Organised by the FA, the match generates proceeds that are directed towards communities and charities 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 National Charity partners. First played in the 1908-9 season as a replacement for the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, the match has since become a regular fixture.
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.
The Community Shield evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, introduced in 1898, which was originally contested between teams of professionals and amateurs, reflecting the 'gentlemen and players' tradition. 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. The inaugural match in 1908 was played between Manchester United, the Football League First Division champions ( as it was then) 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. Manchester Utd has won this match, most, 21 times.
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 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 a select FA team returning from a tour of Canada and the 1961 Title, where double-winning (First Division and FA Cup Winners 1960-1) Tottenham Hotspur played a chosen Football Association XI.
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.
The match has been held at the start of the season since 1959. Situations where one club won both the League and FA Cup created inconsistencies in opposition. In 1972 and 1973, several clubs declined invitations, leading to irregular pairings such as Manchester City versus Aston Villa and Burnley. In 1974, FA secretary Ted Croker formalised the modern format of league champions versus FA Cup winners, hosted annually at Wembley Statium. Between 1949 and 1991, eleven editions of the Shield were shared following drawn results, but since 1993, penalty shoot-outs have been used to determine a winner.
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 1993. In 2002, the Charity Commision 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. This led to the competition being renamed the Community Shield.
In 2016, the FA's silversmith, 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, which became the FA’s official charity partner that year. The auction was held at The Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, the same venue where England had celebrated their 1966 victory.
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 in 2022, which was due to Wembley hosting the final of UEFA Womens Euro on the following day.
Seven grounds have hosted the fixture once: St James' Park in 1932, Roker Park in 1936, Burden 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.
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