View source for Full Members' Cup

{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox football tournament
| name                 = Full Members' Cup
| founded              = 1985
| abolished            = 1992
| number of teams      = 41 (1991–92)
| current champions    = [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] (2nd title)
| most successful club = [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]<br>[[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]<br>(2 titles)
}}

The '''Full Members' Cup''' was an association football cup competition held in [[Football in England|English football]] from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the '''[[Simod|Simod Cup]]''' from 1987 to 1989 and the '''[[Zenith Data Systems|Zenith Data Systems Cup]]''' from 1989 to 1992.<ref name=fchd>[https://www.fchd.info/cups/fullmemberscupsummary.htm Full Members Cup overview and finals at FCHD]</ref>

The competition was created after the 1985 [[Heysel Stadium disaster]], when English clubs were banned from [[UEFA#Competitions|European competition]], as an additional competition for clubs in the top two English League divisions.<ref name="times">{{cite news|title=Caught in Time: Blackburn Rovers win Full Members Cup, 1987|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article516585.ece|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114070414/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article516585.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 January 2013|work=Sunday Times|access-date=9 November 2010|author=Rob Maul|date=20 February 2005}}</ref> The competition's name refers to the clubs that were Full Members of [[the Football League]], with full voting rights; teams from the lower two divisions were Associate Members and were only eligible for the Associate Members' Cup (now known as the [[EFL Trophy]]). The initial Full Members' Cup did not include the six teams that had qualified for 1985–86 European competitions, as these played in the [[Football League Super Cup|Super Cup]] instead.<ref name=PlanetFootball/>

While the European ban of English clubs was partially lifted for 1990–91, and fully lifted for 1991–92, the Full Members' Cup survived through the end of 1991–92, its seventh season. The competition was then cancelled the following season when the [[Football League First Division]] was superseded by the [[Premier League]] as the top division.

Seven finals took place between 1986 and 1992. [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] and [[Reading F.C.|Reading]] were the only [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] teams to win the cup.

[[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] were the most successful teams in the competition, with both of them winning it twice.

==Participants==
The competition was open to all teams from the top two levels of the [[The Football League|English Leagues]], namely the [[Football League First Division|First]] and [[Football League Second Division|Second]] Divisions. The six First Division teams that qualified for 1985–86 European play were invited to the English [[Football League Super Cup|Super Cup]] tournament rather than the Full Members' Cup.<ref name=PlanetFootball>{{Cite news|url=http://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/five-forgotten-cup-competitions-full-members-cup-artemio-franchi-trophy/|title=Five forgotten cup competitions: Full Members Cup, Artemio Franchi Trophy|date=3 October 2017|work=Planet Football|access-date=8 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108145751/http://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/five-forgotten-cup-competitions-full-members-cup-artemio-franchi-trophy/|archive-date=2017-11-08|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some eligible teams chose not to compete in the tournament in a particular year, while four teams in the First Division throughout the seven seasons of the tournament never entered the competition – [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]].

Details of numbers of teams competing in each of the seasons:<ref>[http://www.statto.com/ Old Cup Competitions/Full Members Cup at Statto.com]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102235351/http://www.statto.com/ |date=2 November 2010 }}</ref>

*'''[[1985–86 Full Members' Cup|1985–86]]''': 21 teams  – 5 (of 16, with 6 in Super Cup) from Division 1 and 16 (of 22) from Division 2
*'''[[1986–87 Full Members' Cup|1986–87]]''': 36 teams – 14 (of 22) from Division 1 and all 22 from Division 2
*'''[[1987–88 Full Members' Cup|1987–88]]''': 40 teams – 17 (of 21) from Division 1 and all 23 from Division 2
*'''[[1988–89 Full Members' Cup|1988–89]]''': 40 teams – 16 (of 20) from Division 1 and all 24 from Division 2
*'''[[1989–90 Full Members' Cup|1989–90]]''': 37 teams – 13 (of 20) from Division 1 and all 24 from Division 2
*'''[[1990–91 Full Members' Cup|1990–91]]''': 39 teams – 15 (of 20) from Division 1 and all 24 from Division 2
*'''[[1991–92 Full Members' Cup|1991–92]]''': 41 teams – 18 (of 22) from Division 1 and 23 (all but [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]]) from Division 2

==Finals==
Second Division members are in ''italics''.<ref name=fchd/>
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center; width:500px;"
|-
! scope="col" |Season
! scope="col" |Winner
! scope="col" |Score
! scope="col" |Runner-up
|-
|[[1985–86 Full Members' Cup|1985–86]]
! scope="row" |[[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
|[[1986 Full Members' Cup final|5–4]]
| align="left" |[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
|-
|[[1986–87 Full Members' Cup|1986–87]]
! scope="row" |[[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|''Blackburn Rovers'']]
|[[1987 Full Members' Cup final|1–0]]
| align="left" |[[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]]
|-
|[[1987–88 Full Members' Cup|1987–88]]
! scope="row" |''[[Reading F.C.|Reading]]{{efn|As Reading won the competition the [[1987–88 Football League#Second Division 2|same season in which they were relegated]] they were not eligible to defend the tournament the following season.<ref name=fchd/>}}''
|[[1988 Full Members' Cup final|4–1]]
| align="left" |[[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]
|-
|[[1988–89 Full Members' Cup|1988–89]]
! scope="row" |[[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]
|[[1989 Full Members' Cup final|4–3]] {{After extra time}}
| align="left" |[[Everton F.C.|Everton]]
|-
|[[1989–90 Full Members' Cup|1989–90]]
! scope="row" |[[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]
|[[1990 Full Members' Cup final|1–0]]
| align="left" |[[Middlesbrough F.C.|''Middlesbrough'']]
|-
|[[1990–91 Full Members' Cup|1990–91]]
! scope="row" |[[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]]
|[[1991 Full Members' Cup final|4–1]] {{After extra time}}
| align="left" |[[Everton F.C.|Everton]]
|-
|[[1991–92 Full Members' Cup|1991–92]]
! scope="row" |[[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]
|[[1992 Full Members' Cup final|3–2]] {{After extra time}}
| align="left" |[[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120312144956/http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/3316/29/ ''When Saturday Comes''] – article on the Full Members' Cup (archived 12 March 2012)

{{EFL Championship}}
{{Full Members' Cup}}

[[Category:Full Members' Cup| ]]
[[Category:Defunct English Football League competitions]]
[[Category:Defunct football cup competitions in England]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1992 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1985]]
[[Category:Recurring events disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Zenith Data Systems]]