The FA Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing in the lower regional leagues of England.
Prior to 1974, football players were either professionals or amateurs. Professionals were paid to play by their clubs, and the only cup competitions such clubs were allowed to enter were the FA Cup and, for clubs outside The Football League, the FA Trophy. Amateurs, on the other hand, did not get paid by their clubs, and such clubs had their own cup competition, the FA Amateur Cup.
In 1974, with many of the top amateur players receiving payment for playing, the Football Association abolished the distinction, scrapped the Amateur Cup and introduced the FA Vase for the majority of clubs who had previously played in the Amateur Cup.
Well over 200 clubs entered in the first season, 1974-75 and Hoddesdon Town of the Spartan League beat Epsom and Ewell of the Surrey Senior League 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 9,000.
In recent years, entry to the FA Vase has been restricted to clubs in the eighth and lower tiers of the English football league system, those in the three levels above that entering the FA Trophy. Reorganization of the National League System for 2004 onwards moved the dividing line down to the new "Step 5" (ninth tier overall). Only four teams have managed to win the FA Vase more than once. Two FA Vase winners, Forest Green Rovers and Tamworth, have gone on to play in the Football Conference at the top level of the non-league pyramid.
In 2001-02, Whitley Bay of the Northern League beat Tiptree United at Villa Park.
In 2002-03, 465 clubs entered, with two qualifying rounds preceding the six proper rounds, semi-finals and final. Brigg Town beat AFC Sudbury 2-1 in the 2003 final at West Ham United's Upton Park stadium.
For the 2003-04 season; the final was played at St Andrews , the home of Birmingham City, on Saturday 16 May 2004.Winchester City defeated AFC Sudbury 2-0 in front of a crowd of 5,080.
List of winners
