| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Dates | 30 April – 17 June 1902 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Celtic |
| Runner-up | Rangers |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 18 (4.5 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Robert Hamilton (3) Jimmy Quinn (3) |
TheBritish League Cup was afootball competition that was set up in April 1902 to raise money for thedisaster atIbrox Stadium, in which 25 people were killed and 517 injured at an international match betweenScotland andEngland at the start of that month. The four clubs that participated in this competition were the winners and runners-up of the Scottish and English football leagues. It was a predecessor to theEmpire Exhibition Trophy,Coronation Cup andAnglo-Scottish Cup. It succeeded the oldWorld Championship matches between English and Scottish top clubs, as football became more widespread in the world and England-Scotland club matches could no longer be billed as World Championships.
The competition took place inGlasgow, apart from one semi-final between Everton and Rangers played atGoodison Park inLiverpool,[1] the replay for which took place atCeltic Park where Celtic had also played Sunderland. The final, played atthe first Cathkin Park, was won 3–2 by Celtic against Rangers afterextra time, with the winning goal coming so late that many newspapers reported that the result was a 2–2 draw.[2][3][4][5] The event was held near to the accession date ofKing Edward VII and due to its Britain-wide scope was also referred to as the 'Coronation Cup' in some sources.[3] The final was held six weeks after the semi-finals with the intention to play it as close as possible to thecoronation ceremony event, but this was delayed until the August after Edward fell ill.[6]
The trophy itself had first been won by Rangers the previous year as theGlasgow International Exhibition Cup. Despite its inscription still stating "Awarded to Rangers F.C." after Celtic won the British League Cup competition, they kept the trophy permanently.[7][8][5]
Celtic (runners-up in1901–02 Scottish Division One)
Everton (runners-up in1901–02 Football League)Rangers (champions in1901–02 Scottish Division One)Sunderland (champions in1901–02 Football League)There was a further 'Rangers Benefit Tournament' to raise funds at the start of the following season,[5][9] held over a few weeks at various stadia, and with low attendances reported.[10] Celtic also won that competition, defeatingMorton 4–2 in the final at Ibrox[10] after a 7–2 win over Rangers in the quarter-final.[11][5]
In the 21st century, suggestions have been made (mostly from Scotland, although some calls from English managers) that a 'British League Cup' could be played involving the amalgamation of the EnglishEFL Cup and theScottish League Cup due to the perception of both competitions diminishing in appeal under their current formats, with no such changes implemented as of 2023.[12][13][14][15][16]
| United Kingdom |
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|---|---|
| England | |
| Scotland | |
| Wales | |
| Northern Ireland | |
| Gibraltar | |
| Records | |
