NOTHING LIKE A EUROPEAN NIGHT

Tonight Liverpool play Sevilla in the final of the UEFA Europa League, named thus since 2009-10. Sevilla have won this title 4 times, more than any one else. Liverpool have won this cup 3 times.

This "minor" competition is an amalgamation of the once European Cup Winners Cup (first won by an English team Tottenham Hotspur in 1962-3) and the UEFA Cup (preceded by the Inter Cities Fairs' Cup which was first competed for in 1958 by teams from cities that held "trade fairs"). These two competitions merged in 1999.

The first Inter Cities Fairs Cup Final was between a London Select XI and CF Barcelona. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg, the Spaniards got their act together and thumped six past the multi-club London team. Selected alongside international stars, Jimmy Greaves and Johnny Haynes, were Jim Lewis of Chelsea and Ken Coote of Brentford, YES who?). So it was a bit of a testimonial game.
Here's a clip of Leeds winning the cup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQkYukLPduo

The 3rd and the 17th May 1972 were the dates of the first two legged UEFA Cup Final. Tottenham and Wolves, two teams highest placed in the Football League and not qualified for the European Cup or the Cup Winners Cup. Tottenham won the first leg away 2-1 with Martin Chivers scoring both goals. They then drew at White Hart Lane 1-1 to secure the trophy.

Wolves were the first English side to embrace European floodlit football matches when they ventured into a "friendly" in 1954 against Honved of Hungary. The stuffy FA were not going to belittle themselves by joining the European "family", so Wolves went on their own way with friendlies in the 1950s.

Chelsea was the first English club to be invited to play in the European Cup as English champions in 1955 but were derailed by the FA. Manchester United eventually took to the European stage in 1956-7 reaching the semi-finals. United had to play earlier round matches at Maine Road because their floodlights were not installed!

In 2009 the UEFA Intertoto Cup was also scrapped and "qualifying" clubs added to Europa. The Intertoto was a "summer" competition for clubs not qualifying for the Champions League or UEFA Cup in the coming season. Bit of a pre-season then? Well, apparently it also encouraged betting and the pools to keep on running in the summer.

The beauty of the Europa League is the "money" it generates for clubs. Of course the qualification to the Champions League in the following season helps a tad and so does a match against the new Champions League winners in the Super Cup. Barcelona beat Sevilla last year.