This from the FSF:
Tomorrow sees the beginning of the road to Wembley for more than 400 clubs, with the draw for the extra-preliminary round of the FA Cup, and in news that will be welcomed by fans in the non-league game replays are here to stay.
Replays were scrapped from the first round onwards in 2024-25 to help alleviate fixture congestion in the football calendar, and the fear was that replays in the competition’s qualifying rounds would suffer a similar fate.
Following consultation with clubs in the national game system, and feedback from the FSA’s survey of non-league supporters as part of our structured dialogue meetings with the FA last season, however, replays are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Fans have long supported keeping replays, and early last season our survey of non-league fans identified the strength of feeling on the matter, namely:
- 91% of respondents were in favour of retaining replays up to and including the FA Cup fourth qualifying round, the last stage before clubs from the EFL enter the competition.
- Just over a third of fans (35%) said the FA Cup was the most important competition that their side plays in, while a further 45% said it was more important than others.
And as one survey respondent said: “There’s no competition on the planet that gets close to the level of jeopardy and excitement.”
Richard Tomkins (HUST chairman), National Game Network representative of the FSA National Council, said: “This is a real win for all football fans. FA Cup replays are a key part of the tradition of the world’s oldest cup competition. They provide exciting and unique opportunities for fans and players alike, and can be a much-needed revenue raiser for clubs.
“While there is talk of fixture congestion and the devaluing of the FA Cup, it’s football fans who are standing up and championing replays. Fans are the lifeblood of our game and it remains fundamental that we are consulted on proposed changes to our competitions.”