FA Community Shield

England's domestic super cup, the curtain-raiser to the top-flight season.

The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is an annual match in English football contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the same team wins both the league and the FA Cup, the match is played against the Premier League runners-up. The competition is the equivalent of the domestic super cup in other countries.

Quick Facts

Key rivals in final: Arsenal, Manchester City
Total wins: 21

Lore & Background

The Community Shield evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, introduced in 1898. The Football Association Charity Shield was created to replace it after leading amateur clubs became estranged from the FA. The inaugural match in 1908 was played between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers; after a 1–1 draw, United won 4–0 in the replay. The format varied in early years, including amateur versus professional matches. In 1930 the competition settled into its now-familiar format of league champions versus FA Cup winners. In 2002, the Charity Commission ruled that the FA had failed to fulfil its charitable obligations, leading to the competition being renamed the Community Shield. Arsenal won the first edition under the new name, defeating Liverpool 1–0.

Reader's Guide

The rules are generally the same as those of the Premier League, with a team of 11 starting players and 9 substitutes. Teams are permitted up to six substitutions. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, a penalty shootout decides the winner. If a team wins both the Premier League and the FA Cup, the runners-up from the Premier League will be the opposition.

Did You Know?

Manchester United have 17 outright wins and 4 shared wins, the most of any club.
The highest scoring game was Manchester United's 8–4 win against Swindon Town in 1911.
Brighton & Hove Albion are the only club to win just the Shield (in 1910), never the FA Cup or the League.
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Pat Jennings scored against Manchester United from his own penalty area in the 1967 Charity Shield, which was shared at 3–3.