The FA Cup was born in the 1871-1872 season of English Association Football and is the oldest football competition in the world. To begin with, sides consisted of working-class amateur players, who would compete for the trophy in an eleven comprised of their factory workforces, however, the injection of finances into the game has moved it towards a professional competition where teams playing in the 10th tier of the English Football League or higher are eligible to enter.
Football has the ability to create moments of intense euphoria and complete distress all within the space of 90 minutes and has given us managers and players who we despise or adore for whatever reason. This has resulted in biographical and fictitious works being created and, most importantly, being successful.
This website focuses on looking closely at the famous cup final victories for the 12 different winners between 1980 and 2015, as well as a renowned writer associated with the club be it through a particular novel they have written, their affiliation with the city in which the football club is based, or the simple fact they are a true fan of the club. The interactive map above shows the location of each winning clubs home stadium, so please click on the plotted points to explore the different football clubs.
FA Cup Winners Literary Archive 