FA Community Shield

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FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield logo.png
Organising body The Football Association
Founded1908;117 years ago (1908)
RegionEngland
Number of teams2
Related competitions
Current champions Crystal Palace (1st title)
Most successful club(s) Manchester United (21 titles)
Television broadcasters TNT Sports (United Kingdom)
Sky Sports
BBC Sport
Website thefa.com/communityshield
Soccerball current event.svg 2025 FA Community Shield

The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is an annual match in English football contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the same team wins both the league and the FA Cup, the match is played against the Premier League runners-up. The fixture is recognised as a competitive super cup by the Football Association [1] [2] [3] and UEFA. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Organised by the FA, the match generates proceeds that are directed towards community initiatives and charitable causes across the country. Revenue from ticket sales and match programmes is distributed among the 124 clubs that took part in the FA Cup from the first round proper onwards, with each club nominating charities or projects to receive the funds. The remaining balance is allocated to the FA's national charity partners. [7] First played in the 1908–09 season as a replacement for the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, the match has since become a regular fixture.

The current holders are 2024–25 FA Cup champions Crystal Palace, who defeated 2024–25 Premier League champions Liverpool in the 2025 fixture, winning 3–2 on penalties following a 2–2 draw.

History

The Community Shield evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, introduced in 1898, [8] which was originally contested between teams of professionals and amateurs, reflecting the 'gentlemen and players' tradition. [9] The Football Association Charity Shield, as it was then known, was created to replace the Sheriff of London Charity Shield after leading amateur clubs became estranged from the FA. [10] The inaugural match in 1908 was played between Manchester United, the Football League First Division champions, and Queens Park Rangers, the Southern League champions. After a 1–1 draw in the first game, United won 4–0 in the replay, marking the only occasion the Shield required a second leg. Both matches were played at Stamford Bridge. [8]

The format of the competition varied in its early years. In 1913 it featured Amateurs versus Professionals XIs, and in 1921 the Shield was first contested between the Football League and FA Cup winners. Throughout the 1920s the fixture often continued the amateur versus professional theme, including the 1927 match between Cardiff City as FA Cup holders and the Corinthians representing the amateurs. In 1930 the competition settled into its now-familiar format of pitting the league champions against the FA Cup winners, with few exceptions. Notable deviations include the 1950 Shield between the England national team and an FA team returning from a tour of Canada, [8] and the 1961 fixture where double-winning Tottenham Hotspur played a Football Association XI. [11]

The match has been held at the start of the season since 1959. [11] Situations where one club won both the league and FA Cup created inconsistencies in opposition. In 1971, Arsenal declined to participate due to prior commitments, so Leicester City, as Second Division champions, faced FA Cup runners-up Liverpool and won the trophy, despite having never previously won the League or FA Cup. [12] In 1972 and 1973, several clubs declined invitations, leading to irregular pairings such as Manchester City versus Aston Villa and Burnley. [13] In 1974, FA secretary Ted Croker formalised the modern format of league champions versus FA Cup winners, hosted annually at Wembley Stadium. [8] Between 1949 and 1991, eleven editions of the Shield were shared following drawn results, [14] but since 1993, penalty shoot-outs have been used to determine a winner. [8]

The formation of the Premier League in 1992 led to the Shield becoming a showcase between the Premier League and FA Cup winners starting from the 1993 edition. In 2002, the Charity Commission ruled that the Football Association had failed to fulfil its charitable obligations, including delays in disbursing funds and a lack of transparency over gate revenue allocation. [15] This led to the competition being renamed the Community Shield. [16] Arsenal won the first edition under the new name, defeating Liverpool 1–0. [17]

The Trophy

In 2016, the FA's official silverware supplier, Thomas Lyte, restored and rebuilt the original 1908 Shield to mark the 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup triumph. The trophy was then auctioned for £40,000 to support the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, which became the FA’s official charity partner that year. [18] [19] The auction was held at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, the same venue where England had celebrated their 1966 victory.

In 2002, Thomas Lyte made the Community Shield that we see today, restoring it annually. They also designed and make the medal for both the winners and runners-up. [20]

Rules

The rules of the Community Shield are generally the same as those of the Premier League, with a team of 11 starting players and 7 substitutes. However, unlike in most other competitions where only five substitutions are permitted, teams in the Community Shield are permitted up to six substitutions. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, the teams play a penalty shootout. [21] If a team wins both the Premier League and the FA Cup, the runners-up from the Premier League will be the opposition. [22]

Status

Serving as England's super cup between the previous season's Premier League champions and FA Cup winners, the Community Shield is regarded as the "curtain-raiser" and is the first competitive game of each top-flight English football season. [23] [24] [25] However, it has been treated with varying degrees of seriousness by participating teams, with some using it similarly to friendlies in their pre-season schedule – as an opportunity to give match practice to fringe members of their squads or those returning from injury. BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson and The Guardian writer Tom Bryant both described the match as a "glorified friendly". [26] [27] Prior to the 2008 FA Community Shield, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson summarised his opinion of the competition: "The Community Shield is a prestigious match but I have used players in it who were not quite fit... it's always a game we never quite use as a do or die thing; we use it as a barometer for fitness". [28] [29]

