Founded | 1927 |
---|---|
Region | Trinidad and Tobago |
Number of teams | 36 |
Current champions |
North East Stars (2nd title) |
Most successful club(s) |
Maple Club Malvern United (7 titles each) |
Website | FA Trophy |
2013–14 FA Trophy |
The Trinidad and Tobago Cup, or commonly known as the FA Trophy, is the premier knockout tournament for teams in Trinidad and Tobago that is open to all clubs affiliated with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association. The FA Trophy is the oldest football competition in Trinidad and Tobago, dating back to 1927 when Shamrock claimed the inaugural trophy. Since the competition involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is the possibility for 'giant-killers' from the lower divisions of eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically win the trophy, although lower division teams rarely reach the final.
The trophy is currently contested each December through March following the National Super League season and the first round of matches in the TT Pro League. The current holders of the FA Trophy are North East Stars, who defeated fellow Pro League side W Connection in the 2014–15 final on 29 March 2015.
The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings for each round drawn at random – there are no seeds, and the draw for each round is not made until after the scheduled dates for the previous round. The draw also determines which teams will play at home.
Each tie is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn after regulation time, then the match is determined by extra time and a penalty shootout, as required. Until the 1990s, a draw would result in the match being replayed two or three days after the original game. In the result of a drawn replay, extra time and penalty shootouts were used to determine the winner. However, beginning in 1999 each match is decided in its current format.