Editing Full Members' Cup (section)

{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox football tournament
| name                 = Full Members' Cup
| founded              = 1985
| abolished            = 1992
| number of teams      = 41 (1991–92)
| current champions    = [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] (2nd title)
| most successful club = [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]<br>[[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]<br>(2 titles)
}}

The '''Full Members' Cup''' was an association football cup competition held in [[Football in England|English football]] from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the '''[[Simod|Simod Cup]]''' from 1987 to 1989 and the '''[[Zenith Data Systems|Zenith Data Systems Cup]]''' from 1989 to 1992.<ref name=fchd>[https://www.fchd.info/cups/fullmemberscupsummary.htm Full Members Cup overview and finals at FCHD]</ref>

The competition was created after the 1985 [[Heysel Stadium disaster]], when English clubs were banned from [[UEFA#Competitions|European competition]], as an additional competition for clubs in the top two English League divisions.<ref name="times">{{cite news|title=Caught in Time: Blackburn Rovers win Full Members Cup, 1987|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article516585.ece|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114070414/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article516585.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 January 2013|work=Sunday Times|access-date=9 November 2010|author=Rob Maul|date=20 February 2005}}</ref> The competition's name refers to the clubs that were Full Members of [[the Football League]], with full voting rights; teams from the lower two divisions were Associate Members and were only eligible for the Associate Members' Cup (now known as the [[EFL Trophy]]). The initial Full Members' Cup did not include the six teams that had qualified for 1985–86 European competitions, as these played in the [[Football League Super Cup|Super Cup]] instead.<ref name=PlanetFootball/>

While the European ban of English clubs was partially lifted for 1990–91, and fully lifted for 1991–92, the Full Members' Cup survived through the end of 1991–92, its seventh season. The competition was then cancelled the following season when the [[Football League First Division]] was superseded by the [[Premier League]] as the top division.

Seven finals took place between 1986 and 1992. [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] and [[Reading F.C.|Reading]] were the only [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] teams to win the cup.

[[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] were the most successful teams in the competition, with both of them winning it twice.