Glasgow Charity Cup

The Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup was a knockout football tournament open to teams from in and around Glasgow and later on in the tournament's history, teams from outwith Glasgow.The Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup, Forrest H. C. Robertson, Association of Football Statisticians magazine #27 (page 19), November 1982 (via Scottish League forum)Chapter XX.—Queen's Park and Glasgow Charity cup, History of the Queen's Park Football Club 1867 - 1917, Richard Robinson (1920), via Electric Scotland Invitations were made and sent out by the Glasgow Charity Cup Committee (GCCC) at their discretion, but no criteria were ever published.

Like many domestic competitions in Scottish football, it was dominated by the Old Firm of Rangers and Celtic, with 31 and 28 victories each respectively.The Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup, Forrest H. C. Robertson, Association of Football Statisticians magazine #27 (page 20/21), November 1982 (via Scottish League forum) In the latter years of the tournament, it ceased being a knockout tournament and became a one-off contest between a Glasgow Select and a team invited from the English League.

Clubs

The early years of the tournament featured teams from outside Glasgow. The committee often invited teams based on name and popularity.THE GLASGOW CHARITY CUP Dundee Courier 25 March 1888. Retrieved 9 September 2021. (via) British Newspaper Archive.

Half of the eight-team draw for the 1887–88 tournament included Hibernian, Dumbarton, Renton, and Vale of Leven. All four clubs were former Scottish Cup winners from outside the city.

Charity After Renton were presented with the trophy by the Lord Provost of Glasgow in 1886, it was revealed a total of £5620 had been raised for local charities since the tournament had been instituted (via) British Newspaper Archive . (equivalent to almost £750,000 in 2021 rates).£5,620 in 1886 → 2021, Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance. Retrieved 1 September 2021 An academic study in 2008 calculated that during its 90-year existence the competition raised funds to the value of £11 million.'Remembering us year after year’: the Glasgow Charity Cup 1876-1966, Wray Vamplew, University of Stirling, 2008

A portion of the proceeds from 1887–88 went Edinburgh and Dunbartonshire charities, as teams from these areas competed for the cup too.

