The FA Youth Cup starts again in early September.
This season’s FA Youth Cup competition, the 59th in history, features a total of 460 clubs and more than 50 of those are ‘new entries’.
The competition kicks off with 112 ties in the Preliminary Round and these are scheduled for the week commencing Monday 6 September.
Part of its enduring appeal is that the youth teams of some of the smaller clubs have a chance of being drawn against their counterparts at a Premier League club, if they manage to negotiate the early rounds. Six years ago, for example, Wealdstone from Middlesex started their Youth Cup campaign with an away tie at St Margaretsbury in the First Round Qualifying and ended up playing Liverpool at Anfield!
Just 55 fans saw the Stones edge St Margaretsbury 2-1 after extra time but well over a thousand were present as they put on a brave show against the Merseysiders. They lost 6-0 but it must have been a memorable day.
Last season Dulwich Hamlet’s youngsters came in at the First Round Qualifying and knocked out Uxbridge, Enfield Town and Chelmsford City to earn a home tie with Norwich City. They even held the Canaries to a 1-1 draw at Champion Hill before succumbing on kicks from the penalty mark.
Both Wealdstone and Dulwich line up in this season’s Preliminary Round. The Stones travel to Middlesex rivals Uxbridge, while Hamlet entertain Croydon Athletic.
One of the new entries this time is Cray Wanderers from Kent, a club which is celebrating its 150th Centenary this year. Their U18s start with an away tie at South Park. The old and the new.
The FA Youth Cup sponsored by E.ON draws
