Wilsons Cup
{{ infobox football tournament | logo = | founded = 1975 | region = | number of teams = 7 | current champions = Camberwell | most successful club = Greencoat | motto = Non sibi sed omnibus
(Not for oneself but for all) }} The Wilson's Association Football Cup is a seasonal amateur football competition organised by the school's alumni for the most successful football house in Wilson's. The prize is considered the most prestigious trophy given by the school. The competition is a popular one, not only with the alumni of the school, but also with amateur footballers in general and the local public.
The Competitors
Although the contest is strictly between amateurs, the competitors must have been students of the forms or teams for whom they play, the training schedules each that each team undertakes are very gruelling. The contest is taken so seriously by the competitors that typically each team trains for six days a week for six months before the event.
The forms that compete for the cup are listed below.
Emblem |
Team |
|---|---|
BRECON takes its name from the Brecon Beacons, home of the school's Field Study Centre in Talybont-on-Usk, South Wales. <br\>Colour: Red. |
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CAMBERWELL is named after the school's original location in south-east London; the phoenix refers to the school's rebirth in 1883 and again in 1975. |
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GREENCOAT named after the Greencoat School. The Wilson's School courtyard houses the sculpted figures of two schoolchildren from Greencoat School. |
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HAYES takes its name from the school's alumni sports club, the Old Wilsonians' Association, located in Hayes, Kent. |
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C-TOWN SYMPOSIUM is a team of ex-pupils proud of their Croydon roots and hertiage, compared to some of the alumi, which hail from neighbouring Sutton, this is a regional rivalry as compared to one based on the houses.Colour: Purple. |
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ETHNICS refers to intense racial divides, with which the school has historical links but has always led to end. |
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BARBARIANS is an invitational team. They play in traditional black and white hoops, though players retain the socks from their "home" form strip. |
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Notable Wilson's Cup Matches
No. |
Winner |
Runner-up |
Score |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Greencoat |
Barbarians |
20 - 13 |
2 |
C-Town Symposium |
Camberwell |
20 - 18 |
3 |
Camberwell |
Ethnics |
20 - 19 |
Rules
The most noticeable difference between the Wilson's Cup and other football competitions is that it is not played to any specific time. Instead, the first team that scores 20 goals are declared winners and matches go on for as long as they have to.
The only other explicit rule from normal football is the lack of an offside rule, which means that normally more unimaginative teams can rely on long ball tactics.
Style of Play
The Wilson's Cup is distinct from all other football competitions in that it is played with an almost entirely attacking frame of mind, as such it is not uncommon for a team's score to go into double figures within a matter of minutes. In fact, there has never been a case of any one team keeping a clean sheet throughout the tournament's history.
Due to this curious style of football, many football enthusiasts and especially those with an interest with a history of the sport, come to spectate at games. Often, the crude style of the games played can be seen in parallel with the style in early days of the sport.
Notable Competitors
During their time at Wilson's School as pupils, exchange students and as alumni, some famous pupils have competed in the cup.
Maurice Joseph Micklewhite
John Galliano
Luis Figo
Simon Furman
Stephen Beckett
Andrew Kazamia