FA National League System Cup
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The FA National League System Cup is a football competition run by The Football Association. It was created in the 2003-04 season to provide an English representative in the UEFA Regions' Cup.
In previous Regions' Cups, the FA had nominated a team to take part; in the 2002-03 season it was a Kent County League XI. UEFA decreed that in the future all Regions' Cup entrants must have won a national competition, and so the NLS Cup was formed.
The cup is contested by representative sides from leagues at level 7 of the National League System with a few other leagues permitted by the FA. That is roughly at the county level or eleventh overall tier of the English football league system. The first final was held on May 8, 2004, and was won by the Mid Cheshire League, who beat the Cambridgeshire County League 2-0.
The second final was held on May 7, 2006 at Cambridge United's Abbey Stadium, and saw the Cambridgeshire County League and Isle of Man Football League compete. The Isle of Man comfortably won the fixture with four goals in the second half and claimed the trophy with a final score of 4-0. The team travelled to the Czech Republic in April 2007 for the Intermediary Round of the UEFA Regions' Cup. After a 1-2 defeat to the Bratislava team (Slovakia) a 3-2 win over the hosting Hradec Králové team left the side with a chance of qualifying for the finals. Unfortunately a 0-1 loss to Northern Ireland's Eastern Region ended their hopes.
The 2008 final was held at Coventry City's Ricoh Arena on Saturday 3 May. The Southern Amateur League won the competition at the first attempt after winning a penalty shoot-out 4-2 following a 1-1 draw. The SAL team travelled to Turin in October 2008 for the Intermediary Round of the UEFA Regions' Cup where they took on representatives from Italy, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. The team finished second on goal difference.
[edit] Finals
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Mid Cheshire League | 2-0 | Cambridgeshire County League |
| 2006 | Isle of Man League | 4-0 | Cambridgeshire County League |
| 2008 | Southern Amateur League | 1-1, 4-2p | Midland Combination (Div 1) |
