The Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the Sussex Senior Cup, is an annual association football knockout cup competition for men's football clubs in the English county of Sussex. The cup is the county senior cup of the Sussex FA and is both the longest-running and most prestigious cup competition in Sussex football. For sponsorship purposes the trophy is also known as the Sussex Transport Senior Challenge Cup, after a new sponsorship deal was agreed in 2023.
First played for in the 1882–83 season, shortly after the founding of the Sussex County Football Association in September 1882, the first club to hold the cup was Brighton Rangers. Other winning teams in the cup's early history were Burgess Hill, Lancing College and Eastbourne. The cup is played by men's football teams in Sussex; a concurrent Sussex Women's Cup has been held for women's teams in Sussex since 1995.
The team with most title wins in the competition's history is Worthing, but Sussex's sole Premier League team, Brighton & Hove Albion, has been the most successful in recent years. Bognor Regis Town won the competition a record five times in succession between 1980 and 1984.
The winning club also qualifies to play in the Sussex FA Community Shield match, traditionally the opening match each season in Sussex football. Three Bridges are the current holders of the Sussex Senior Cup, having won the cup for the first time by beating Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties in the 2026 final.
History
Shortly after the Sussex County Football Association was founded in 1882 the inaugural competition of the Sussex Senior Club took place for the 1882–83 season. Brighton Rangers won the final of the first competition 3–0. Founder members of Sussex County FA include the public schools of Lancing College, Brighton College and Ardingly College and their old-boy teams dominated the cup early on, along with clubs such as Burgess Hill and Eastbourne, whose teams were made up of upper and middle class players.
The cup was initially contested only by amateur clubs. At the time Sussex's only professional club, Brighton & Hove Albion tried to enter the competition in 1905 but had to withdraw because of clashing dates. Albion won the Sussex Wartime Cup in 1943 but only entered the normal competition in 1946. Albion entered the competition again in 1975-76 following the abolition of the distinction between amateur and professional clubs in the English game.
Following the 1913–14 competition, the cup was suspended due to the First World War, and resumed in 1919–20. During the Second World War the winners of the Sussex Wartime Cup were awarded the Sussex Senior Cup. The Sussex Wartime Cup took place on a league basis and a competition was held in every year during the Second World War except for 1940-41 when no competition for the Sussex Senior Cup was held.
Under Jack Pearce, Bognor Regis Town dominated the Sussex Senior Cup in the 1980s, winning the cup six times, including a record five times in succession, and finishing runners-up once.
From 1950 to 1951 the cup final took place at the Goldstone Ground every year until 1995 when Brighton sold their ground to developers. A crowd of over 7,000, the cup's highest attendance in recent years, saw the 2010–11 season final take place at Brighton's new Falmer Stadium on 16 July 2011. It was the first competitive match to be played there. Brighton won the game 2–0 with Gary Hart scoring the first ever goal at the new ground. The cup final has taken place there every year since 2011.
Eligibility The Sussex Senior Cup is open to all men's senior clubs in the historic county of Sussex that are affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association. In 2016–17 this was 50 clubs that play in the top ten tiers of the English football league system (Premier League, English Football League, National League, National League South, Isthmian League, Southern Combination Football League Premier Division, Southern Combination Football League Division One and Southern Counties East Premier Division).
Competition format Overview Beginning in September, the competition proceeds as a knockout tournament throughout its duration, consisting of three rounds, then quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, usually in May. A system of byes ensures that the highest placed 14 clubs in Sussex enter the competition in the second round. For reasons of fairness to other clubs, the Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town under-21 teams compete in the Sussex Senior Cup since, as full time professional squads, their first teams play many levels of the football league pyramid ahead of other teams.
Distribution The tournament is organised so that 32 clubs remain by the second round. 31 clubs in the Southern Combination League Premier Division and Division One (tiers 9 and 10 of the English football league system) and one club from the Wessex Premier Division (tier 9) enter in the first round.
In the first round, Bognor Regis Town, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burgess Hill Town, Chichester City, Crawley Town, East Grinstead Town, Eastbourne Borough, Hastings United, Haywards Heath Town, Horsham, Lancing, Lewes, Littlehampton Town, Three Bridges, Whitehawk and Worthing, all receive a bye to the second round.
Professional clubs from the Premier League and the English Football League can only enter an Under-21 or an Under-23 team to keep fairness to non-professional clubs.
