County football association explained

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

External links

• The County FAs at The FA official website
• County FA contact details
• County Football Associations, page 5, Premier League (archived 11 June 2014).

Notes and References

1. Web site: Memorandum on Areas and Overlapping of Associations. 12 January 1951. The FA. https://web.archive.org/web/20131022013220/http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/2013-14/areas-and-overlapping-of-associations.ashx. 22 October 2013. live. 22 September 2017.
2. Web site: The Football Association . County FAs . www.thefa.com . May 8, 2023.
3. Web site: The FA Handbook 2022/2023 . thefa.com . May 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230507135208/https://www.thefa.com/-/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/rules-of-the-association/2022-23/individual-sections/the-fa-handbook-2022-23-april-update.ashx . May 7, 2023 . dead . May 8, 2023.
4. Web site: History . www.amateur-fa.com . May 8, 2023.
5. Web site: History . www.armyfa.com . May 8, 2023.
6. Web site: 125 Years . www.bedfordshirefa.com . September 5, 1994 . May 8, 2023.
7. Web site: History Berks & Bucks FA . www.berks-bucksfa.com . May 8, 2023.
8. Web site: MS 519 - Birmingham County Football Association . Birmingham City Council . May 8, 2023.
9. Web site: About (County Handbook) . www.cambridgeshirefa.com . March 21, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
10. Web site: About . www.cheshirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
11. Web site: History . www.cornwallfa.com . April 6, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
12. Web site: About . www.cumberlandfa.com . May 8, 2023.
13. Web site: History . www.derbyshirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
14. Web site: About . www.devonfa.com . May 8, 2023.
15. Web site: About . www.dorsetfa.com . April 19, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
16. Web site: Our History . www.durhamfa.com . May 8, 2023.
17. Web site: History . www.essexfa.com . May 8, 2023.
18. Web site: History . www.gloucestershirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
19. Web site: History . www.guernseyfa.com . July 1, 1919 . May 8, 2023.
20. Web site: History . www.hampshirefa.com . July 1, 2000 . May 8, 2023.
21. Web site: History . www.herefordshirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
22. Web site: Our History . www.hertfordshirefa.com . February 26, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
23. Web site: History of Huntingdonshire FA . www.huntsfa.com . October 26, 1938 . May 8, 2023.
24. Web site: [History] ]. www.isleofmanfa.com . May 8, 2023.
25. Web site: History . www.jerseyfa.com . July 24, 1905 . May 8, 2023.
26. Web site: KR Community Partner . www.kentfa.com . September 21, 2017 . May 8, 2023.
27. Web site: History . www.lancashirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
28. Web site: Leicestershire & Rutland County FA Strategy 2021-2024 . calameo.com. May 8, 2023.
29. Web site: Our History . www.lincolnshirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
30. Web site: History . www.liverpoolfa.com . May 8, 2023.
31. Web site: History . www.londonfa.com . January 30, 1923 . May 8, 2023.
32. Web site: Our Game In Manchester . www.manchesterfa.com . May 8, 2023.
33. Web site: History . www.middlesexfa.com . May 8, 2023.
34. Web site: History . www.norfolkfa.com . August 24, 1999 . May 8, 2023.
35. Web site: Football Association, Regional . The Straw Plaiters – Victorian History of Luton Town Football Club . April 11, 2021 . May 8, 2023.
36. Web site: History . www.northumberlandfa.com . May 8, 2023.
37. Web site: About . www.nottinghamshirefa.com . April 19, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
38. Web site: The website for the Oxfordshire FA . www.oxfordshirefa.com . September 9, 1999 . May 8, 2023.
39. Web site: About . www.royalairforcefa.com . May 8, 2023.
40. Web site: History . www.royalnavyfa.com . January 13, 1904 . May 8, 2023.
41. Web site: The website for the Shropshire Football Association . www.shropshirefa.com . November 1, 2022 . May 8, 2023.
42. Web site: History . www.somersetfa.com . December 7, 1940 . May 8, 2023.
43. Web site: Our History . www.staffordshirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
44. Web site: History . www.suffolkfa.com . March 20, 1935 . May 8, 2023.
45. Web site: History . www.surreyfa.com . May 8, 2023.
46. Web site: History . www.sussexfa.com . November 2, 1999 . May 8, 2023.
47. Web site: History Westmorland County FA . www.westmorlandfa.com . May 8, 2023.
48. Web site: About . www.wiltshirefa.com . May 8, 2023.
49. Web site: History . www.worcestershirefa.com . January 1, 2001 . May 8, 2023.
50. Web site: History . www.eastridingfa.com . February 10, 1902 . May 8, 2023.
51. Web site: About . www.northridingfa.com . April 19, 2023 . May 8, 2023.
52. Web site: Changing Lives Through Football - About us . www.sheffieldfa.com . May 8, 2023.
53. Web site: Our History . Leeds & District FA . July 1, 2021 . May 10, 2023.
54. Web site: Knapton . Sarah . How Sheffield lost their position as world's oldest club . The Telegraph . July 30, 2020 . May 8, 2023.
55. Web site: History . English Schools' Football Association . August 1, 2018 . May 8, 2023.
56. Web site: 5. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FA AND ISFA . Independent Schools Football Association . August 27, 1953 . May 8, 2023.
57. Web site: History . OUAFC . August 10, 2020 . May 8, 2023.
58. Web site: The Football Association . History of women's football . www.thefa.com . May 8, 2023.