The 2001–02 FA Cup qualifying rounds opened the 121st 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. A total of 596 clubs were accepted for the competition, down six from the previous season’s 602. 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. Somerset Senior League and South Western Football League were the only level 10 leagues represented in the Cup, three clubs from the leagues were the lowest-ranked clubs in competition. The 32 winning teams from 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

Extra preliminary round

Matches played on weekend of Saturday 17 August 2001. 24 clubs from Level 8 and Level 9 of English football, entered at this stage of the competition, while other 303 clubs from levels 8-10 get a bye to the next rounds.

Preliminary round

Matches played on weekend of Saturday 1 September 2001. A total of 402 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, including the 12 winners from the extra preliminary round, 302 clubs from Levels 8-10, who get a bye in the extra preliminary round and 88 entering at this stage from the four divisions at Level 7 of English football. The round featured three clubs from Level 10: Falmouth Town and

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from the South Western Football League and Clevedon United from the Somerset Senior League, being the lowest ranked clubs in this round.

First qualifying round

Matches on weekend of 15 September 2001. A total of 202 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, 201 progressed from the preliminary round plus

AFC Sudbury Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury is a association football, football club based in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. The club was formed in 1999 by the merger of Sudbury Town F.C., Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers F.C., Sudbury Wanderers, the proc ...

from the

Eastern Counties Football League The Eastern Counties Football League, currently known as the Thurlow Nunn League for sponsorship purposes, is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk ...

, who get a bye to this stage. Falmouth Town and

from the South Western Football League at Level 10 of English football were the lowest-ranked clubs to qualify for this round of the competition.

Second qualifying round

Matches played on weekend of 29 September 2001. A total of 168 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, including the 101 winners from the first qualifying round and 67 Level 6 clubs, from Premier divisions of the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

and

Southern Football League The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...

, entering at this stage. The round featured

and Falmouth Town from the South Western Football League, being the lowest ranked clubs in this round. Also, eight clubs from Level 9 divisions were still in the competition.

Third qualifying round

Matches on weekend of 13 October 2001. A total of 84 clubs took part, all having progressed from the second qualifying round.

from the South Western Football League at Level 10 of English football was the lowest-ranked club to qualify for this round of the competition.

Fourth qualifying round

Matches played on weekend of Saturday 27 October 2001. A total of 64 clubs took part, 42 having progressed from the third qualifying round and 22 clubs from

Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...

, forming Level 5 of English football, entering at this stage. The round featured four clubs from Level 8 still in the competition, being the lowest ranked clubs in this round.

2001–02 FA Cup

See 2001–02 FA Cup for details of the rounds from the first round proper onwards.

External links

Football Club History Database: FA Cup 2001–02

The FA Cup Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:2001-02 FA Cup qualifying rounds FA Cup qualifying rounds Qual