Trinidad and Tobago Cup
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The Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy, is the premier knockout tournament for teams in
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
that is open to all clubs affiliated with the
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is the governing body of football in Trinidad and Tobago. It is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football and ...
. The FA Trophy is the oldest football competition in Trinidad and Tobago, dating back to 1927 when Shamrock claimed the inaugural trophy. Since the competition involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is the possibility for ' giant-killers' from the lower divisions of eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically win the trophy, although lower division teams rarely reach the final. The trophy is currently contested each December through March following the
National Super League The National Super League is a league for semi-professional association football clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. It is the second-highest division of the Trinidad and Tobago football league system. The league currently comprises 19 teams between 2 l ...
season and the first round of matches in the
TT Pro League The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad ...
. The current holders of the FA Trophy are
North East Stars Athletic Club Port of Spain (previously known as North East Stars) is a Trinidad and Tobago professional football club, based in Port of Spain, Trinidad, that plays in the TT Pro League. The team plays its home games at the Hasely Crawford Stad ...
, who defeated fellow Pro League side
W Connection W Connection Football Club is a football club from Trinidad and Tobago, which currently plays in the TT Pro League. The club plays its home games at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella. The club's offices are based at the Point Lisas Industria ...
in the 2014–15 final on 29 March 2015.


Format

The competition is a
knockout tournament 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, a ...
with pairings for each round drawn at random – there are no seeds, and the draw for each round is not made until after the scheduled dates for the previous round. The draw also determines which teams will play at home. Each tie is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn after regulation time, then the match is determined by extra time and a
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
, as required. Until the 1990s, a draw would result in the match being replayed two or three days after the original game. In the result of a drawn replay, extra time and penalty shootouts were used to determine the winner. However, beginning in 1999 each match is decided in its current format. There are a total of six rounds in the competition – first, second, and third rounds, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. The competition begins in December with the first round where eight teams are entered into the competition. The remaining teams enter the FA Trophy in the second round. Each round is contested until the champion has been decided by single-elimination. Along with presented the trophy, the winning team also receives 23 gold medals and the runners-up receive 23 silver medals following the competition.


The draw

The draw for each round, performed by drawing numbered balls from a bag, is a source of great interest to clubs and their supporters. Sometimes two top clubs may be drawn against each other in the early rounds, removing the possibility of them meeting in the final. Lower-ranked clubs with reputations as ' giant-killers' look forward to meeting a top team. Top-ranked teams look for easy opposition, but have to be on their guard against 'giant-killers' and lower teams with ambition.


Eligible teams

All clubs in the
TT Pro League The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad ...
are automatically eligible and the top six clubs following the league season in the
National Super League The National Super League is a league for semi-professional association football clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. It is the second-highest division of the Trinidad and Tobago football league system. The league currently comprises 19 teams between 2 l ...
are also eligible to enter the competition. Clubs from the six regional football association leagues that consist the third level of the
football pyramid In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
are also eligible. However, qualification is determined by the club's respective regional football association and narrowed to the top three clubs from each league. All clubs entering the competition must have a suitable stadium. The number of entrants increased from 32 to 36 beginning with the 2011–12 edition. The
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is the governing body of football in Trinidad and Tobago. It is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football and ...
decided to include the top four teams from the Secondary Schools Football League to provide youth players an opportunity to compete with
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 ski ...
and semi-professional clubs. By comparison, the other major
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
domestic cup, the
First Citizens Cup First or 1st is the ordinal form of the 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, DJ, and rec ...
, involves only the members of the
TT Pro League The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad ...
.


Trophy

There have been 35 different trophy winners with Malvern United and Maple Club claiming the most titles with seven each. At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, also known as the "FA Trophy", which they hold until the following year's final. Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners' and runners'-up medals. The present FA Trophy has been used since the inception of the tournament in 1927. Following the awarding of the winners' medals, the trophy is presented by President of the
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is the governing body of football in Trinidad and Tobago. It is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football and ...
to the winning team's captain. Eight clubs have won consecutive FA Trophies: Everton (1929–32), Colts (1944–45), United British Oilfields Trinidad (1950–51), Malvern United (1960–61), Maple Club (1970–72),
ASL Sports Club American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is expres ...
(1982–83),
W Connection W Connection Football Club is a football club from Trinidad and Tobago, which currently plays in the TT Pro League. The club plays its home games at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella. The club's offices are based at the Point Lisas Industria ...
(1999–2000), and
Caledonia AIA Morvant Caledonia United (formerly known as Caledonia AIA) is a professional football team in Trinidad and Tobago's top-level TT Pro League. It is based in Morvant; its home stadium is Hasely Crawford Stadium. History The Caledonia AIA Footba ...
(2012–13). However, there has not been any clubs to win consecutive FA Trophies on more than one occasion. With the start of the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
in 1997, there has not been any clubs that have won the FA Trophy as part of a League and Cup double. In 1985, Defence Force added the 1985 Champions' Cup crown to their double, an accomplishment known as the
continental treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...
.


Winners from outside the top flight

Since the debut of
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 ski ...
teams into the competition in 1999, clubs from the former Professional Football League (PFL) and the current
TT Pro League The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad ...
have won the cup in all but one of those years. WASA of the Super League were surprise winners in 2006, defeating two professional clubs, including the
North East Stars Athletic Club Port of Spain (previously known as North East Stars) is a Trinidad and Tobago professional football club, based in Port of Spain, Trinidad, that plays in the TT Pro League. The team plays its home games at the Hasely Crawford Stad ...
4-2 on
penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...
after the championship match ended drawn 3–3. In fact, WASA remains the only club to win the trophy from outside the top flight since the introduction of professional clubs. There has been only one other occurrence of a team outside to the
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 ski ...
ranks to reach the final. In 2001, Carib from the Eastern FA, reached the final after defeating
North East Stars Athletic Club Port of Spain (previously known as North East Stars) is a Trinidad and Tobago professional football club, based in Port of Spain, Trinidad, that plays in the TT Pro League. The team plays its home games at the Hasely Crawford Stad ...
and
Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
of the PFL. However, Carib fell to their third professional opponent, Joe Public, in the final.


References


External links


Official Website
RSSSF.com ''(see the section "FA Cup")'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Trinidad And Tobago Cup 1 National association football cups Recurring sporting events established in 1927