FA CUP AND VASE – ROUNDS AND DRAW DATES

Details have been release by the FA for the round dates for the Emirates FA Cup and Buildbase FA Vase

EMIRATES FA CUP

Along with first division clubs, four second division clubs have been drawn into the competition:  Crook Town, Durham City, Heaton Stannington and West Allotment Celtic.

(The competition can accommodate 737 participating clubs for the 2020-21 season. This means the number of clubs admitted to the competition from Step 6 (our second division) has increased to 74.  Draws were conducted for each of the 20 divisions at Step 6 to determine which clubs would be accepted from those that had applied. From the 20 Step 6 divisions, 14 were allocated four entries into the competition, while the remaining six divisions were each allocated three entries. The number of entries allocated to each division was also determined by a draw.)

There will be no replays in the qualifying competion and due to the impact of Covid-19, prize money has been reduced to 2017/18 levels following two seasons of record investment in the FA Cup.

The draws for the first two rounds will be released on Tuesday 18 August 2020.

The dates for the first six rounds are:

Extra Preliminary Round Tuesday 1 September

Preliminary Round Saturday 12 September

First Round Qualifying Tuesday 22 September

Second Round Qualifying Saturday 3 October

Third Round Qualifying Tuesday13 October

Fourth Round Qualifying Saturday 24 October 2020

Competition Proper: dates to be confirmed

BUILDBASE FA VASE

The draws for the first two rounds will also be released on Tuesday 18 August 2020.

There will be no replays, and because of the impact of the pandemic, prize money for the Vase has been reduced by £60,000.

Four clubs have exemptions to the second round:  Consett, Hebburn Town, Stockton Town and West Auckland.

Newcastle Benfield has an exemption to the first round.

The dates for each round are (with prize money for winners and losers in brackets):

First Round Qualifying Saturday 19 September (£550/£160)

Second Round Qualifying Saturday 10 October (£725/£225)

First Round Proper Saturday 31 October (£825/£250)

Second Round Proper Saturday 28 November (£900/£275)

Third Round Proper Saturday 19 December (£1,125/£350)

Fourth Round Proper Saturday 9 January (£1,875/£600)

Fifth Round Proper Saturday 6 February (£2,250/£725)

Quarter Final Saturday 27 February (£4,125/£1,350)

Semi Final Saturday 27 March (£5,500/£1,725)

Final Saturday 8 May 2021 (£30,000/£15,000)