in the Football League and Wigan Athletic, now in League One are next with eleven wins. Morecambe's last victory coming in 2003–04 and Wigan's was in 1977–78.
Past winners
editA full list of past winners -[1]
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| 1885–86 | Bells Temperance |
| 1886–87 | Bells Temperance |
| 1887–88 | Blackpool |
| 1888–89 | Oswaldtwistle Rovers |
| 1889–90 | Bury |
| 1890–91 | Blackpool |
| 1891–92 | Kearsley |
| 1892–93 | Clitheroe[2] |
| 1893–94 | Chorley |
| 1894–95 | Lytham |
| 1895–96 | Blackburn Park Road |
| 1896–97 | Hapton |
| 1897–98 | Skerton |
| 1898–99 | Skerton |
| 1899–1900 | Turton |
| 1900–01 | Heywood |
| 1901–02 | Turton |
| 1902–03 | Turton |
| 1903–04 | Earlestown |
| 1904–05 | Turton |
| 1905–06 | Colne |
| 1906–07 | Earlestown |
| 1907–08 | Nelson |
| 1908–09 | Chorley |
| 1909–10 | Rochdale |
| 1910–11 | Bacup |
| 1911–12 | Rossendale United |
| 1912–13 | Fleetwood |
| 1913–14 | Heywood United |
| 1914–15 | Skelmersdale United |
| 1915–18 | (no competition) |
| 1918–19 | Runcorn |
| 1919–20 | Southport |
| 1920–21 | Accrington Stanley |
| 1921–22 | New Brighton |
| 1922–23 | Croston |
| 1923–24 | Chorley |
| 1924–25 | Horwich RMI |
| 1925–26 | Morecambe |
| 1926–27 | Morecambe |
| 1927–28 | Lancaster Town |
| 1928–29 | Lancaster Town |
| 1929–30 | Horwich RMI |
| 1930–31 | Lancaster Town |
| 1931–32 | Dick, Kerr's |
| 1932–33 | Darwen |
| 1933–34 | Lancaster Town |
| 1934–35 | Fleetwood |
| 1935–36 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1936–37 | South Liverpool |
| 1937–38 | South Liverpool |
| 1938–39 | South Liverpool |
| 1939–40 | Chorley |
| 1940–41 | (no competition) |
| 1941–42 | Blackpool Services |
| 1942–43 | Blackpool Services |
| 1943–44 | Blackpool Services |
| 1944–45 | Howard & Bulloughs |
| 1945–46 | Chorley |
| 1946–47 | Rochdale Reserves |
| 1947–48 | Burscough |
| 1948–49 | Barrow Reserves |
| 1949–50 | Burscough |
| 1950–51 | Rochdale Reserves |
| 1951–52 | Lancaster City |
| 1952–53 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1953–54 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1954–55 | Nelson |
| 1955–56 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1956–57 | New Brighton |
| 1957–58 | Chorley |
| 1958–59 | Chorley |
| 1959–60 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1960–61 | Chorley |
| 1961–62 | Morecambe |
| 1962–63 | Morecambe |
| 1963–64 | Chorley |
| 1964–65 | Chorley |
| 1965–66 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1966–67 | Burscough |
| 1967–68 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1968–69 | Morecambe |
| 1969–70 | Skelmersdale United |
| 1970–71 | Skelmersdale United |
| 1971–72 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1972–73 | Rossendale United |
| 1973–74 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1974–75 | Lancaster City |
| 1975–76 | Chorley |
| 1976–77 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1977–78 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1978–79 | Marine |
| 1979–80 | Chorley |
| 1980–81 | Barrow |
| 1981–82 | Chorley |
| 1982–83 | Chorley |
