The draw for the 2013/14 IFA Cup will take place at WorldNET next month, and teams are now invited to enter. Entry is free of charge, but teams should be aware that, beyond the regionalised first round, they MUST be prepared to travel and meet the deadlines for fixture completion as detailed below. The final date for entries is Tuesday 25th June, with the draw for the first round taking place on Saturday 20th July at WorldNET.
If you are drawn at home, teams must show due flexibility towards a travelling opponent. Due to the significant amount of effort travelling teams need to put into fulfilling fixtures, IFA Cup matches should take precedence over any regional cup competitions teams may be participating in. The only games that supersede IFA Cup matches are IFA/”Big Boys” double-headers, as they are what the IFA primarily exists for!
Failing to accept a date because you have a regional cup game or convenient league game already arranged will result in the away team being awarded the tie and given a bye to the next round. The round completion dates are there as a final point, not a target date.
Vinnie White is in charge of the IFA Cup this year, all queries should be directed towards him on the IFA Mailing List. He will be conducting the draw on the Saturday evening at WorldNET immediately before the WorldNET knockout draws – you are all invited to come along and watch him make a complete mess of it!
Round Deadlines
Preliminary Round (if required): 28th September 2013
First Round: 7th December 2013
Second Round: 22nd February 2013
Quarter-Finals: 26th April 2014
Semi-Finals: 28th June 2014
The final will, as is customary, take place on the Friday of WorldNET weekend in 2014. That is provisionally Friday 18th July 2014.
Current Entries
Scotland: Troon, St Johnstone
North-West: Manchester United, Preston North End, Manchester City, Wrexham, Blackpool, FC Halifax Town, Runcorn Linnets, Rochdale, AFC Chorley, Crewe Alexandra, Stockport County
North-East: Hull City, Barnsley, Ayr United, Grimsby Town
Midlands: AFC Telford United, Port Vale, Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion
South: AFC Wimbledon A, AFC Wimbledon B, West Ham United, Millwall, Watford, Crawley Town, Cambridge United, Kingstonian, Stevenage
Random: Kidderminster Harriers, Livingston GS, Livingston OL, Coventry City, Hearts, Clyde, Southport, Bury A, Bury B