View source for FA Vase

{{short description|Association football tournament in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{infobox football tournament
| current              = [[2025–26 FA Vase]]
| logo                 = Isuzu FA Vase Logo.svg
| caption              = The Isuzu FA Vase Logo
| founded              = {{start year and age|1974}}
| region               = England, Wales, [[Channel Islands]], [[Isle of Man]] ([[The Football Association|The FA]])
| number of teams      = About 600
| current champions    = [[Whitstable Town F.C.|Whitstable Town]] (1st title)
| most successful club = [[Whitley Bay F.C.|Whitley Bay]] (4 times)
| broadcasters         = [[TNT_Sports_(United_Kingdom)|TNT Sports]] <br> (final only)
| motto                = 
}}
The '''Football Association Challenge Vase''', also known as the '''[[Isuzu]] FA Vase''' for sponsorship reasons, is an annual [[association football|football]] competition run by and named after [[The Football Association]] ('''The FA'''), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English [[National League System]]. Nearly 600 teams participate in this knockout competition with semi-finals played over two legs. The final is played at [[Wembley Stadium]].

The [[2024–25 FA Vase|2025]] winners were [[Whitstable Town F.C.|Whitstable Town]], who beat [[AFC Whyteleafe]] 2–1 at [[Wembley Stadium]].

== History ==
[[Image:Nantwich Town FC - FA Vase Parade.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Nantwich Town F.C.|Nantwich Town]] celebrate winning the Vase after beating [[Hillingdon Borough F.C.|Hillingdon Borough]] in the final in 2006.]]

Until 1974, football players were categorised as either professionals or amateurs.  Amateurs were not paid (at least not officially) by their clubs; amateur clubs had their own national cup competition, the [[FA Amateur Cup]].  Professionals were paid to play by their clubs; until the creation of the [[FA Trophy]] in 1969 there was no national knock-out competition specifically for professional clubs outside [[the Football League]].  

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 competition. Well over 200 clubs entered in the first season, 1974–75, when [[Hoddesdon Town F.C.|Hoddesdon Town]] of the [[Spartan League]] beat [[Epsom & Ewell F.C.|Epsom & Ewell]] of the [[Surrey Senior League]] 2–1 in the final at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] before a crowd of 9,000.

In September 2021 [[Hinckley A.F.C.|Hinckley AFC]] set a new record score in the competition,<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://twitter.com/favasefactfile/status/1437123084729954308
|title = FA Vase Factfile
|access-date = 12 September 2021
|publisher=@FAVasefactfile Twitter
}}</ref> beating [[St Martins F.C.|St Martins]] 18–0.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.hinckleyafc.co.uk/2021/09/12/st-martins-0-18-hinckley-afc/
|title = St Martins 0 - 18 Hinckley AFC
|date = 12 September 2021
|access-date = 12 September 2021
|publisher=Hinckley AFC Official
}}</ref>

== Eligibility ==
[[Image:FAVaseAction2008.jpg|thumb|right|[[Whitley Bay F.C.|Whitley Bay]] take on [[Abbey Hey F.C.|Abbey Hey]] in an FA Vase match in 2008.]]
In recent years, entry to the FA Vase has been restricted to clubs in the ninth and lower tiers of the [[English football league system]] (those in the four levels above the ninth qualified for the FA Trophy). Reorganisation of the [[National League System]] for 2004 onwards moved the dividing line down to the new "Step 5" (ninth tier overall). Clubs from the [[Channel Islands]] ([[First Tower United F.C.|First Tower United]], [[St. Martins A.C.|St. Martins]] and [[Vale Recreation F.C.|Vale Recreation]]) and the Isle of Man ([[Douglas High School Old Boys F.C.|Douglas HSOB]]) also entered the Vase in the past. [[Guernsey F.C.]], who were formed in 2011 and played in the "Step 5" [[Combined Counties League]], gained entry for the 2012&ndash;13 season<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/News/2012/Jul/~/media/143D4349FBAF4B998147A116A1056E67.ashx |title=FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round draw |date=6 July 2012 |publisher=the FA  |access-date=18 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18739432 |title=FA Vase: Guernsey FC face Crowborough Athletic in FA Vase |date=6 July 2012 |work=BBC News|access-date=18 July 2012}}</ref> and reached the semi-finals.

===Exemptions===
*Eligible teams who played in the FA Vase the previous season and participated in the fourth round proper are exempt from qualifying, and start play in the second round proper of the Vase, unless they were promoted to a Step 4 league. (If they were promoted, they would play for the FA Trophy instead.)
*Those teams that lost in the third round proper the previous season are, unless promoted to the Trophy, exempt until the first round proper.

== Finals==
{{main|List of FA Vase finals}}

Only five teams have won the FA Vase more than once. [[Whitley Bay F.C.|Whitley Bay]] are the only team to win the FA Vase three times in successive seasons, while [[Billericay Town F.C.|Billericay Town]], [[Tiverton Town F.C.|Tiverton Town]] and [[Halesowen Town F.C.|Halesowen Town]] have won back-to-back titles. In 2017 [[Forest Green Rovers F.C.|Forest Green Rovers]] became the first FA Vase winners to go on to play in the [[English Football League]], while one former Football League team ([[Glossop North End A.F.C.|Glossop North End]]) have twice been beaten finalists.

==Media coverage==
[[BT Sport]] showed the [[2016 FA Vase Final]] between [[Hereford F.C.|Hereford]] and [[Morpeth Town A.F.C.|Morpeth Town]] live on 22 May as part of a double-header along with the [[2016 FA Trophy Final]].<ref name="BTSport2016">{{cite news |title=Tickets on sale for FA Non-League Finals Day at Wembley |url=http://www.thefa.com/news/competitions/2016/feb/non-league-finals-day-tickets-on-sale-110216 |access-date=27 April 2016 |work=[[The Football Association]] |date=11 February 2016}}</ref> This has continued in more recent years. The [[2025 FA Vase final]] was broadcast on [[TNT Sports 4]] and [[Discovery+]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 May 2025 |title=The Isuzu FA Trophy and FA Vase Finals are set to be broadcast live on TNT Sports |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2025/may/09/how-to-watch-non-league-finals-day-2025-20250905 |website=The FA}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.thefa.com/competitions/fa-vase The FA Vase] at the FA's official website

{{Men's football in England}}
{{FA Vase seasons}}

[[Category:FA Vase| ]]
[[Category:Men's football cup competitions in England|9]]
[[Category:The Football Association competitions|Vase]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1974]]
[[Category:Amateur association football competitions]]
[[Category:Vase sports trophies]]