County Cups FA People's Cup Rules & Documents
Player from the Middlesex FA Veterans Cup Final holds the cup aloft

Cup Finals

Find out more about your final

The biggest day in the grassroots football calendar.

You're just one step away from cup glory - here's what you need to know ahead of your Middlesex FA Cup Final...

It's here. Months of hard work have led to this point - a County Cup Final and your chance at adding some silverware to the club's trophy cabinet. As one of our showpiece occasions there's lots of work from our end that goes into making the final an enjoyable experience for everyone involved (regardless of the score) and whilst we'll keep in close contact with the clubs involved, we want to make sure your attention can be focused on getting the team ready for the big day.

This page has been created as your reference point for everything related to the final. Here you'll find our handy FAQ section full of the most frequently asked questions, a downloads section full of documentation you may need to complete and most importantly, contact details so you can get in touch with us with any queries. 

Get In Touch

By Phone: 020 8515 6910 (9am - 5pm Monday - Friday)

By Email: isaac.jempeji@middlesexfa.com or samantha.read@middlesexfa.com

faqs
Yes, you can see a copy of a programme from last year, here. The programmes will be available for spectators, players and officials on the day and a version will also be made available online for anyone wanting to access it via their phone or tablet. The information in the programme will only be as good as what you provide and you must meet the deadlines set by the Association. 
If you would like more information on the programme, please call us on 020 8515 6901.

Yes, there will be an official photographer present at the game. Photos will be made available after the match for players, club officials and supporters to download. 
The Association will provide the actual match balls, but the club will be responsible for providing its own training footballs, which should be gathered up and placed in a bag just prior to kick off to ensure that they are not used during the game.
Approximately 10 minutes before the time of kick off, the referee will call the players out to the pitch; this might be by a bell, or by some other sign, depending on the ground. On that signal, a MFA official will come to your dressing room and then lead the team out towards the pitch and both teams will enter the pitch together with the four match officials at the front.

Prior to the match, the teams will line up in preparation for the Respect Handshake, but before that, the Guest of Honour and other MFA officials will be introduced to the teams from the left-hand side.

Both teams should have their team captains as the first player to be introduced to the officials’ party and he/she will then escort the group along the line of his/hers players to make the usual introductions. Once the officials have been presented to both teams and the match officials, the team on the right hand side will then move along for the Respect Handshake. When the Respect Handshake is complete, the teams can then break away to their half of the pitch.
Teams are very welcome to have team mascots, but if the mascot is a child, a responsible adult must accompany the mascots on arrival at the ground, supervise them throughout and also take a position at the side of the pitch in order the escort them off the pitch once the handshakes are complete. Passes will not be given to mascots. They will be required to pay the child’s admission fee but they will, of course, each be given a souvenir programme.
After the game has finished, the official trophy and medal presentation will take place. The presentation usually follows this order:

1. Match officials
2. Runners up
3. Winners

Middlesex FA provides 16 medals for each team and therefore it’s important that the players who played in the final go up to receive their medals first. Any players who are dismissed from the field of play will not be permitted to collect their medal on the pitch as part of the official presentation ceremony. Depending on the nature of the dismissal, an MFA official may come to the dressing room after the game to give the player his medal, but the Association reserves the right to withhold the medal if the offence is serious.

After the medals are presented to both teams and the officials, the trophy will then be handed over to the winning team. A ‘winners’ banner will be erected on the pitch and our official photographer will take pictures of the winning team behind the banner. 

Yes, you can download our footwear guidance sheet for artificial surfaces, here.

Yes. If the opposition ask to see the identification cards of your cup final squad and you cannot present it, you will forfeit the game. 
Yes, all finals will be filmed by our official filming partner, Film My Match. Highlights of each game will be made available via our YouTube channel 3-5 days following the final.
Yes, the club will be provided with 16 passes which cover the squad players on the day. These passes should be collected by the coaching staff at the gate. Players not playing in the final, family, friends and other people who would like to attend the game will be required to purchase a ticket. 
Yes, the club will receive four boardroom passes for club officials to access the boardroom and two additional passes for any league officials. These will be made available from the ground on the day of the game. 
Please email us at isaac.jempeji@middlesexfa.com and we may also be able to send passes to them, but the number is limited and, if available, will be granted for their specific use.
No, dark kits that clash with the black referee kit are no permitted and you will be forced to change into an alternative kit. Please also ensure that you communicate with the opposition team to ensure there is no chance of a kit clash. If there is a problem in this respect, we will advise the nominal “away” club that they need to change, which is in accordance with MFA Cup Rule 7(k). Please ensure that you bring alternative goalkeeper shirts.
You should ask your team to arrive at least one hour, preferably more, before the scheduled time of kick off and they should go to the players’ entrance of the ground with their passes. If they have not got a pass, or have mislaid or forgotten it, then the County Official at the players’ gate will send them round to the normal turnstiles and that person will have to pay. 

Players will be directed to either the home or away dressing room, as appropriate.

Yes, there may be a limit but only those named on the team sheets will be permitted to access this area. Please ensure that this ruling is met. Those in the technical area should comply with any requests from MFA officials or the match officials. Broadly, only two persons are allowed to stand up in the technical area during the game, EVERYONE else, except substitutes warming up, MUST remain seated. Spectators are not permitted in the technical area at any time. Other than in our youth finals, nobody under the age of 16 is permitted in the technical area.
Whilst, of course, the Association will offer whatever assistance it can in the event of a serious injury or illness, it is the club’s responsibility to have a physiotherapist in attendance and that he/she has all the kit and equipment they need to fulfill the role. We make no stipulation of what the physiotherapist’s qualifications should be – again, it is the club’s call to be satisfied that whoever is carrying out this role is sufficiently experience/qualified.

Keep it social

Keep up-to-date with our cup final coverage on social media and start your own conversations using our official Cup Final hashtag - #MFACupFinal

You can find us on:

Facebook

Twitter

For more information on our social media plans for the final, email Ashley at - ashley.joseph@middlesexfa.com. 

Related Documents

Middlesex FA Trophy Agreement Form 17-18
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Middlesex FA Cup Rules 231017
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