| Football Association Trophy | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | England Wales |
| Dates | Qualifying rounds: 8 September 2023 – 7 October 2023 Competition Proper: 28 October 2023 – 11 May 2024 |
| Defending champions | FC Halifax Town |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Gateshead |
| Runners-up | Solihull Moors |
The2023–24 FA Trophy (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2023–24Isuzu FA Trophy) was the 55th edition of theFA Trophy, an annualfootball competition for teams at levels 5–8 of theEnglish football league system.
Applications to enter the 55th edition of theFA Trophy needed to be submitted by 1 April 2023.[1] Competing clubs had to compete between step 1 and step 4 of thenon-League pyramid, equivalent to levels 5 to 8 of the overallEnglish football league system. Furthermore, grounds had to conform to grade 4 of the FA National Ground Grading.[1]
The calendar was announced byThe Football Association on 1 July 2023.[2] The competition consists of three qualifying rounds and eight proper rounds.[3] Teams enter at different stages depending on their position in theEnglish pyramid.[3] Teams at level 8 enter into the first qualifying round and must win 11 matches to become champions.[3] Level 7 teams enter into the third qualifying round and must win 9 matches to become champions.[4] Level 6 teams enter into the second round proper and must win 7 matches to become champions.[3] Level 5 teams enter into the third round proper and must win 6 matches to become champions.[3]
All rounds are single-matchknockout format, with the winner decided by penalties if the match was drawn after 90 minutes, apart from the Final where the winner was decided by extra-time and penalties if the match is drawn.[4] This is the same format as the2020–21,2021–22 and2022–23 seasons which broke from previous seasons that used replays and two-legged semi-finals. The2019–20 season was scheduled to play two-legged semi-finals but due to their delay by theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom were shifted to a single match.[5] All other previous editions played to the same format of replaysand two-legged semi-finals.
FC Halifax Town were the reigning champions for the 2023–24 season, having defeatedGateshead in the2023 FA Trophy final atWembley Stadium.[6][7]
| Round | Main Date | Number of Fixtures | Clubs Remaining | New Entries This Round | Losing Club | Winning Club |
| First round qualifying | 9 September 2023 | 80(incl. 1 bye) | 319 → 240 | 159 (incl. 1 bye) | £400 | £1,500 |
| Second round qualifying | 23 September 2023 | 40 | 240 → 200 | none | £575 | £2,250 |
| Third round qualifying | 7 October 2023 | 64 | 200 → 136 | 88 | £625 | £2,450 |
| First round proper | 28 October 2023 | 32 | 136 → 104 | none | £775 | £3,000 |
| Second round proper | 18 November 2023 | 40 | 104 → 64 | 48 | £1,000 | £3,750 |
| Third round proper | 9 December 2023 | 32 | 64 → 32 | 24 | £1,250 | £4,500 |
| Fourth round proper | 13 January 2024 | 16 | 32 → 16 | none | £1,500 | £5,250 |
| Fifth round proper | 10 February 2024 | 8 | 16 → 8 | £1,750 | £6,000 | |
| Quarter-finals | 9 March 2024 | 4 | 8 → 4 | £2,000 | £7,500 | |
| Semi-finals | 6 April 2024 | 2 | 4 → 2 | £5,000 | £15,000 | |
| Final | 11 May 2024 | 1 | 2 → 1 | £30,000 | £60,000 |
The draw for the first qualifying round was made on 8 July 2023.[8]
The first round of qualifying took place on the weekend of 8–10 September[4] and involved 158 teams in 79 matches.[9][10]159 teams, all from Level 8 of theEnglish football league system, were drawn into 79 fixtures, with the leftover team,Hinckley LR, receiving a bye.[3]
The draw for the second qualifying round was also made on 8 July 2023.[8]
This round consisted of the 79 winners from the previous round alongsideHinckley LR who received a bye in the previous round.
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The draw for the third qualifying round was made on 25 September 2023.[15] The 40 winners from the previous round were joined by 88 teams from the seventh level.
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The draw for the First round proper was made on 9 October 2023 consisting of the 64 winners from the previous round.[17]
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The draw for the second round was made on 30 October 2023, seeing the 48 teams from step two joining the 32 winners from the previous round.[19][4]
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The draw for the third round was made on 20 November 2023 and saw the 24 clubs from theNational League join the 40 winners from the previous round.[21][22]
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The draw for the fourth round was made on 11 December 2023 containing the 32 winners from the previous round.[24]
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The draw for the fifth round was made on 15 January 2024.[26]
| Tie | Home team (level) | Score[11][27] | Away team (level) | Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 10 February 2024 | ||||
| 1 | Welling United (6) | 0–3 | Barnet (5) | 652 |
| 2 | Bromley (5) | 2–0 | Aveley (6) | 1,311 |
| 3 | Hereford (6) | 0–1 | Gateshead (5) | 2,263 |
| 4 | Peterborough Sports (6) | 1–0 | Kidderminster Harriers (5) | 608 |
| 6 | Chorley (6) | 1–3 | Solihull Moors (5) | 2,087 |
| 8 | Hampton & Richmond Borough (6) | 0–2 | Macclesfield (7) | 1,480 |
| Tuesday 20 February 2024 | ||||
| 5 | Wealdstone (5) | 4–0 | Hendon (7) | 711 |
| Match played atHendon. | ||||
| 7 | Bishop's Stortford (6) | 0–3 | Coalville Town (7) | 203 |
The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 12 February 2024.[28]
| Tie | Home team (level) | Score[11][29] | Away team (level) | Att. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 9 March 2024 | ||||
| 1 | Gateshead (5) | 3–2 | Peterborough Sports (6) | 794 |
| 2 | Bromley (5) | 2–0 | Barnet (5) | 2,557 |
| 3 | Wealdstone (5) | 1–1(3–4p) | Solihull Moors (5) | 1,018 |
| 4 | Macclesfield (7) | 3–0 | Coalville Town (7) | 2,510 |
The draw for the semi-finals was made on 11 March 2024.[30]
| Gateshead (5) | 2–1 | Macclesfield (7) |
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| Report |
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| Bromley (5) | 1–2 | Solihull Moors (5) |
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| Report |
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| Gateshead(5) | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Solihull Moors(5) |
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| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 5–4 | ||
