The Fenix Trophy is an annual football competition for semi-professional and amateur European football clubs. The competition is officially recognized by UEFA.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Founded | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | Varied |
| Current champions |  F.C. United of Manchester (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | F.C. United of Manchester (2 titles) |
| Website | https://www.fenixtrophy.eu |
 2023–24 Fenix Trophy | |
First contested in the 2021–22 season, the word FENIX is an acronym and stands for Friendly – European – Non professional – Innovative – Xenial (From the ancient Greek xenos, the word examined for an attitude of resistance to strangers, with maintaining mutual respect for cultural differences).
History edit
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2021–22 | F.C. United of Manchester
|
| 2022–23 |  BK Skjold
|
| 2023–24 | F.C. United of Manchester (2)
|
The Fenix Trophy was originally envisioned by Alessandro Aleotti, chairman of Italian club Brera Calcio.[4] The competition was first contested during the 2021–22 season, with the first match taking place on 21 September 2021, between German club HFC Falke and Czech club Prague Raptors.[5] The first final took place on 11 June 2022, between Prague Raptors and F.C. United of Manchester, with F.C. United of Manchester being crowned the inaugural champions.[6]
While the competition's eligibility criteria allows all clubs to compete on a similar level, the diversity of club history quickly became apparent, with many clubs founded in recent years, others have a long history that includes professional football. Examples from the competition's early history include Beveren,[7] a Belgian club notable for having played professional European football, most recently in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, and Venus București, winners of the Romanian Liga I on seven occasions.
The number of teams was increased to nine for the 2022–23 season, with Danish club BK Skjold winning the competition. For the 2023–24 season the number of teams was again increased to twelve, with F.C. United of Manchester winning their second title.[8]
Format edit
Qualification edit
Semi-professional and amateur teams from across Europe are invited to play in the competition based on exceptional social, historical and cultural significance.[9]
Tournament edit
The first tournament consisted of two groups of four teams, with the two group winners qualifying for the final.[10] With the addition of a ninth team for the 2022–23 season, the tournament consisted of three groups of three teams, with the winners of each group and the highest ranked second-placed team advancing to the knockout stage. The 2023–24 tournament consisted of twelve teams split into four groups of three, with the four group winners qualifying for the knockout stage.[11]
List of finals edit
| † | Match was won during extra time |
| * | Match was won on a penalty shoot-out |
- The "Season" column refers to the season the competition was held, and wikilinks to the article about that season.
- The wikilinks in the "Score" column point to the article about that season's final game.
| Season | Country | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Country | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | England
|
FC United of Manchester | 2–0 | Prague Raptors |  Czech Republic
|
Stadio Romeo Neri, Rimini, Italy | |
| 2022–23 | Denmark
|
BK Skjold | 3–0 | Prague Raptors | Czech Republic
|
San Siro, Milan, Italy | |
| 2023–24 | England
|
FC United of Manchester | 4–0 | Prague Raptors | Czech Republic
|
Stadio Tre Stelle, Desenzano del Garda, Italy |
Records and statistics edit
Performances by club edit
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.C. United of Manchester
|
2 | 0 | 2022, 2024 | — |
| BK Skjold
|
1 | 0 | 2023 | — |
| Prague Raptors
|
0 | 3 | — | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
Participation by club edit
| Nation | No. | Clubs | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| England (3) |
3 | F.C. United of Manchester | 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| 1 | Enfield Town | 2023–24 | |
| 1 | Lewes | 2023–24 | |
 Italy (2) |
2 | Brera Calcio | 2021–22, 2022–23 |
| 1 | Lodigiani | 2021–22 | |
 Poland (2) |
1 | AKS Zły | 2021–22 |
| 2 | Kraków Dragoons | 2022–23, 2023–24 | |
| Czech Republic (1) |
3 | Prague Raptors | 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
 Netherlands (1) |
2 | AFC DWS | 2021–22, 2022–23 |
 Spain (1) |
2 | CD Cuenca-Mestallistes | 2021–22, 2022–23 |
 Belgium (1) |
2 | KSK Beveren | 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| Denmark (1) |
2 | BK Skjold | 2022–23, 2023–24 |
 Germany (1) |
1 | HFC Falke | 2021–22 |
 Serbia (1) |
1 | FK Miljakovac | 2022–23 |
 Finland (1) |
1 | Gilla | 2023–24 |
 France (1) |
1 | Vinsky | 2023–24 |
 Norway (1) |
1 | Gamle Oslo FK | 2023–24 |
 Romania (1) |
1 | Venus București | 2023–24 |
 Wales (1) |
1 | Llantwit Major | 2023–24 |
References edit
- ^ "Fenix Trophy: el placer de jugar y la amistad por encima de todo". elsaltodiario.com.
- ^ "La fiesta europea del fútbol de barrio". levante-emv.com. 12 June 2022.
- ^ "DWS doet mee aan de Fenix Trophy, het Europees toernooi dat ageert tegen commercie rond voetbal". parool.nl (Archived). Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Fenix Trophy: A new shot at European glory for semi-professional and amateur clubs". BBC Sport. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "FENIX Trophy: The alternative European Super League". DW News. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "FC United of Manchester's road to European glory". Mancunian Matters. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Eersteprovincialer KSK Beveren trekt Europa in: "Onze spelers hebben hiervoor wel vakantie moeten nemen"". Het Nieuwsblad. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "FC United of Manchester claim European trophy with 4-0 win". ESPN. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Brera Holdings' FENIX Trophy Tournament Enters Final Stage". GlobalNewswire. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Tournament 21/22". Fenix. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Tournament 23/24". Fenix. Retrieved 8 June 2024.