EFL Trophy
| EFL Trophy | |
| Full name | Leasing.com Trophy |
| Association | The Football Association |
| First edition | 1983 (as Associate Members' Cup) |
| Teams | 64 |
| Game mode |
Round-robin tournament (8 groups of 4 teams each) Knockout system (from the round of 16) |
| Title holder | Portsmouth FC (1st title) |
| Record winner | Bristol City (3 wins) |
| Website | www.efl.com |
The EFL Trophy (until 2016 Football League Trophy ) is a cup competition in English football and is played between the clubs of the bottom two leagues of the English Football League . The official name of the competition changed frequently due to changes in main sponsors. Between 2000 and 2006 the trophy was played as the LDV Vans Trophy , then from 2006 to 2016 as Johnstone's Paint Trophy . The name Associate Members' Cup is also often used in common parlance , although this refers to the outdated and no longer existing distinction between full members and partners of the Football League.
The record winner is Bristol City with three successes. Carlisle United has the most finals (6) (two wins, four defeats).
All clubs of Football League One and Football League Two as well as selected clubs from the Nationwide Conference are currently competing in the EFL Trophy and are playing out their winners in simple games in a northern and southern region in the knockout system . The two regional winners then traditionally compete against each other at Wembley Stadium to determine the cup winner. Due to the meanwhile renovation of the Wembley Stadium, the finals between 2001 and 2006 took place in the Millennium Stadium - in Cardiff , Wales.
The competition for clubs in the Third Division and Fourth Division , as the leagues were called until 1992, has its origins in the 1983/84 season. Previously, some attempts were made to compensate for the loss of the Anglo-Scottish Cup in 1981. In the subsequent Football League Group Trophy , Grimsby Town won at home in the final against Wimbledon FC in Blundell Park and in 1983 Millwall FC in an away game against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank Stadium .
The fundamental problem in the competition, in which 48 clubs take part, was always the unfavorable number, since one is clearly removed from the powers of 2, 32 and 64. To solve this, groups of three teams were formed in the first round, all of which played against each other. Another option was the awarding of byes for higher-ranking clubs in the second round. The increase in the number of additional invitations for clubs from the amateur sector from eight to twelve clubs (instead of the required 16 clubs) has not yet completely resolved the problem. Currently, two clubs from each region have a bye in the first round.
The competition is not classified as very important by many clubs, which means that higher-class clubs often lose to weaker clubs, especially in the first rounds. Club supporters also often refuse to pay any attention to the EFL Trophy, so the number of spectators is often below average. For example, a Peterborough United game against Swindon Town in November 2005 was attended by just 969 spectators (the average is around 4,500).
The cup competition received another setback in public recognition in March 2006 and even developed into a farce when the company LDV Limited withdrew as a sponsor and it was therefore clear that neither of the two finalists would receive prize money. However, the LDV website continued to advertise the competition through May of that year. The final then took place under the simple title "Football League Trophy" and there the Football League announced that they were looking for a new sponsor. In May 2006, the Football League presented Johnstone's Paint as a future partner, who supported the competition financially and acted as the new namesake.
Since the name of the Football League was changed to English Football League (EFL) in 2016, a new sponsor has also been found for the Trophy. The name was changed to Checkatrade Trophy . After another change of sponsors, the competition has been held under the name Leasing.com Trophy since 2019 .
Sponsor names
- Associate Members' Cup (1983-1984)
- Freight Rover Trophy (1984–1987)
- Sherpa Van Trophy (1987-1989)
- Leyland DAF Cup (1989–1991)
- Autoglass Trophy (1991–1994)
- Auto Windscreens Shield (1994-2000)
- LDV Vans Trophy (2000-2006)
- Johnstone's Paint Trophy (2006-2016)
- Checkatrade Trophy (2016-2019)
- Leasing.com Trophy (since 2019)
EFL Trophy winner
| season | Cup winners | Opponent in the final | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983/84 | Bournemouth AFC | Hull City | 2: 1 |
| 1984/85 | Wigan Athletic | Brentford FC | 3: 1 |
| 1985/86 | Bristol City | Bolton Wanderers | 3-0 |
| 1986/87 | Mansfield Town | Bristol City | 1: 1 n.V., 4: 3 i. E. |
| 1987/88 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Burnley FC | 2-0 |
| 1988/89 | Bolton Wanderers | Torquay United | 4: 1 |
| 1989/90 | Tranmere Rovers | Bristol Rovers | 2: 1 |
| 1990/91 | Birmingham City | Tranmere Rovers | 3: 2 |
| 1991/92 | Stoke City | Stockport County | 1-0 |
| 1992/93 | Port Vale | Stockport County | 2: 1 |
| 1993/94 | Swansea City | Huddersfield Town | 1: 1 n.V., 3: 1 i. E. |
| 1994/95 | Birmingham City | Carlisle United | 1: 0 a.d. |
| 1995/96 | Rotherham United | Shrewsbury Town | 2: 1 |
| 1996/97 | Carlisle United | Colchester United | 0: 0 a.d., 4: 3 in E. |
| 1997/98 | Grimsby Town | Bournemouth AFC | 2: 1 a.d. |
| 1998/99 | Wigan Athletic | Millwall FC | 1-0 |
| 1999/00 | Stoke City | Bristol City | 2: 1 |
| 2000/01 | Port Vale | Brentford FC | 2: 1 |
| 2001/02 | Blackpool FC | Cambridge United | 4: 1 |
| 2002/03 | Bristol City | Carlisle United | 2-0 |
| 2003/04 | Blackpool FC | Southend United | 2-0 |
| 2004/05 | Wrexham AFC | Southend United | 2: 0 a.d. |
| 2005/06 | Swansea City | Carlisle United | 2: 1 |
| 2006/07 | Doncaster Rovers | Bristol Rovers | 3: 2 a.d. |
| 2007/08 | Milton Keynes Dons | Grimsby Town | 2-0 |
| 2008/09 | Luton Town | Scunthorpe United | 3: 2 a.d. |
| 2009/10 | Southampton FC | Carlisle United | 4: 1 |
| 2010/11 | Carlisle United | Brentford FC | 1-0 |
| 2011/12 | Chesterfield FC | Swindon Town | 2-0 |
| 2012/13 | Crewe Alexandra | Southend United | 2-0 |
| 2013/14 | Peterborough United | Chesterfield FC | 3: 1 |
| 2014/15 | Bristol City | Walsall FC | 2-0 |
| 2015/16 | Barnsley FC | Oxford United | 3: 2 |
| 2016/17 | Coventry City | Oxford United | 2: 1 |
| 2017/18 | Lincoln City | Shrewsbury Town | 1-0 |
| 2018/19 | Portsmouth FC | Sunderland AFC | 2: 2 n.v., 5: 4 i. E. |
Web links
- Official website of the Leasing.com Trophy
- EFL Trophy - Results , Jeremy Hicks