The Sheriff of London Charity Shield was an English football competition played once a year between the best amateur and best professional side in England. Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...

The first game was played on March 19, 1898, after being devised by Sir Thomas Dewar. Proceeds from the annual game were distributed to hospitals and charities. March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Sir Thomas Dewar (1864 - 1930) was a British whisky distiller who, along with his brother John Dewar, built their family label, Dewars, into an international success. ...

The competition was short-lived due, in part, to the dominance of the professional sides, and also to a rift in the Football Association which saw the creation of the Amateur Football Association. The shield was last competed for in 1905 - although the charitable spirit of the trophy was to continue on in the Charity Shield. The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England (and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). ... The Amateur Football Alliance is a County Football Association in England. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The FA Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is an English association football trophy. ...

The Shield itself, comissioned by Dewar, was over six feet high - the largest trophy to be competed for in the history of football. In the 1980's the trophy was put up for auction and sold for £26,000 to a private American owner. It's current whereabouts are unknown. An auctioneer and her assistants scan the crowd for bidders An auction is the process of buying and selling things by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder. ...

References

• Sunderland A.F.C - The Official History, John Hudson, 1999