Sheriff of London Charity Shield
| Founded | 1898 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1983 |
| Region |
 England Scotland
|
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Last champions | Watford (2 titles) |
| Most successful club(s) | Arsenal (4 titles) |
| Website | FA Community Shield |
The Sheriff of London Charity Shield, also known as the Dewar Shield was a football competition played annually between the best amateur and best professional club in England, though Scottish amateur side Queens Park also took part in 1899. The professional side was either the Football League champion or FA Cup winner from the previous season while the amateurs were usually represented by Corinthian, a renowned amateur side of the time. The first game was played on 19 March 1898, after being devised by Sir Thomas Dewar and ratified by the Football Association, whose president Lord Kinnaird and former president Sir Francis Marindin sat on the Shield's committee.
Proceeds from the annual game were distributed to hospitals and charities. The game was the predecessor to the FA Charity Shield, today the FA Community Shield, which began in 1908 after the Amateur Football Association split from the Football Association. After 1908 the trophy was revived on seven occasions in the twentieth century to raise funds for grassroots football causes in matches played between London-based sides.
In 1898 a shield was offered by Sir Thomas Dewar, the current Sheriff of London, with the understanding that it would pit the best professional side and amateur side against each other with proceeds going to charity. A high profile committee of Football Association and amateur football representatives, politicians and England players past and present was formed composed of Sir Dewar; Lord Kinnaird (President of the FA); Sir Reginald Hanson (Lord Mayor of London); Sir Francis Marindin (Former President of the FA); Sir William Bromley-Davenport (Member of Parliament and former England international footballer); Colonel Harry McCalmont (Member of Parliament), R. Cunliffe Gosling (former England captain), Dr. Kemp, N. L. Jackson (FA Honorary Secretary and Founder of Corinthian), John Bentley (President of the Football League), and Charles Wreford-Brown (former England captain and FA Council member).
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