The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield, up to and including the 2001 edition) is an annual association football match organised by the Football Association and presently contested between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners. In the event where a club achieves the domestic double, it goes on to face the league runners-up instead.[1] The match is played every August, serving as England's super cup equivalent, and is regarded as the "curtain-raiser" and the first competitive game of each top-flight English football season.[2][3][4] Since 1974, all but seven of the matches have been held at either the original or new Wembley stadiums.[A] Stamford Bridge, which was the venue where the inaugural Charity Shield was played in 1908, has hosted the second-most finals with 11.[7][8] The current winners are Arsenal, who defeated Manchester City 4–1 on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the 2023 fixture.[9]
The format of the competition has been modified many times over the years. The game was initially contested between the champions of the Football League and Southern Football League from its inception until 1912, after which both professional and amateurs players participated.[10] Following a six-year suspension due to the First World War, the competition resumed in 1920 with a game between the champions of the Football League First and Second Divisions.[11] The following year saw the match arrangement changed again to become a contest between the Football League champions and the winners of the FA Cup,[12] switching several more times between the amateur/professional and league champion/FA Cup winners matches during the 1920s. From 1930 onwards, it settled to a standard fixture between the FA Cup winners and Football League champions,[13] except for three occasions. In 1950, the England World Cup squad played the England team who toured Canada that summer,[14] while double-winning Tottenham Hotspur played an "F.A. Selected XI" in 1961 that was described by The Times as being an "England team masquerading".[15] A decade later, in 1971, Arsenal won the double and opted against contesting the Shield in favour of playing in more profitable friendlies in Europe; Leicester City – the champions of the Second Division – took their place.[16]
Manchester United hold the record for the most victories, winning the competition 21 times since its inception.[B][17] They also hold the distinction of having the most appearances (30) and most losses (9). Although the Shield has had its share of historical moments – from Eric Cantona's first career hat-trick in 1992[18] to Manchester United's first loss of 1999 ending a streak of 33 consecutive games without a defeat,[19] it has been dismissed by some as a ceremonial friendly that is not on par with other domestic honours in terms of prestige.[16][20][21] Winning the Shield has proven to be an unreliable indicator of success in the forthcoming season.[1][20] Since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992, only eight clubs that won the Shield proceeded to become league champions in the same season, the last being Manchester City in 2018–19.[20] Indeed, Gianluca Vialli was sacked only weeks after guiding Chelsea to the victory in the 2000 match, following a lacklustre start to the season.[22]
Prior to the 2008 FA Community Shield, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson summarised his opinion of the competition: "The Community Shield is a prestigious match but I have used players in it who were not quite fit... it's always a game we never quite use as a do or die thing; we use it as a barometer for fitness".[23][24] Others, however, continue to recognise the status of the match as the first official game and trophy of the domestic season.[25][26][27] Ahead of the 2016 FA Community Shield against Manchester United, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri asked, "Why do you say this question, a friendly? When is the Community Shield a friendly? Of course we will be at the maximum and Manchester United will be at their maximum. The two teams want to win. I am very excited."[3] The following year, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte affirmed the significance of the cup, stating "It is not a friendly game. It is an official game and there is a trophy so for us it must be important" ahead of his side's clash with Arsenal, the team that had denied his club the double the previous season.[28] Likewise in 2018, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola referred to his side's clash with Chelsea in the competition as "the first final" of the season.[29]
Results
| (R) | Replay |
|---|---|
| & | Title was shared after match finished in a draw |
| † | Match decided by penalty shoot-out after full-time[C] |
| ‡ | Team was established for this match only |
Results by club
.jpg)
Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence, are still in existence but relocated, or were established only for the purpose of playing in these matches.
Notes
References
General
- "English Community Shield : Honours". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- "Community Shield". Footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- Ross, James. "England – List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
Specific