The Manchester FA Senior Cup (originally known as the Manchester and District Challenge Cup, later the Manchester Cup) is an annual

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

tournament held between the clubs of the Manchester Football Association which was first played in 1885; the first winners were Hurst who beat Newton Heath LYR in the final.

Organisation

The competition featured the major

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...

clubs of the

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

area —

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

(as Newton Heath LYR until 1892 and Newton Heath until 1902),

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

(as Ardwick until 1894),

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

, Bury,

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

, and

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...

— until the 1970s, after which only

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 ...

and

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

clubs entered. The Senior Cup was not held from 1980 to 1998, but was reintroduced as a

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

tournament for the six professional clubs, typically in round-robin format with a final usually held at the end of the season in early May. Manchester United has won the tournament 34 times (most recently in 2016), followed by Manchester City's reserve team with 21 victories (most recently in 2010). In 2021, a medal from the competition won by Newton Heath's

Tommy Fitzsimmons Thomas Fitzsimmons (15 June 1872 – 1934) was a Scottish footballer. His regular position was as a forward. He was born in Annbank, Ayrshire. He played for Annbank (featuring for the village team at various between spells at other clubs), Celt ...

in 1893, believed to be the oldest such item relating to Manchester United to have been offered for sale, was auctioned for £24,000.Manchester United: Winner's medal sold at auction for £24,100
Stuart Reid, Ayr Advertiser, 9 September 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022

Winners

References

{{Football in Greater Manchester County Cup competitions Football in Greater Manchester Recurring events established in 1885 1885 establishments in England