Others, however, continue to recognise the status of the match as the first official game and trophy of the domestic season. [30] [31] [32] Ahead of the 2016 FA Community Shield against Manchester United, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri asked, "Why do you say this question, a friendly? When is the Community Shield a friendly? Of course we will be at the maximum and Manchester United will be at their maximum. The two teams want to win. I am very excited." [24] The following year, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte affirmed the significance of the cup, stating "It is not a friendly game. It is an official game and there is a trophy so for us it must be important" ahead of his side's clash with Arsenal. [33] Likewise in 2018, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola referred to his side's clash with Chelsea in the competition as "the first final" of the season. [34] Before winning his first community shield, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said "It would be nice if we could win it. It's the last domestic cup we haven't won." [35]

Records

Venues

Multiple guest and neutral hosts
GroundHostsYears
Stamford Bridge, London101908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1923, 1927, 1930, 1950, [8] 1955, 1970
Highbury, London71924, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1949, 1953
White Hart Lane, London61912, 1920, 1921, 1925, 1951, 1961
Old Trafford, Manchester61922, 1928, 1952, 1957, 1965, 1967
Maine Road, Manchester51926, 1937, 1956, 1968, 1973
Villa Park, Birmingham31931, 1972, 2012
Goodison Park, Liverpool31933, 1963, 1966
The Den, London21913, 1929
Molineux, Wolverhampton21954, 1959
Filbert Street / King Power Stadium, Leicester [vn 1] 21971 (FS), 2022 (KP)

For purposes of clarity, venues mentioned in italics in this section no longer exist.

Permanent venues

Since 1974, the Community Shield has been at a permanent home rather than guest venues. [37]

Neutral and guest host venues

The fixture was originally played at various neutral grounds or at the home ground of one of the competing teams. In total, there have been eighteen host grounds other than the aforementioned permanent three. The first ground to host the fixture was Stamford Bridge in 1908 and the last ground that guest hosted the fixture was the King Power Stadium in 2022, [vn 2] which was due to Wembley hosting the final of UEFA Women's Euro 2022 on the following day. [38]

Seven grounds have hosted the fixture once: St James' Park in 1932, Roker Park in 1936, Burnden Park in 1958, Turf Moor in 1960, Portman Road in 1962, Anfield in 1964 and Elland Road in 1969. Leicester City have hosted the fixture twice, at Filbert Street in 1971 and the King Power Stadium in 2022. A further nine grounds have hosted the fixture on multiple occasions (see table).

Notes

  1. ↑ Leicester City have hosted the match twice, at different stadia.
  2. ↑ The home of the current holders, at the time

Winners

By year

By number of wins (clubs)

The trophy FA Community Shield.JPG
The trophy
Team [39] Wins
(outright wins/shared titles)		Years (* title was shared)
Manchester United 21 (17/4)1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016
Arsenal 17 (16/1)1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991*, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023
Liverpool 16 (11/5)1964*, 1965*, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977*, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986*, 1988, 1989, 1990*, 2001, 2006, 2022
Everton 9 (8/1)1928, 1932, 1963, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1986*, 1987, 1995
Manchester City 71937, 1968, 1972, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2024
Tottenham Hotspur 7 (4/3)1921, 1951, 1961, 1962, 1967*, 1981*, 1991*
Chelsea 41955, 2000, 2005, 2009
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4 (1/3)1949*, 1954*, 1959, 1960*
Leeds United 21969, 1992
Leicester City 21971, 2021
West Bromwich Albion 2 (1/1)1920, 1954*
Burnley 2 (1/1)1960*, 1973
Newcastle United 11909
Brighton & Hove Albion 11910
Blackburn Rovers 11912
Huddersfield Town 11922
Cardiff City 11927
Sheffield Wednesday 11935
Sunderland 11936
Bolton Wanderers 11958
Derby County 11975
Nottingham Forest 11978
Crystal Palace 12025
Portsmouth 1 (0/1)1949*
West Ham United 1 (0/1)1964*
Aston Villa 1 (0/1)1981*

By number of wins (other)

Team [39] WinsYears
English Professionals XI41913, 1923, 1924, 1929
English Amateurs XI 21925, 1926
England 1950 FIFA World Cup XI 11950

