Sheriff of London Charity Shield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sheriff of London Charity Shield was an English football competition played once a year between the best amateur and best professional side in England.

The first game was played on March 19, 1898, after being devised by Sir Thomas Dewar. Proceeds from the annual game were distributed to hospitals and charities.

The competition was short-lived due, in part, to the dominance of the professional sides, and also to a rift in the Football Association which saw the creation of the Amateur Football Association. The shield was last competed for in 1905 - although the charitable spirit of the trophy was to continue on in the Charity Shield.

The Shield itself, commissioned by Dewar, was over six feet high - the largest trophy to be competed for in the history of football. In the 1980's the trophy was put up for auction and sold for £26,000 to a private American owner. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

[edit] List of champions

1898	Corinthians & Sheffield United shared
1899	Aston Villa & Queens Park shared
1900	Corinthians
1901	Aston Villa
1902	Tottenham Hotspur
1903	Sunderland
1904	Corinthians
1905	The Wednesday
1906	Liverpool
1907	Newcastle United