Football League Centenary Trophy
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Dates | 29 August 1988 – 9 October 1988 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Champions | Arsenal |
| Runners-up | Manchester United |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Goals scored | 17 (2.43 per match) |
| Attendance | 130,025 (18,575 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) |
Brian Marwood (2 goals) |
The Football League Centenary Trophy was an English football tournament held during the 1988–89 season to celebrate the 100th birthday of The Football League. The competition was known as the Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy for sponsorship reasons.
The competition was played on a knockout basis between the top eight sides from the Football League First Division the previous season, with the final between Arsenal and Manchester United taking place at the birthplace of League Football, Aston Villa's home ground, Villa Park on 9 October 1988. Goals from Paul Davis and Michael Thomas gave Arsenal a 2–1 victory, with Clayton Blackmore the scorer for United.
It was the second competition staged to celebrate the centenary of the Football League following the Football League Centenary Tournament, a friendly tournament competed between 16 clubs at Wembley Stadium in April 1988. Despite most of the country's leading clubs being involved, crowds for the Centenary Trophy were generally disappointing and only the semi–final match between Arsenal and Liverpool attracted more than 25,000.
The top 8 finishers from the 1987–88 edition of the Football League First Division qualified for the tournament. The tournament was held in part due to the 5-year European ban for English sides and was similar in format to the Football League Super Cup held two seasons earlier. The top 8 was as follows:
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