 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2009) |
| Season | 1871–72 | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| 1871–72 in Scottish football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Teams in the FA Cup | |
| Queen's Park |
Season 1871–72 marked the first occasion in which any football team from Scotland [1] participated in official competition, either at club or international level, when Queen's Park, the foremost club of the day, entered the inaugural FA Cup.
The foundation of Queen's Park in 1867 had begun to put football, which had persisted in various wholly unorganised recreational forms for centuries, on a more organised basis. A number of other clubs had come into being, occasionally playing challenge matches against each other, but as yet no governing body for the game or organised competitions existed within Scotland. In England, the Football Association (FA) had been in existence since 1863, and in 1871–72 it staged the first ever FA Cup competition. As it was not yet apparent that the FA and its Cup would become primarily English (as opposed to British even worldwide), Queen's Park were invited to enter.
On the international front, official and fully representative matches had yet to be organised. A series of "England v Scotland" matches in London organised by C. W. Alcock had begun in 1870, however the Scottish sides were almost entirely selected from London residents, these matches are not officially recognised. It would be November 1872 before the first recognised international fixture took place.
Without any precedents to draw on, the first FA Cup was organised on a haphazard basis, as illustrated by Queen's Park's progress. They were drawn in the first round to play Donington School from Lincolnshire, the only other entrants from outwith the Home Counties, but when the clubs were unable to agree a date for the fixture, the FA permitted both to progress to the next round. This time they were paired again, but Donington withdrew from the competition. With five teams left in the competition, Queen's were awarded a bye into the semi-finals, still without having played a match.
The semi-final draw paired Queen's Park with Wanderers, and after raising money by public subscription the Scots travelled to London, where a goalless draw was secured at Kennington Oval. Queen's, however, could not afford to extend their stay long enough for the tie to be replayed and were forced to withdraw from the competition.
| Season | Club | Round | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871–72 | Queen's Park | 1st round | n/a | Received bye |
| 2nd round |  Donington School | Withdrew | ||
| 3rd round | n/a | Received bye | ||
| Semi-final | Wanderers | 0–0 | ||
| Semi-final replay | Withdrew |
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organised by and named after The Football Association. Since 2015, it has been known as The Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor. A concurrent Women's FA Cup has been held since 1970.
Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at various locations in London and the surrounding area. Comprising mainly former pupils of the leading English public schools, Wanderers was one of the dominant teams in the early years of organised football and won the inaugural Football Association Challenge Cup in 1872. The club won the competition five times in total, including three in succession from 1876 to 1878, a feat which has been repeated only once.
The 1871–72 season was the first season of competitive association football in England. The Football Association introduced their Football Association Challenge Cup, a knockout tournament which is the world's oldest national-level football competition.
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The 1873–74 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the first season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. A total of 16 teams from the west of Scotland entered the competition, however only 14 would play a match after two withdrawals. The competition began with the first match between Renton and Kilmarnock on 18 October 1873 and concluded with the final on 21 March 1874. After 16 matches and 38 goals, the inaugural cup was won by Queen's Park who defeated fellow Glasgow club Clydesdale 2–0 in the final.
The 1874–75 Scottish Cup – officially the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup – was the second season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. Teams from Edinburgh, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire entered the competition for the first time and with 12 new teams entering the competition, a total of 25 were included in the first round draw. The competition began with the first round match between Rangers and Oxford on 10 October 1874 and concluded with the final on 10 April 1875. After 27 matches and 56 goals scored, defending champions Queen's Park retained the trophy by defeating Dunbartonshire club Renton 3–0 at the original Hampden Park.
The 1874 Scottish Cup final was the inaugural final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the 1873–74 Scottish Cup, the most prestigious knockout football competition in Scotland. The match took place at Hampden Park on 21 March 1874 and was contested by Queen's Park and Clydesdale.
The Football World Championship, also known as the United Kingdom Championship or the International Club Championship, was a exhibition association football match played between the English and Scottish club champions on a regular, but not annual, basis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with varying degrees of press attention and public interest. Perhaps the most widely publicised at the time under the 'World Championship' name was the 1888 event between Renton and West Bromwich Albion, while in the modern age interest from historians has drawn more attention to matches involving Sunderland, particularly the 1895 match. The FA Cup and Scottish Cup were qualification of the tournament.
Donington School F.C. was an English football club, based in Donington, Lincolnshire. The club represented the Donington Grammar School, and entered in the first ever FA Cup in 1871–72 but did not compete in a match.
The 1871–72 season was the first season of competitive football by Queen's Park.
