Papa John's Trophy Historical Insight
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The English Football League Trophy is a knockout football tournament featuring all 48 League One and League Two clubs.
The tournament is currently called the Papa John’s Trophy due to sponsorship as the competition has had several different names over the years thanks to financial backers.
Along with the 48 EFL clubs, the tournament features Under-21 teams from the Premier League and Championship. Sixteen U-21 clubs play in the trophy tournament, making a total of 69 teams. The U-21 teams gain valuable experience playing in the competition.
The tournament is the third most respected tournament in English football. The EFL Trophy is behind the FA Cup and League Cup in prestige.
The EFL Trophy gives League One and League Two teams the chance to win silverware. It is difficult for these sides to win the FA Cup or EFL up. Therefore, the EFL Trophy is a possible piece of silverware that third and fourth-tier clubs can win.
Papa John's Trophy History
The EFL Trophy started in 1983 as the Associate Members' Cup. Lower-league clubs obtained full membership in the Football League in 1992, and the tournament was changed to the Football League Trophy. The tournament was renamed once more as the EFL Trophy in 2016.
Bournemouth won the first-ever EFL Trophy in 1983-84. It is Bournemouth’s only EFL Trophy tournament win. Bristol City are the record winner of the EFL Trophy with three all-time victories. The
What is the highest-scoring Papa John's Trophy match?
The Papa John’s Trophy is a tournament often full of goals. One of the tournament’s highest-scoring matches was in November 2020 between Sunderland and Aston Villa U21. The match finished 8-1 in favour of Sunderland.
The Importance of the Trophy
The Papa John’s Trophy is England’s third-most prestigious cup. It is behind the FA Cup and EFL Cup in terms of importance. The tournament only features 69 teams, with 48 coming from League One and League Two. A further 21 teams are Premier League and Championship U-21 squads.
Most Papa John's Trophy goals
Nicky Ajose and Jordy Hiwula are co-leaders in all-time goals in the EFL Trophy tournament. The players have scored 13 goals in the competition.
Most Papa John's Trophy player appearances
Gareth Evans has appeared in 33 Papa John’s Trophy matches. He is the all-time leader in Papa John’s Trophy appearances.
Most successful Papa John's Trophy manager
No manager has won the Papa John’s Trophy more than once.
Where is the Papa John's Trophy played?
The Papa John’s Trophy is played at stadiums across England and Wales. The final is held at Wembley at the end of the tournament. The tournament begins with a group stage. Teams are grouped due to their location in a North and South Section.
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