Editing FA Vase (section)

== History ==
[[Image:Nantwich Town FC - FA Vase Parade.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Nantwich Town F.C.|Nantwich Town]] celebrate winning the Vase after beating [[Hillingdon Borough F.C.|Hillingdon Borough]] in the final in 2006.]]

Until 1974, football players were categorised as either professionals or amateurs.  Amateurs were not paid (at least not officially) by their clubs; amateur clubs had their own national cup competition, the [[FA Amateur Cup]].  Professionals were paid to play by their clubs; until the creation of the [[FA Trophy]] in 1969 there was no national knock-out competition specifically for professional clubs outside [[the Football League]].  

In 1974, with many of the top amateur players receiving payment for playing, [[the Football Association]] abolished the distinction, scrapped the Amateur Cup and introduced the FA Vase for the majority of clubs who had previously played in the competition. Well over 200 clubs entered in the first season, 1974–75, when [[Hoddesdon Town F.C.|Hoddesdon Town]] of the [[Spartan League]] beat [[Epsom & Ewell F.C.|Epsom & Ewell]] of the [[Surrey Senior League]] 2–1 in the final at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] before a crowd of 9,000.

In September 2021 [[Hinckley A.F.C.|Hinckley AFC]] set a new record score in the competition,<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://twitter.com/favasefactfile/status/1437123084729954308
|title = FA Vase Factfile
|access-date = 12 September 2021
|publisher=@FAVasefactfile Twitter
}}</ref> beating [[St Martins F.C.|St Martins]] 18–0.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.hinckleyafc.co.uk/2021/09/12/st-martins-0-18-hinckley-afc/
|title = St Martins 0 - 18 Hinckley AFC
|date = 12 September 2021
|access-date = 12 September 2021
|publisher=Hinckley AFC Official
}}</ref>