Football Association

Football Association (FA), governing body of association football in England, the oldest such national association in the world.

The FA was founded in October 1863, with the intention of establishing a universally accepted set of rules for the increasingly popular game. The Football Association Challenge Cup (the FA Cup)—the world’s inaugural football competition—was first played in 1872. Also in 1872 the FA organized the first-ever international match, between England and Scotland. In 1909 the FA established the Charity Shield (renamed the Community Shield in 2002).

The FA joined the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in 1905. However, the FA boycotted FIFA from 1919 due to differences over the presence of representatives of recent enemies from World War I. In 1946 the FA was persuaded by FIFA president Jules Rimet to end the boycott, and in 1950 England took part in the World Cup for the first time. Four years later the FA became a founder member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

The FA is based at Soho Square, London, and Lilleshall, Shropshire. Its chief executive works with the FA management team, which includes the heads of the FA's seven divisions (national game; football; governing body; marketing; internal and external affairs; services; and technology). About 3 million participants, 40,000 clubs, and 2,200 leagues are affiliated to the FA; about 11,500 coaches are registered to the organization. The FA led the project to develop the new national stadium at Wembley.