We are pleased to confirm that Berks & Bucks FA County Cups will return for the 2021/22 in a new format.

Following a restructuring of our competitions in light of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be a reduced programme of Cups available, with some changes to the entry criteria:

The Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup 
(Mandatory entry for Clubs with First Teams competing in Steps 1-6 of the National League System and above, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Women’s Cup 
(Mandatory entry for Clubs with First Teams competing in Tier 1-6 of the Women’s Football Pyramid, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Charles Twelftrees Trophy 
(Optional entry for all other Saturday Clubs with First Teams competing in Regional Feeder Leagues and below, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Women’s Trophy 
(Optional entry for all other Women’s Clubs, with First Teams competing in Tier 7 and below, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Cup 
(Optional entry for Clubs with First Teams competing in the top divisions of each Sunday League, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy
(Optional entry for Clubs with First Teams competing outside the top divisions of each Sunday League, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Youth Cups (U12*, U13*, U14, U15, U16, U18) 
(Optional entry for Clubs with Mixed Teams in those age groups, with one Team entry per Club)

The Berks & Bucks FA Girls Cups (U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U18)
(Optional entry for Clubs with Female-only Teams in those age groups, with one Team entry per Club)

*Note regarding U12 and U13 Youth Cups
(These competitions have separate Saturday and Sunday pathways, with the winner of each pathway competing in the Final for the respective age group. Clubs can only enter one Team for each pathway (i.e. one U12 Team and one U13 Team).

The Berks & Bucks FA Disability and Futsal Cups will have a separate entry process later in the season and we will provide more infomation on this in due course.

How it Works

Any player registered with any Team within a Club in the relevant age group or day of the week will be eligible to play in Cup fixtures. Clubs will be able to enter Teams into the appropriate Cups as part of the Affiliation Process. Entries are £10 per Team.

BBFA Deputy Chair John Horsley said: “We are delighted to be able to relaunch the Berks & Bucks FA County Cup Competitions for the 2021/22 season. 

“Last year we made the decision not to run County Competitions to help provide more time and support to our member clubs and leagues in completing as much of their league seasons as possible. During this time, we reviewed the format of the competitions to see how we could make them more sustainable and flexible for our Clubs whilst continuing to provide a high level of competition and enjoyment.

“Throughout the restructuring process we consulted with representatives from across the game, and I would like to thank all those who participated in our working group as we considered the options available to us.

“The new format considers changes in The FA’s National League System structure and reflects the strength of our local game. We hope that the new format will provide a high level of competition for our players and supporters for many years to come.

“We are also pleased to announce that the U18 Youth Cup has been dedicated in memory of our late President, Bill Gosling, who sadly passed away in June last year. The cup has been renamed and will now be known as the “Bill Gosling U18 Youth Cup” going forward.”

Alongside our other county competitions, the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup has also been restructured.  The new-look BBFA Senior Cup format is now a seeded competition with preliminary qualification rounds for teams at steps 5-6 to enter the first round proper where they will be joined by clubs from steps 1-4. 

Our three professional club teams would then enter at the Quarter Finals stages and we are delighted to announce that Reading FC and MK Dons have both confirmed their involvement in the prestigious competition for the upcoming season.

Full County Cup rules and resources for the 2021/22 Season will be published on the Cups & Competitions page of our website in due course.