The Lancashire Football Association Challenge Trophy is an English football competition for senior non-league clubs who are members of the Lancashire County Football Association. The trophy was first played for in 1885, when it was known as the Lancashire Junior Cup. It is currently sponsored by Partners Foundation and is known as The Partners Foundation Challenge Trophy.
Format The competition is open to senior non-league clubs within the historical boundaries of Lancashire. A total of 28 clubs currently enter the competition from six different leagues. As of 2008–09 the four clubs from the Football Conference each receive byes to the second round, where they are then joined by the twelve winners from the first round.
From the 2009–10 season the semi-finals have been played at the County Ground, Thurston Road in Leyland, with the final being held at the Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers. The 2011–12 final between Chorley FC and Kendal Town FC, played on 12 March 2012, attracted a crowd of 2,673.
History The first Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy took place in the 1885–86 season, when Bell's Temperance of Accrington beat Darwen Rovers 6–2 in the final at Fleetwood Rangers.. Before the First World War, the champions mostly came from the Lancashire Combination and the Lancashire League, but on occasion from the lower level Lancashire Alliance, and in 1897 the surprise winner was Hapton from the North-East Lancashire Combination.
The only times the trophy was not competed was 1915–18 during World War I, 1940–41 season during World War II, although it did continue for the rest of the war years, and 2020–21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chorley are the most successful club with eighteen wins, the first coming in 1893–94 and the last of which came in 2017–18. Former non-league clubs Morecambe, who now play in the Football League and Wigan Athletic, now in League One are next with eleven wins. Morecambe's last victory was in 2003–04 and Wigan's last victory was in 1977–78.
Past winners
SeasonWinners1885–86Bell's Temperance1886–87Bell's Temperance1887–88Blackpool1888–89Oswaldtwistle Rovers1889–90Bury1890–91Blackpool1891–92Kearsley1892–93Clitheroe1893–94Chorley1894–95Lytham1895–96Blackburn Park Road1896–97Hapton1897–98Skerton1898–99Skerton1899–1900Turton1900–01Heywood1901–02Turton1902–03Turton1903–04Earlestown1904–05Turton1905–06Colne1906–07Earlestown1907–08Nelson1908–09Chorley1909–10Rochdale1910–11Bacup1911–12Rossendale United1912–13Fleetwood1913–14Heywood United1914–15Skelmersdale United1915–18(no competition)1918–19Runcorn1919–20Southport1920–21Accrington Stanley1921–22New Brighton1922–23Croston1923–24Chorley1924–25Horwich RMI1925–26Morecambe1926–27Morecambe1927–28Lancaster Town1928–29Lancaster Town1929–30Horwich RMI1930–31Lancaster Town1931–32Dick, Kerr's1932–33Darwen1933–34Lancaster Town1934–35Fleetwood1935–36Wigan Athletic1936–37South Liverpool1937–38South Liverpool1938–39South Liverpool1939–40Chorley1940–41(no competition)1941–42Blackpool Services1942–43Blackpool Services1943–44Blackpool Services1944–45Howard & Bulloughs1945–46Chorley1946–47Rochdale Reserves1947–48Burscough1948–49Barrow Reserves1949–50Burscough1950–51Rochdale Reserves1951–52Lancaster City1952–53Wigan Athletic1953–54Wigan Athletic1954–55Nelson1955–56Wigan Athletic1956–57New Brighton1957–58Chorley1958–59Chorley1959–60Wigan Athletic1960–61Chorley1961–62Morecambe1962–63Morecambe1963–64Chorley1964–65Chorley1965–66Wigan Athletic1966–67Burscough1967–68Wigan Athletic1968–69Morecambe1969–70Skelmersdale United1970–71Skelmersdale United1971–72Wigan Athletic1972–73Rossendale United1973–74Wigan Athletic1974–75Lancaster City1975–76Chorley1976–77Wigan Athletic1977–78Wigan Athletic1978–79Marine1979–80Chorley1980–81Barrow1981–82Chorley1982–83Chorley1983–84South Liverpool1984–85ClitheroeLater Clitheroe club founded in 1925.1985–86Morecambe1986–87Morecambe1987–88Marine1988–89Colne Dynamoes1989–90Colne Dynamoes1990–91Marine1991–92Great Harwood Town1992–93Southport1993–94Morecambe1994–95Bamber Bridge1995–96Morecambe1996–97Southport1997–98Southport1998–99Morecambe1999–2000Marine2000–01Southport2001–02Accrington Stanley2002–03Leigh RMI2003–04Morecambe2004–05Accrington Stanley2005–06Southport2006–07Burscough2007–08Southport2008–09Skelmersdale United2009–10Southport2010–11AFC Fylde2011–12Chorley2012–13AFC Fylde2013–14AFC Fylde2014–15Chorley2015-16Chorley2016–17Ashton Athletic2017-18Chorley2018-19Southport2019-20 Lancaster City2020-21Competition not held2021-22Southport2022-23Southport2023-24Colne2024-25Southport2025-26Lancaster City
Winners by club
ClubNumber of WinsMost Recent Win1Chorley18 2017-182Southport12 2024-25 3Morecambe11 2003–04 Wigan Athletic11 1977–78 5Lancaster City (inc. Lancaster Town)8 2025 - 266Burscough4 2006–07 Marine4 1999–2000 South Liverpool4 1983–84 Turton4 1904–05 Skelmersdale United4 2008–09 11Accrington Stanley3 2004–05 AFC Fylde3 2013–14 Blackpool Services3 1943–44 Leigh RMI (inc. Horwich RMI)3 2002–03 Rochdale (inc. Rochdale Reserves)3 1950–51 16Barrow (inc. Barrow Reserves)2 1980–81 Bell's Temperance2 1886–87 Blackpool2 1890–91 Colne Dynamoes2 1989–90 Earlestown2 1906–07 Fleetwood2 1934–35 Nelson2 1989–90 New Brighton2 1906–07 Rossendale United2 1972–73 Skerton2 1898–99 26Bacup Borough (as Bacup)1 1910–11 Bamber Bridge1 1994–95 Blackburn Park Road1 1895–96 Bury1 1889–90 Clitheroe (1887)1 1892–93 Clitheroe (1925)1 1984–85 Colne (1903)1 1905–06 Colne (1996)1 2023–24 Croston1 1922–23 Darwen1 1932–33 Dick, Kerr's1 1931–32 Great Harwood Town1 1991–92 Hapton1 1896–97 Heywood1 1900–01 Heywood United1 1913–14 Howard & Bulloughs1 1944–45 Kearsley1 1891–92 Lytham1 1894–95 Oswaldtwistle Rovers1 1888–89 Runcorn1 1918–19 Ashton Athletic12016–17
References
External links Official website of the Lancashire County Football Association (archived 26 March 2018)