Founded: | 1952 |
Current Champions: | Manchester City (4th title) |
Most Successful Club: | Manchester United (11 titles) |
Current: | 2023–24 FA Youth Cup |
Website: | The FA Youth Cup |
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It is dominated by the youth sides of professional teams, mostly from the Premier League, but attracts over 400 entrants from throughout the country.
At the end of the Second World War the FA organised a Youth Championship for County Associations considering it the best way to stimulate the game among those youngsters not yet old enough to play senior football. The matches did not attract large crowds but outstanding players were selected for Youth Internationals and thousands were given the chance to play in a national contest for the first time. In 1951 it was realised that a competition for clubs would probably have a wider appeal. The FA Youth Challenge Cup (1952–53 season) was restricted to the youth teams of clubs, both professional and amateur, who were members of the FA.[1]
The notion of a youth cup was thought of by Sir Joe Richards, the late President of the Football League. He initially put forward the idea to the league clubs but they were not enthused; Richards then took the idea to the Football Association, who liked the idea and created the competition in the same year.[2] The Youth Cup trophy itself was purchased by the Football League during World War II. However, they never found a use for it. Football League secretary Fred Howarth found the trophy in a cupboard at the Starkie Street office and handed it over to the Football Association.[2]
Manchester United are the competition's most successful club, winning it eleven times. The current holders are Manchester City, who defeated Leeds United 4–0 in the 2024 final.
The tournament has served as a springboard into the professional game for many top British players. The likes of George Best, John Barnes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Frank Lampard, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Joe Cole, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere, and Gareth Bale had all won the tournament or played in the final. The 1991–92 FA Youth Cup famously spawned the rise of Fergie's Fledglings.
See main article: FA Youth Cup Finals.
Club | Title(s) | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manchester United | 11 | 4 | 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1964, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2022 | 1982, 1986, 1993, 2007 | |
Chelsea | 9 | 4 | 1960, 1961, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | 1958, 2008, 2013, 2020 | |
Arsenal | 7 | 3 | 1966, 1971, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2009 | 1965, 2018, 2023 | |
Manchester City | 4 | 8 | 1986, 2008, 2020, 2024 | 1979, 1980, 1989, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 | |
West Ham United | 4 | 4 | 1963, 1981, 1999, 2023 | 1957, 1959, 1975, 1996 | |
Liverpool | 4 | 4 | 1996, 2006, 2007, 2019 | 1963, 1972, 2009, 2021 | |
Aston Villa | 4 | 3 | 1972, 1980, 2002, 2021 | 1978, 2004, 2010 | |
Everton | 3 | 4 | 1965, 1984, 1998 | 1961, 1977, 1983, 2002 | |
Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 2 | 1970, 1974, 1990 | 1981, 1995 | |
Ipswich Town | 3 | 0 | 1973, 1975, 2005 | ||
Crystal Palace | 2 | 2 | 1977, 1978 | 1992, 1997 | |
Sunderland | 2 | 1 | 1967, 1969 | 1966 | |
Millwall | 2 | 1 | 1979, 1991 | 1994 | |
Watford | 2 | 1 | 1982, 1989 | 1985 | |
Leeds United | 2 | 1 | 1993, 1997 | 2024 | |
Newcastle United | 2 | 0 | 1962, 1985 | ||
Norwich City | 2 | 0 | 1983, 2013 | ||
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 | 4 | 1958 | 1953, 1954, 1962, 1976 | |
Coventry City | 1 | 4 | 1987 | 1968, 1970, 1999, 2000 | |
Blackburn Rovers | 1 | 3 | 1959 | 1998, 2001, 2012 | |
West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 2 | 1976 | 1955, 1969 | |
Middlesbrough | 1 | 2 | 2004 | 1990, 2003 | |
Burnley | 1 | 0 | 1968 | ||
Chesterfield | 0 | 1 | 1956 | ||
Preston North End | 0 | 1 | 1960 | ||
Swindon Town | 0 | 1 | 1964 | ||
Birmingham City | 0 | 1 | 1967 | ||
Cardiff City | 0 | 1 | 1971 | ||
Bristol City | 0 | 1 | 1973 | ||
Huddersfield Town | 0 | 1 | 1974 | ||
Stoke City | 0 | 1 | 1984 | ||
Charlton Athletic | 0 | 1 | 1987 | ||
Doncaster Rovers | 0 | 1 | 1988 | ||
Sheffield Wednesday | 0 | 1 | 1991 | ||
Southampton | 0 | 1 | 2005 | ||
Sheffield United | 0 | 1 | 2011 | ||
Fulham | 0 | 1 | 2014 | ||
Nottingham Forest | 0 | 1 | 2022 |
Including qualifying and preliminary round matches.
