The Football Association

Lore & Background

The FA was formed at a series of meetings in the Freemasons' Tavern in London, starting on 26 October 1863. The first FA Cup Final was held at The Oval on 16 March 1872, between the Wanderers and the Royal Engineers. The FA is based at Wembley Stadium in London.

In Their Own Story

The rain had stopped, but the floodlights still hummed against the dark. A man in a threadbare terracotta scarf stood at the back of the Wembley stand, his breath fogging in the November air, watching the FA Cup semi-final. Somewhere in the lower tier, a kid no older than ten pressed his face to the railing, eyes wide, while his grandfather beside him muttered the same half-remembered chant he'd sung in '82. The ball struck the crossbar, rebounded, and the whole stadium inhaled as one. Then the net bulged. The roar that followed was not a sound so much as a pressure wave, a physical shove against the chest. The man in the scarf closed his eyes, let his head fall back, and for three seconds the entire weight of a hundred and fifty years of English football — the tavern, the oval, the white shirts, the losses, the one glorious summer — pressed down on him like a hand on the shoulder. Then he opened his eyes, turned to the kid, and said, "That's the game, son. That's why we're here."

Reader's Guide

The FA facilitates all competitive football matches within its remit at national level, and indirectly at local level through the county football associations. It runs numerous competitions, the most famous of which is the FA Cup. It is also responsible for appointing the management of the men's, women's, and youth national football teams.

Did You Know?

• The FA is a member of both UEFA and FIFA and holds a permanent seat on the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
• As the first football association, it does not use the national name 'English' in its title.
• The FA has veto power over the appointment of the Premier League chairman and chief executive and over any changes to league rules.
• The first FA Cup Final was held at The Oval on 16 March 1872.