Football League Centenary Tournament
| Country | UK |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16-17 April 1988 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Champions | Nottingham Forest FC |
| Runners-up | Sheffield Wednesday FC |
| Matches played | 15 |
The Football League Centenary Tournament (also known as the Mercantile Credit Football Festival) was held from 16 to 17 April 1988 at Wembley Stadium to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Football League. Qualifying was based on clubs' records in a given set of matches during the season.
Despite the hopes of the Football League, the attendances of 41,500 on the first day and 17,000 for the finals meant there was plenty of open spaces to be found around Wembley. The attendance situation was not helped by leading London clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Chelsea all not appearing in the tournament.
The tournament was won by First Division Nottingham Forest, who beat Sheffield Wednesday in the final on penalties. Their success was achieved despite manager Brian Clough not attending the Saturday. Arguably the biggest success story was Division Four side Tranmere Rovers, who a year earlier had almost been relegated out of the Football League. They stunned top-flight sides Wimbledon and Newcastle United, before taking Forest to a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals.
Qualifiers:
The following teams participated in the tournament:
Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leeds United, Liverpool, Luton Town, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Tranmere Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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