Clubs entering in this roundClubs advancing from previous roundFirst round(32 clubs) 13 clubs from Southern Combination Division One 18 clubs from Southern Combination Premier Division 1 club from Wessex Premier DivisionSecond round(32 clubs) 8 clubs from Isthmian League South East Division 4 clubs from Isthmian League Premier Division 2 clubs from National League South 1 club from Football League Two 1 club from Premier League 16 winners from first roundThird round(16 clubs) 16 winners from second roundFourth round(8 clubs) 8 winners from third roundSemi-finals(4 clubs) 4 winners from quarter-finalsFinal(2 clubs) 2 winners from semi-finals
Qualification for subsequent competitions Sussex Community Shield The winners of the Sussex Senior Cup traditionally play the winners of the Southern Combination Football League for the Sussex Community Shield (also known as the Sussex County FA Community Shield. The 2019 competition saw Chichester City, the winners of the 2018−19 SCFL play Bognor Regis Town, the winners of the 2018−19 Sussex Senior Cup. Bognor won the 2019 Sussex Community Shield 1−0 with a goal from Dan Smith.
Winners and finalists
1883-1900 Season WinnersRunners-upFinal resultVenueAttendanceNotes11882-83Brighton RangersBurgess Hill3-0Preston ParkN/A21883-84Burgess HillArdingly College2-0Preston ParkN/A31884-85Burgess HillLancing College5-1Preston ParkN/A41885-86Burgess HillLancing College2-0Preston ParkN/A51886-87Lancing CollegeBrighton College4-3County GroundN/A61887-88Lancing CollegeBrighton College2-1County GroundN/A71888-89Brighton CollegeBurgess Hill1-1, 1-0County GroundN/A81889-90EastbourneChichester4-0County GroundN/A91890-91Eastbourne won on a league basis101891-92Brighton HornetsWorthing5-3County GroundN/A111892-93WorthingEastbourne2-1County GroundN/A121893-94EastbourneSouthwick2-1County GroundN/A131894-95EastbourneSouthwick1-0County GroundN/A141895-96Royal Irish RiflesSouthwick4-0County GroundN/A151896-97SouthwickEastbourne1-0County Ground7,000-8,0002 replays (0-0, 3-3)161897-98Eastbourne SwiftsHastings and St Leonards3-0County GroundN/A171898-99EastbourneHastings and St Leonards3-0County GroundN/A181899-1900EastbourneChichester3-0County GroundN/A
1901-1945 Season WinnersRunners-upFinal resultVenueAttendanceNotes191900-01EastbourneBrighton and Hove Rangers3-1County GroundN/A201901-02ShorehamHailsham3-0County GroundN/A211902-03EastbourneHastings and St Leonards7-0County GroundN/A221903-04WorthingSt Leonards2-1County GroundN/A231904-05Eastbourne Old TownShoreham3-0County GroundN/A241905-06ShorehamHove2-1Goldstone GroundN/A251906-07HoveEastbourne4-0Goldstone GroundN/A261907-08WorthingHelmston3-1Goldstone GroundN/A271908-09HoveNewhaven2-2, 2-1Goldstone GroundN/A281909-10HoveChichester3-1Goldstone GroundN/A291910-11SouthwickLewes1-0Goldstone GroundN/A301911-12St Leonards AmateursEast Grinstead4-1Goldstone GroundN/A311912-13SouthwickLewes3-2Goldstone GroundN/A321913-14WorthingEastbourne St Mary's4-0Goldstone GroundN/A331919-20WorthingSignalling School2-1The Dripping PanN/A341920-21Royal Corps of SignalsEastbourne1-0The Dripping PanN/A351921-22EastbourneWorthing2-1The Dripping PanN/A361922-23WorthingEastbourne2-0The Dripping PanN/A371923-24Royal Corps of SignalsSouthwick2-0The Dripping PanN/A381924-25SouthwickShoreham2-1The Dripping PanN/A391925-26ChichesterEastbourne5-1The Dripping PanN/A401926-27WorthingChichester3-1The Dripping PanN/A411927-28SouthwickEastbourne3-0The Dripping PanN/A421928-29WorthingSouthwick2-0The Dripping PanN/A431929-30SouthwickEastbourne Old Comrades3-0The Dripping PanN/A441930-31SouthwickLewes3-0Trafalgar GroundN/A451931-32EastbourneLewes3-2aetTrafalgar GroundN/A461932-33EastbourneHastings and St Leonards3-1The Dripping PanN/A471933-34HorshamLewes4-1Woodside RoadN/A481934-35WorthingHastings and St Leonards2-1The Dripping PanN/A491935-36Hastings & St. LeonardsLewes2-0The SaffronsN/A501936-37SouthwickHaywards Heath8-3The Dripping PanN/A511937-38Hastings & St. LeonardsHaywards Heath4-1The Dripping PanN/A521938-39HorshamWorthing3-1Goldstone GroundN/A531939-40WorthingHastings & St. Leonards1-1aet 4-1The Dripping PanGoldstone GroundN/A541941-42Haywards Heath Town won on a league basis551942-43Brighton and Hove Albion F.C. Juniors won on a league basis561943-44RAF (Ford) won on a league basis571944-45Worthing won on a league basis
Post-1945 winners