The 2009–10 FA Cup qualifying rounds opened the 129th season of competition in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

for 'The Football Association Challenge Cup' (

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

), the world's oldest

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

single

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

competition. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. The large number of clubs entering the tournament from lower down ( Levels 5 through 10) in the English football pyramid meant that the competition started with six rounds of preliminary (2) and qualifying (4) knockouts for these

non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

teams. The 32 winning teams from the fourth round qualifying progressed to the

First round proper First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, where League teams tiered at Levels 3 and 4 entered the competition.

Calendar and prizes

The calendar for the 2009–10 FA Cup qualifying rounds, as announced by

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

Extra preliminary round

The draw for the extra preliminary round was announced on The FA's website on 1 July. Matches in this round were played on the weekend of 15 August 2009, with replays played between 17 and 19 August 2009. 406 clubs from Level 9 and Level 10 of English football, entered at this stage of the competition.

Preliminary round

Preliminary round fixtures were played on the weekend of 29 August 2009. A total of 334 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, including the 203 winners from the extra preliminary round and 131 entering at this stage from the six leagues at Level 8 of English football (all except

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from Isthmian League Division One North). The round featured 50 clubs from Level 10 still in the competition, being the lowest ranked teams in this round.

First round qualifying

The first round qualifying fixtures were played on the weekend of 12 September 2009, with replays being played the following mid-week. A total of 232 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, including the 167 winners from the preliminary round and 65 entering at this stage from the top division of the three leagues at Level 7 of English football, while Halesowen Town from Southern League Premier Division was barred from FA Cup because of financial difficulties. The round featured 17 clubs from Level 10 still in the competition, being the lowest-ranked clubs in this round. As

Newcastle Blue Star Newcastle Blue Star F.C. is a association football, football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was established in 1930 and joined the Wearside League in 1973. In 1978, the club won the FA Vase. They won promotion to the Northern Prem ...

folded after the draw took place, Ossett Albion were given a walkover to the second round qualifying. Bobby Traynor was voted Player of the Round for his hat-trick in Kingstonian's 4–1 win against

Bognor Regis Town Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Nicknamed 'The Rocks’, the club is an FA Chartered Standard Community club affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association. They currently co ...

Second round qualifying

The second round qualifying fixtures were played on the weekend of 26 September 2009. A total of 160 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, including the 116 winners from the first round qualifying and 44 Level 6 clubs, from

Conference North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 o ...

and

Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...

, entering at this stage. AFC Wulfrunians, Bardon Hill Sports, East Preston, Gillingham Town and Jarrow Roofing BCA from Level 10 of English football, were the lowest-ranked clubs to qualify for this round of the competition.

Third round qualifying

The third round qualifying took place on the weekend of 10 October 2009. A total of 80 clubs took part, all having progressed from the second round qualifying.

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and Coventry Sphinx from Level 9 of English football were the lowest-ranked clubs to qualify for this round of the competition.

Fourth round qualifying

The fourth round qualifying took place on the weekend of 24 October 2009. A total of 64 clubs took part, 40 having progressed from the third round qualifying and 24 clubs from

Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...

, forming Level 5 of English football, entering at this stage.

from Level 9 of English football was the lowest-ranked club to qualify for this round of the competition.

Competition proper

Winners from the fourth round qualifying advanced to the first round proper, where clubs from Level 3 and Level 4 of English football, operating in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

, first enter the competition. See

2009–10 FA Cup The 2009–10 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 129th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. As in the previous year, 762 clubs were accepted for the competition. One ...

for competition details from the first round proper onwards.

References

External links

Football Club History Database: FA Cup 2009-10

The FA Cup Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 FA Cup Qualifying Rounds Qualifying FA Cup qualifying rounds