Finals Season Winners Score Runners-up Venue Attendance 1876–77Queen's Park v Rangers, Saturday 28th April 1877, QPFC.com Queens Park (1) 4–0 Rangers 1st Hampden Park 10,000 1877–78Queen's Park v Vale of Leven, Saturday 4th May 1878, QPFC.com Queens Park (2) 1–0 Vale of Leven 3,000 1878–79 Rangers (1) 2–1 Vale of Leven 10,000 1879–80 Queen's Park 1–1 Rangers 6,500 1879–80 (R)Rangers v Queen's Park, Saturday 12th May 1880, QPFC.com Queen's Park (3) 2–1 Rangers Kinning Park 5,500 1880–81 Queen's Park 1–1 Rangers 1st Hampden Park 6,000 1880–81 (R)Rangers v Queen's Park, Saturday 7th May 1881, QPFC.com Queen's Park (4) 3–1 Rangers Kinning Park 10,000 1881–82 Vale of Leven 2–2 Dumbarton 1st Hampden Park 7,000 1881–82 (R) Vale of Leven (1) 1–0 Dumbarton 10,000 1882–83Queen's Park v Rangers, Saturday 19th May 1883, QPFC.com Queen's Park (5) 4–1 Rangers 8,000 1883–84 Queen's Park 1–1 Third Lanark 1st Cathkin Park 5,000 1883–84 (R)Queen's Park v Third Lanark, Saturday 3rd May 1884, QPFC.comCharity Cup Football Match., The Glasgow Herald, 5 May 1884, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Queen's Park (6) 8–0 Third Lanark Titwood Park 4,000 1884–85Queen's Park v Dumbarton, Saturday 9th May 1885, QPFC.com Queen's Park (7) 1–0 Dumbarton 2nd Hampden Park 2,241 1885–86Glasgow Charity Cup–Final Tie. Renton v. Vale of Leven. The Glasgow Herald, 17 May 1886, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Renton (1) 3–1 Vale of Leven 4,000 1886–87Glasgow Charity Cup–Final Tie. Renton v. Vale of Leven. The Glasgow Herald, 23 May 1887, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Renton (2) 1–0 Vale of Leven 10,000 1887–88Renton v Cambuslang 4-0 (Glasgow Charity Cup Final: May 12, 1888), Play Up Liverpool. Retrieved 11 July 2021 Renton (3) 4–0 Cambuslang 5,000 1888–89Queen's Park v. Renton The Scotsman, 27 May 1889, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Renton 2–2 Queen's Park 8,982 1889 (R)Queen's Park v Renton, Tuesday 28th May 1889, QPFC.comGlasgow Charity Cup–Queen's Park v. Renton. The Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1889, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Renton (4) 3–1 Queen's Park 7,380 1889–90Queen's Park v Third Lanark, Saturday 26th April 1890, QPFC.com3d Lanark v. Queen's Park. The Scotsman, 28 April 1890, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Third Lanark (1) 2–1 Queen's Park 8,1021890–91 Queen's Park 1–1 Northern 2,204 1891 (R)Queen's Park v Northern, Saturday 2nd May 1891, QPFC.comGlasgow Charity Cup. The Scottish Referee, 4 May 1891, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Queen's Park (8) 9–1 Northern 1,562 Due to a scheduling dispute, Celtic, Rangers and Third Lanark declined to compete, instead setting up a League Charity Cup for fundraising purposes – Dumbarton were invited to join them and won the trophy.Season 1890/91 - April 1891, Scottish League History. Retrieved 6 January 2022Season 1890/91, Queen's Park Football Club - An Early History. Retrieved 6 January 2022Close Season - June/July 1891, Scottish League History. Retrieved 6 January 2022Scottish League Charity Cup, Scottish Football Historical Archive, 19 July 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2022 1891–92Football: Celtic V. Rangers., Edinburgh Evening News, 2 June 1892 (via The Celtic Wiki) Celtic (1) 2–0 Rangers 1st Celtic Park 7,000 1892–93Celtic v. Rangers., Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1893 (via The Celtic Wiki)Celtic v Glasgow Rangers 5-0, via Play Up Liverpool Celtic (2) 5–0 Rangers 5,000 1893–94Queen's Park v Celtic, Saturday 12th May 1894, QPFC.comSaturday's Football. Glasgow Charity Cup., The Glasgow Herald, 14 May 1894 Celtic (3) 2–1 Queen's Park 1st Ibrox Park 12,000 1894–95Celtic v. Rangers., Dundee Courier, 27 May 1895 (via The Celtic Wiki) Celtic (4) 4–0 Rangers 1st Cathkin Park 10,000 1895–96Queen's Park v Celtic, Saturday 16th May 1896, QPFC.comSaturday's Football: Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup, The Glasgow Herald, 18 May 1896 Celtic (5) 2–1(aet) Queen's Park 1st Ibrox Park 12,000 1896–97 Rangers (2) 6–1 Third Lanark 2nd Hampden Park 10,000 1897–98 Third Lanark (2) 1–0 Rangers 1st Cathkin Park 8,000 1898–99Saturday's Football., The Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1899 Celtic (6) 2–0 Rangers 2nd Hampden Park 20,000 1899–1900Association Football., The Glasgow Herald, 14 May 1900Glasgow Rangers v Celtic 5-1, via Play Up Liverpool Rangers (3) 5–1 Celtic 15,000 1900–01 Third Lanark 0–0 Celtic Gilmorehill 12,000 1900–01 (R) Third Lanark (3) 3–0 Celtic 7,000 1901–02Another Glorious Victory, The Scottish Referee, 2 June 1902, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club Hibernian (1) 6–2 Celtic 2nd Hampden Park 8,000 Tournament extended to produce more matches, proceeds going to the 1902 Ibrox disaster benefit fund. 1902–03Football. Charity Cup Final., The Glasgow Herald, 25 May 1903 Celtic (7) 5–2 St Mirren 1st Cathkin Park 14,000 1903–04Football. Glasgow Charity Cup–Final Tie, The Glasgow Herald, 16 May 1904 Rangers (4) 5–2 Celtic Hampden Park 25,000 1904–05Football. Charity Cup Final Tie., The Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1905 Celtic (8) 2–0 Partick Thistle Ibrox Park 12,000 1905–06Rangers v Queen's Park, Saturday 12th May 1906 , QPFC.comFootball. Glasgow Charity Cup–Final Tie., The Glasgow Herald, 14 May 1906 Rangers (5) 3–2 Queen's Park Hampden Park 26,000 1906–07Football. Glasgow Charity Cup–Final Tie., The Glasgow Herald, 20 May 1907 Rangers (6) 1–0 Celtic Ibrox Park 35,000 1907–08Part of a 'quadruple' with League, Scottish Cup and Glasgow CupQueen's Park v Celtic, Saturday 30th May 1908, QPFC.comFootball. Glasgow Charity Cup—Final Tie., The Glasgow Herald, 1 June 1908 Celtic (9) 3–0 Queen's Park Hampden Park 31,000 1908–09Glasgow Charity Cup – Final Tie, The Glasgow Herald, 17 May 1909 Rangers (7) 4–2 Celtic Celtic Park 25,000 1909–10 Clyde (1) 1–1 Third Lanark Hampden Park 20,000 Clyde won 8–3 on corners. 1910–11Glasgow Charity Cup Final, The Glasgow Herald, 11 May 1911 Rangers (8) 2–1 Celtic 25,000 1911–12Glasgow Charity Cup – Final Tie, The Glasgow Herald, 13 May 1912 Celtic (10) 0–0 Clyde 25,000 Celtic won 7–2 on corners. 1912–13Celtic, 3; Rangers, 2: Glasgow Charity Cup – Final Tie, The Glasgow Herald, 12 May 1913 Celtic (11) 3–2 Rangers Celtic Park 30,000 1913–14Match report, The Scotsman, 13 May 1914 (via The Celtic Wiki) Celtic (12) 6–0 Third Lanark Hampden Park 8,000 1914–15Association Football. Glasgow Charity Cup–Final Tie., The Glasgow Herald, 10 May 1915 Celtic (13) 3–2 Rangers Ibrox Park 30,000 1915–16Football Glasgow Charity Cup Final, Glasgow Herald, 15 May 1916 Celtic (14) 2–0 Partick Thistle Hampden Park 25,000 1916–17Queen's Park v Celtic, Saturday 19th May 1917, QPFC.com Association Football. Glasgow Charity Cup. Final Tie., The Glasgow Herald, 21 May 1917 Celtic (15) 1–0 Queen's Park 35,000 1917–18Notes on Sport: A Charity Record, The Glasgow Herald, 27 May 1918 Celtic (16) 2–0 Partick Thistle 30,000 1918–19Queen's Park v Rangers, Saturday 31st May 1919, QPFC.comRecord Drawings, The Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1919 Rangers (9) 2–1 Queen's Park 50,000 1919–20Queen's Park v Celtic, Saturday 15th May 1920, QPFC.comAssociation Football Celtic, 1; Queen's Park, 0., The Glasgow Herald, 17 May 1920 Celtic (17) 1–0 Queen's Park 45,000 1920–21Match report,