Northamptonshire Senior Cup


The NFA Hillier Senior Cup is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Northamptonshire, England and the surrounding area. It is a County Cup competition of the Northamptonshire [Football Association] and involves senior non-league teams. It has been contested annually since 1883. Kettering Town have won the cup the most times, lifting the trophy on 31 occasions. The current champions are Northampton Town under 21s, who beat Corby Town in the 2025 final.

History

Initially named the NFA Senior Cup, the tournament was renamed in 1981. It was first held in 1883, and was won by Newport [Pagnell Town]. The trophy has since been lifted by 24 different sides. The winner of the competition now contests the Maunsell Cup against one of Peterborough or Northampton.
In 1988, The tournament went through a re-structure with the English Football League clubs, Peterborough United and Northampton Town being withdrawn from the cup, after the Northamptonshire FA decided to make the competition an all non-league affair. Since then, the competition has been contested by the 14 highest ranked non-league teams from the previous season, within Northamptonshire. The only exception to this rule was when Rushden & Diamonds competed in the competition between 2001-2006, whilst they were in League Two. They were allowed to take part however, after agreeing to field an Under-21s team in the cup during this period.
Since 1998, the final has been held at Sixfields Stadium. In 2022, The Under 18 teams of both Peterborough United and Northampton Town were eligible to enter the competition, marking the first time teams entered from both clubs since 1988.

Recent Finals

YearWinnersRunner-upAttendance
2005Rothwell TownRaunds Town223
2006Northampton [Spencer F.C.|Northampton Spencer]Corby Town527
2007Rushden & DiamondsWoodford United1,256
2008Rushden & DiamondsBrackley Town1,747
2009Long BuckbyBrackley Town248
2010Corby TownDaventry Town584
2011Brackley TownCorby Town767
2012Brackley TownCorby Town780
2013Corby TownDaventry Town686
2014Daventry TownCogenhoe United314
2015Brackley TownPeterborough Sports608
2016AFC Rushden & DiamondsKettering Town945
2017Kettering TownCorby Town895
2018Kettering TownBrackley Town873
2019AFC Rushden and DiamondsBrackley Town1,097
2022Peterborough SportsAFC Rushden and Diamonds691
2023Peterborough SportsCogenhoe United268
2024AFC Rushden and DiamondsKettering Town1,025
2025Northampton Town Under 21sCorby Town637