A local non-professional soccer team sets a new FA Cup record after achieving a remarkable feat that had not been seen in 104 years over the weekend.
Seaford Town, a Sussex-based non-league football club run by volunteers, made history on Saturday as they took on Sutton Athletic in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup. This marks the club's return to the FA Cup after a century-long absence, a feat that has not been achieved by any other non-league team in England.
Their home ground, The Crouch, has a capacity of 1,000, and while the average crowd last season was 110, the club expects this figure to be exceeded for the FA Cup. TNT Sports alerted fans to Seaford Town's historic FA Cup record, and only 100 copies of the match day program will be available for purchase, priced at £2 each.
Seaford Town's match day program will include a commemorative poster marking their league title success last season. The club celebrated promotion from the Southern Combination Division One in April, finishing top of the league.
The longest period of time between FA Cup appearances for a non-league football team is 104 seasons, a record held by Seaford Town. They last participated as Seaford FC in the 1911/12 FA Cup campaign and made an appearance again in the 2021 extra preliminary round, setting this record gap between consecutive FA Cup games for a non-league club.
In total, 124 teams will take part in the main draw of the FA Cup, with 655 teams across the fifth to ninth tiers of English football competing. If Seaford Town manages to win their FA Cup games, they will still be five games away from reaching the first-round proper.
Interestingly, fellow non-league side Beverley Town also made a return to the FA Cup last season, ending their 99-year FA Cup absence. However, they were beaten 3-2 by Whitley Bay. Despite this, Seaford Town's remarkable feat sees them surpass Beverley Town in the history books.
Seaford Town's journey in the FA Cup is a testament to the spirit of grassroots football and the passion of its volunteers. As they take on Sutton Athletic, the whole of English football will be watching to see if they can continue to defy the odds and make even more history.
The Seaford Town match day program will feature a commemorative poster marking their football league title success last season, a feat that underlines their passion for sports. Considering the longest period of time between FA Cup appearances for a non-league football team is 104 seasons, set by Seaford Town themselves, their return to the FA Cup after a century-long absence is a remarkable transfer that has not been achieved by any other non-league team in England.