Players who have scored multiple hat-tricks in the FA Youth Cup. As players are usually only eligible for the FA Youth Cup for one or two seasons (rather than indefinitely/their whole career), scoring multiple hat-tricks is an even more exceptional feat.
Rank | Player | Club(s) | Hat-tricks |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Gordon Bolland | Chelsea | 3 |
2 | Duncan Edwards | Manchester United | 2 |
Michael Owen | Liverpool | ||
Tabish Hussain | Guiseley |
The FA Girls' Youth Cup has been contested since at least 2012, and is the equivalent competition for under-17 women's association football teams. Of the known hat-tricks, all have been in scored in matches featuring Blackburn Rovers W.F.C.: two for Blackburn Rovers and one in the 2012–13 final against them.
Player | Year | Match | Notes | Ref(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carla Humphrey | 2013 | Arsenal 3–1 Blackburn Rovers | Scored a hat-trick in the final. | [45] | |
Keira Walsh | 2014 | Blackburn Rovers 6–0 Sunderland | Walsh is a defensive midfielder. | [46] | |
M. Settle | 2022 | Stoke City 1–5 Blackburn Rovers | [47] |
The highest attendance at an FA Youth Cup match was 67,492 for the Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest final at Old Trafford on 11 May 2022, which Manchester United won 3–1.[48]
Tables are ordered by date of first cap.
Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keith Newton | DF | Blackburn Rovers | 1959 | v, 23 February 1966 | ||
Shay Brennan | FW | Manchester United | 1955 | v, 5 May 1965 | ||
Fred Pickering | DF | Blackburn Rovers | 1959 | v, 27 May 1964 | ||
Mike England | DF | Blackburn Rovers | 1959 | v, 11 April 1962 | ||
Phil Kelly | DF | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1958 | v, 28 September 1960 | ||
Joe Carolan | MF | Manchester United | 1956 | v, 1 November 1959 | ||
Wilf McGuinness | MF | Manchester United | 1954, 1955, 1956 | v, 4 October 1958 | ||
Bobby Charlton | FW | Manchester United | 1954, 1955, 1956 | v, 19 April 1958 | ||
David Pegg | FW | Manchester United | 1953, 1954 | v, 19 May 1957 | ||
Billy Whelan | FW | Manchester United | 1953 | v, 10 May 1956 | ||
Duncan Edwards | MF, FW | Manchester United | 1953, 1954, 1955 | v, 2 April 1955 |
Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jimmy Rimmer | GK | Manchester United | 1964 | v, 28 May 1976 | ||
Billy Hughes | FW | Sunderland | 1967 | v, 16 April 1975 | ||
Dave Thomas | FW | Burnley | 1968 | v, 30 October 1974 | ||
Dennis Yaager | MF | Everton | 1965 | v, 4 November 1970 | ||
Sammy Nelson | FW | Arsenal | 1966 | v, 21 April 1970 | ||
Pat Rice | DF | Arsenal | 1966 | v, 10 September 1968 | ||
Bobby Moncur | FW | Newcastle United | 1962 | v, 30 May 1968 | ||
David Sadler | FW | Manchester United | 1964 | v, 22 November 1967 | ||
Peter Bonetti | GK | Chelsea | 1960 | v, 3 July 1966 | ||
Terry Venables | MF | Chelsea | 1960, 1961 | v, 21 October 1964 | ||
George Best | FW | Manchester United | 1964 | v, 15 April 1964 | ||
Bobby Tambling | FW | Chelsea | 1960 | v, 21 November 1962 |
Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry Fenwick | DF | Crystal Palace | 1977, 1978 | v, 2 May 1984 | ||
Derek Statham | DF | West Bromwich Albion | 1976 | v, 23 February 1983 | ||
Steve Lovell | FW | Crystal Palace | 1978 | v, 18 November 1981 | ||
Kevin O'Callaghan | MF | Millwall | 1979 | v, 29 April 1981 | ||
Noel Brotherston | MF | Tottenham Hotspur | 1974 | v, 16 May 1980 | ||
Jerry Murphy | MF | Crystal Palace | 1977, 1978 | v, 11 September 1979 | ||
Kenny Sansom | DF | Crystal Palace | 1977 | v, 23 May 1979 | ||
Peter Nicholas | MF | Crystal Palace | 1978 | v, 19 May 1979 | ||
John Wark | MF | Ipswich Town | 1975 | v, 19 May 1979 | ||
John Gidman | DF | Aston Villa | 1972 | v, 30 March 1977 | ||
Brian Little | FW | Aston Villa | 1972 | v, 21 May 1975 | ||
Graeme Souness | MF | Tottenham Hotspur | 1970 | v, 30 October 1974 |
Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David James | GK | Watford | 1989 | v, 29 March 1997 | ||
Andy Hinchcliffe | DF | Manchester City | 1986 | v, 1 September 1996 | ||
David White | MF | Manchester City | 1986 | v, 9 September 1992 | ||
Mark Walters | MF | Aston Villa | 1980 | v, 3 June 1991 | ||
Jeremy Goss | MF | Norwich City | 1983 | v, 1 May 1991 | ||
Steve Morrow | DF | Arsenal | 1988 | v, 19 May 1990 | ||
Pat Scully | DF | Arsenal | 1988 | v, 19 October 1988 | ||
Paul Gascoigne | MF | Newcastle United | 1985 | v, 14 September 1988 | ||
Tony Rees | FW | Aston Villa | 1980 | v, 6 June 1984 | ||
John Barnes | FW | Watford | 1982 | v, 28 May 1983 |
Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vítězslav Jaroš | GK | Liverpool | 2019 | v, 7 June 2024 | |
Jay Dasilva | DF | Chelsea | 2014, 2015, 2016 | v, 6 June 2024 | |
Yasser Larouci | DF | Liverpool | 2019 | v, 16 October 2023 | |
Tariq Lamptey | DF | Chelsea | 2018 | v, 23 September 2022 | |
Marc Guéhi | DF | Chelsea | 2017, 2018 | v, 26 March 2022 | |
Conor Gallagher | MF | Chelsea | 2017, 2018 | v, 14 November 2021 | |
Iké Ugbo | FW | Chelsea | 2016, 2017 | v, 12 November 2021 | |
Will Keane | MF | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 11 November 2021 | |
Billy Gilmour | MF | Chelsea | 2018 | v, 2 June 2021 | |
Kasey Palmer | MF | Chelsea | 2014, 2015 | v, 25 March 2021 | |
Rohan Ince | MF | Chelsea | 2010 | v, 24 March 2021 | |
Ravel Morrison | FW | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 14 November 2020 | |
Kevin Wright | DF | Chelsea | 2013 | v, 9 October 2020 | |
Reece James | DF | Chelsea | 2017, 2018 | v, 8 October 2020 | |
Neco Williams | DF | Liverpool | 2019 | v, 3 September 2020 | |
Sam Johnstone | GK | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 6 June 2020 | |
Fikayo Tomori | DF | Chelsea | 2015, 2016 | v, 17 November 2019 | |
Mason Mount | MF | Chelsea | 2016, 2017 | v, 7 September 2019 | |
Callum Hudson-Odoi | MF | Chelsea | 2017, 2018 | v, 22 March 2019 | |
Nathaniel Chalobah | MF | Chelsea | 2012 | v, 15 October 2018 | |
Dominic Solanke | FW | Chelsea | 2014, 2015 | v, 14 November 2017 | |
Ruben Loftus-Cheek | MF | Chelsea | 2012, 2014 | v, 10 November 2017 | |
Tammy Abraham | FW | Chelsea | 2015, 2016 | v, 10 November 2017 | |
Mukhtar Ali | MF | Chelsea | 2015 | v, 7 October 2017 | |
Ola Aina | DF | Chelsea | 2014, 2015 | v, 7 October 2017 | |
George Saville | MF | Chelsea | 2010 | v, 5 October 2017 | |
Jérémie Boga | FW | Chelsea | 2014, 2015 | v, 4 June 2017 | |
Nathan Aké | DF | Chelsea | 2012, 2013 | v, 31 May 2017 | |
Michael Keane | DF | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 22 March 2017 | |
Jesse Lingard | FW | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 8 October 2016 | |
Tom Lawrence | MF | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 13 October 2015 | |
Aziz Deen-Conteh | DF | Chelsea | 2010 | v, 7 October 2015 | |
Andreas Christensen | DF | Chelsea | 2013, 2014 | v, 8 June 2015 | |
Aliu Djaló | MF | Chelsea | 2010 | v, 4 June 2016 | |
Paul Pogba | MF | Manchester United | 2011 | v, 22 March 2013 | |
Gökhan Töre | MF | Chelsea | 2010 | v, 10 August 2011 | |
Jeffrey Bruma | DF | Chelsea | 2010 | v, 12 August 2010 | |
Player | Pos | Club | Year | National team | International debut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kobbie Mainoo | MF | Manchester United | 2022 | v, 23 March 2024 | |
Cole Palmer | FW | Manchester City | 2020 | v, 17 November 2023 | |
Levi Colwill | DF | Chelsea | 2020 | v, 13 October 2023 | |
Oscar Bobb | FW | Manchester City | 2020 | v, 12 October 2023 | |
Callum Marshall | FW | West Ham United | 2023 | v, 16 June 2023 | |
Alejandro Garnacho | FW | Manchester United | 2022 | v, 15 June 2023 | |
Ben Elliott | MF | Chelsea | 2020 | v, 11 June 2023 | |
Lucas Bergström | GK | Chelsea | 2020 | v, 9 January 2023 | |