| 1983–84 | South Liverpool |
| 1984–85 | Clitheroe[3] |
| 1985–86 | Morecambe |
| 1986–87 | Morecambe |
| 1987–88 | Marine |
| 1988–89 | Colne Dynamoes |
| 1989–90 | Colne Dynamoes |
| 1990–91 | Marine |
| 1991–92 | Great Harwood Town |
| 1992–93 | Southport |
| 1993–94 | Morecambe |
| 1994–95 | Bamber Bridge |
| 1995–96 | Morecambe |
| 1996–97 | Southport |
| 1997–98 | Southport |
| 1998–99 | Morecambe |
| 1999–2000 | Marine |
| 2000–01 | Southport |
| 2001–02 | Accrington Stanley |
| 2002–03 | Leigh RMI |
| 2003–04 | Morecambe |
| 2004–05 | Accrington Stanley |
| 2005–06 | Southport |
| 2006–07 | Burscough |
| 2007–08 | Southport |
| 2008–09 | Skelmersdale United |
| 2009–10 | Southport |
| 2010–11 | AFC Fylde |
| 2011–12 | Chorley |
| 2012–13 | AFC Fylde |
| 2013–14 | AFC Fylde |
| 2014–15 | Chorley |
| 2015-16 | Chorley |
| 2016–17 | Ashton Athletic |
| 2017-18 | Chorley |
| 2018-19 | Southport |
| 2019-20 | Lancaster City |
| 2020-21 | Competition not held |
| 2021-22 | Southport |
| 2022-23 | Southport |
| 2023-24 | Colne |
Winners by club
edit| Club | Number of Wins | Most Recent Win | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chorley | 18 | 2017-18 |
| 2 | Morecambe | 11 | 2003–04 |
| Wigan Athletic | 11 | 1977–78 | |
| Southport | 11 | 2022-23 | |
| 5 | Lancaster City (inc. Lancaster Town) | 7 | 2019-20 |
| 6 | Burscough | 4 | 2006–07 |
| Marine | 4 | 1999–2000 | |
| South Liverpool | 4 | 1983–84 | |
| Turton | 4 | 1904–05 | |
| Skelmersdale United | 4 | 2008–09 | |
| 11 | Accrington Stanley | 3 | 2004–05 |
| AFC Fylde | 3 | 2013–14 | |
| Blackpool Services | 3 | 1943–44 | |
| Leigh RMI (inc. Horwich RMI) | 3 | 2002–03 | |
| Rochdale (inc. Rochdale Reserves) | 3 | 1950–51 | |
| 16 | Barrow (inc. Barrow Reserves) | 2 | 1980–81 |
| Bells Temperance | 2 | 1886–87 | |
| Blackpool | 2 | 1890–91 | |
| Colne Dynamoes | 2 | 1989–90 | |
| Earlestown | 2 | 1906–07 | |
| Fleetwood | 2 | 1934–35 | |
| Nelson | 2 | 1989–90 | |
| New Brighton | 2 | 1906–07 | |
| Rossendale United | 2 | 1972–73 | |
| Skerton | 2 | 1898–99 | |
| 26 | Bacup Borough (as Bacup) | 1 | 1910–11 |
| Bamber Bridge | 1 | 1994–95 | |
| Blackburn Park Road | 1 | 1895–96 | |
| Bury | 1 | 1889–90 | |
| Clitheroe (1887) | 1 | 1892–93 | |
| Clitheroe (1925) | 1 | 1984–85 | |
| Colne (1903) | 1 | 1905–06 | |
| Colne (1996) | 1 | 2023–24 | |
| Croston | 1 | 1922–23 | |
| Darwen | 1 | 1932–33 | |
| Dick, Kerr's | 1 | 1931–32 | |
| Great Harwood Town | 1 | 1991–92 | |
| Hapton | 1 | 1896–97 | |
| Heywood | 1 | 1900–01 | |
| Heywood United | 1 | 1913–14 | |
| Howard & Bulloughs | 1 | 1944–45 | |
| Kearsley | 1 | 1891–92 | |
| Lytham | 1 | 1894–95 | |
| Oswaldtwistle Rovers | 1 | 1888–89 | |
| Runcorn | 1 | 1918–19 | |
| Ashton Athletic | 1 | 2016–17 |
References
edit- ^ Lancashire Football Association Directory of Members Handbook 2007–08. Lancashire: Lancashire County Football Association. 2007.
- ^ Founded in 1887, as a successor to the 1879 club, and wound up in 1897.
- ^ Later Clitheroe club founded in 1925.
External links
edit- Official website of the Lancashire County Football Association (archived 26 March 2018)