Winners and runners-up by competition

CompetitionWinsSharedRunners-up
First Division/Premier League [C] 54, including 6 as double winners: 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1920, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 202411, including 1 as double winner: 1949, 1954, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 199127, including 3 as double winners: 1910, 1921, 1922, 1930, 1935, 1958, 1962, 1974, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025
FA Cup [C] 30, including 6 as double winners: 1921, 1922, 1927, 1930, 1935, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1974, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 202511, including 1 as double winner: 1949, 1954, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 199146, including 3 as double winners: 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2023, 2024
First Division/Premier League runners-up3: 1999, 2010, 20231: 19865: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2019
First Division/Premier League other positions in brackets1: 1972 (4th) [A] ——
FA Cup runners-up—1: 19861: 1971 [A]
Defending champions of the Charity Shield—1: 19861: 1973 [A]
Champions of lower-tier leagues (tier in brackets)2: 1971 (2), [A] [D] 1973 (2) [A] —2: 1920 (2), 1972 (3) [A]
Southern League1: 1910—4: 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912
Professionals4: 1913, 1923, 1924, 1929—2: 1925, 1926
Amateurs2: 1925, 1926—4: 1913, 1923, 1924, 1929
Others1: 1950—3: 1927, [B] 1950, 1961
Notes
  1. ^
    Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Burnley were invited to take part in the Shield these years because either the First Division or FA Cup winners declined or were unable to participate. Other participants have been the runner-ups of the FA Cup or the defending champions of the Shield throughout the years, however they are listed in this table based on how they qualified for the Shield.
  2. ^
    The FA invited Corinthians FC to take part as an amateur representative against FA Cup winners Cardiff City.
  3. ^
    In matches between the First Division/Premier League champions and FA Cup winners, the First Division/Premier League champion won the Shield 42 times and the FA Cup winner 20 times, while it was shared 10 times.
  4. ^
    Leicester City jointly held this record following their 1971 win, but eventually qualified through the traditional route following their league win in 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "New penalty shoot-out system to be used at Wembley for Chelsea v Arsenal clash". Talksport. 3 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Leicester City 1–2 Manchester United". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  3. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cdd3e7184lro
  4. ↑ "Champions League teams' pre-season friendlies". UEFA. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Super Cup preview: Liverpool v Chelsea". UEFA. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "Ibrahimović rejoins AC Milan: how Zlatan made his mark in Europe". UEFA. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Where the money goes". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The FA Community Shield history". The FA Cup & Competitions. The FA. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "4. THE CORINTHIAN ERA :: ISFA". isfa.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "The Football Association Charity Shield". the-english-football-archive.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  11. 1 2 Swindlehurst, Jonathan (9 August 2009). "Community Shield Preview – A brief history". A different league. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  12. ↑ Liew, Jonathan (8 August 2014). "Community Shield is generally contested by good teams who often win more things – but does it mean anything?" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  13. ↑ "For The Record". The Times. 20 August 1973. p. 9.
  14. ↑ "10 memorable Community Shield matches". Talksport. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Dronfield, Dylan (4 March 2002). "Charity Shield warning for FA". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  16. ↑ "FA to rename Charity Shield". BBC Sport. 8 February 2002. Archived from the original on 6 August 2002. Retrieved 4 February 2001.
  17. ↑ "Community Shield match details". The Football Association. 29 July 2002. Archived from the original on 15 June 2004. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Evening Standard: FA Charity Shield to be auctioned off to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund". 21 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016.
  19. ↑ "The FA's new official charity partner is Bobby Moore Fund".
  20. ↑ "Makers of The FA Community Shield". Thomas Lyte. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "The website for the English football association, the Emirates FA Cup and the England football team". Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  22. ↑ "FA Community shield rules". The FA. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "Leeds United England's 12th biggest club, according to Sky Sports study". Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  24. 1 2 "Community Shield will not be a friendly game – Leicester's Claudio Ranieri". ESPN FC. 3 August 2015. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  25. ↑ "Match Preview: 2016 FA Community Shield". Manchester United. 4 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  26. ↑ Lawrenson, Mark (5 August 2007). "Lawro's Community Shield verdict". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  27. ↑ Bryant, Tom (9 August 2009). "Chelsea v Manchester United – Community Shield as it happened". The Guardian . London. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  28. ↑ "Relaxed Manchester United to take on Portsmouth at Wembley". 9 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  29. ↑ "Neville And Carrick To Feature in Community Shield". goal.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  30. ↑ Banks, Tony (3 August 2015). "Chelsea's John Terry rues Community Shield defeat to Arsenal". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  31. ↑ Tweedale, Alistair (31 July 2015). "Community Shield 2015: Why winning would give Chelsea or Arsenal an early edge in Premier League title race" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  32. ↑ "After Arsenal's win, how often do Community/Charity Shield winners win the Premier League?". City A.M. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  33. ↑ "Antonio Conte: Chelsea players 'very tired' following preseason tour of Asia". 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  34. ↑ Brenner, Steve (28 July 2018). "Pep Guardiola says Man City's World Cup players cut short holidays to prepare for new season" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  35. ↑ "Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insists 'it's very important' ahead of the Community Shield". 28 July 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  36. ↑ "When Brighton won the Charity Shield to become champions of England". 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  37. ↑ "History of the Charity Shield". BBC. 9 August 2001. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  38. ↑ "Community Shield 2022: Everything You Need To Know". Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  39. 1 2 "List of Charity/Community Shield matches at RSSSF". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
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