U13 Boys Plate Winners 2020

Statement on 19/20 and 20/21 County Cup Programmes

An statement from the Kent FA Competitions Committee on the County Cup Programme for the 19/20 and 20/21 season.

Following a Board Meeting on Monday 17th August 2020, the Kent FA can confirm that the 2020-2021 County Cup programme will be cancelled.

We want to clarify our reasoning behind this difficult decision. While we understand that many clubs will be disappointed, there are several factors which have impacted this outcome.

Firstly, we felt it was important to conclude the 2019/20 county cup programme and recognise the clubs who had worked hard to reach these finals and deserve the full match-day experience which Kent FA cup finals aim to deliver. These fixtures will be fulfilled in the 2020/21 season.

In order to have a minimal impact on league fixtures, it will not be possible to also deliver a full county cup programme for the 2020/21 season. For our senior leagues, the season is already starting a month late and we also need to consider the potential for a second spike in COVID-19 and the possibility of localised lockdowns.

It is not unreasonable to assume that the new season is going to face interruptions; and clubs and leagues will need to overcome many challenges to complete league fixtures. It was felt that the added pressure of a county cup programme would make this even more challenging, particularly if there is fixture congestion.

The Kent FA is extremely proud of our county cup programme and the number of teams who enter. We hope these teams will understand the rationale behind this decision and we would like to reassure all that our offer of free entry to the 2020/21 county cups will be honoured for the 2021/22 season.

For queries relating to County Cups, please email Matt Dixon (Competitions Officer)