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

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for 'The Football Association Challenge Cup' (

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

), 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 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

single knockout 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 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 specifically used to d ...

teams. The 32 winning teams from the Fourth Round Qualifying progressed to the

First round proper First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...

, where

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

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 (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

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

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

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 Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground. History The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but rec ...

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 football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was established in 1930 and joined the Wearside League in 1973. In 1978, it won the FA Vase. Having won promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Divi ...

folded after the draw took place,

Ossett Albion Ossett Albion Association Football Club was an English football club. They played at Queen's Terrace in Ossett, in West Yorkshire, more commonly known as Dimplewells, the area of Ossett the ground is situated in. History The club was formed in ...

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 compet ...

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, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...

and Conference South, 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. Aylesbury and

Coventry Sphinx Coventry Sphinx Football Club is a football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at Sphinx Drive. History The club was established in 1946 as a works team for Armstrong Siddeley under th ...

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, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...

, forming Level 5 of English football, entering at this stage. Aylesbury 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 association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

, 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 c ...

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