The FA Cup was founded in 1871. The Copa Del Rey was founded in 1903. The U.S. Open Cup was founded in 1914. Coppa Italia was founded in 1922. DFB Pokal was founded in 1935.
What do all of these have in common? Clearly, they're all famous domestic cup competitions. They also happen to be very historical. However, there is another cup competition just as historical as these, unfortunately known by too few.
The Dayne’s Challenge Cup, founded in 1906, happens to be the oldest ongoing sports tournament in Utah, a state in the western United States which is often forgotten about. Most people who are familiar with Utah will talk about the beautiful red rock formations, such as the historic arch in Southern Utah; or maybe the legendary snow and skiing in the famous Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah.
However the Dayne’s Challenge Cup is so historic, that soccer fans across the US should equate Utah with this fantastic cup competition. Afterall, the first soccer club in Utah was founded in 1882 in Salt Lake City, six years before the first club in the famously football-loving Brazil was founded (São Paulo Athletic Club founded in 1888).
So, what exactly is the Daynes Cup?
Words: Brock Mildon // @BrocksKitCloset
Historic photo of the Daynes Cup.
In 1906, the Daynes Challenge Cup was founded by jeweler J. Fred Daynes. The Cup he designed, fabricated and donated was an exact replica of the original aforementioned English FA Cup. It was made of pure silver, valued at $500 in 1906, the equivalent of $17,000 in 2024.
The actual competition began in 1906. Besides WWI, WWII, and Covid-19, it has been played every year since. In 2023, the 102nd Daynes Challenge Cup Final was won by Red Devils FC in a sudden death penalty shootout 5-4, after equalising in the 85th minute to make it 3-3. They became back-to-back champions, having also won in 2022.
Since its inception, it has been hosted by the Utah Adult Soccer Association. In its current form, the Daynes Challenge Cup is contested by every team in the State’s association Premier Division.
In the early years, there were two powerhouse clubs in the state. The first was Salt Lake AFC from the state’s capital, enjoying all of the resources that come from being in the capital city, such as money and a larger player pool. The other powerhouse was from the small mining town of Eureka. This team was built from hard-nosed miners, mostly immigrants from England. These two clubs would battle it out for the better part of two decades.
The inaugural Daynes Challenge Cup, hosted in 1906, was won by Salt Lake AFC, who in turn became State Champions (the Daynes Challenge Cup also acted as the State Championship from 1906-1939). With the added resources Salt Lake had, they were able to recruit an “expert” from Scotland, Alex “Sandy” McWhirter. “It is claimed for him that he wears medals as an exponent of the socker game,” wrote the Salt Lake Herald.
In 1907, Eureka avenged their loss from the previous year and beat Salt Lake to win their first title. These two clubs would trade Daynes Cup victories for the next three years (Salt Lake winning again in 1908, Eureka in 1909, and Salt Lake again in 1910). Because of the competition between these teams, as well as Salt Lake being close to an all-Scottish club and Eureka an all-English club, this added another dynamic to an already heated rivalry.
A by-product of this was that the first five Cup Finals drew attendances of around 500 spectators each year, a respectable crowd size for the sport in the early years. After these first few years, Eureka was “dead.” They would revive the club in 1912 without much success until 1916, when they won the inaugural Schubach Cup. This was their final triumph as a club. Salt Lake would go on to win three more Daynes Cups, for a total of 6.
Newspaper clipping of the Eureka Association Football Team.
After the early years, the cup began to be dominated by clubs representing different nationalities. In the 1920’s, Caledonians, a club based in Salt Lake City made up of predominantly Scottish, English and Welsh migrants were the dominant force.
In the 1930’s, two other clubs began challenging Caledonians. These two clubs were Vikings, a club formed by Norwegian migrants in 1922, and AC Germania, a German representative club formed in 1927. Both of these clubs still operate and are the oldest existing clubs in the State of Utah. Alf Engen, a famous Norwegian Skier, often thought of as the Father of Utah Skiing, was also a great player for Vikings. Today the Alf Engen Ski History Museum in Park City, Utah honors his accomplishments in winter sports.
According to his son Alan, those who knew him thought Alf was a better soccer player than skier. He was already a celebrity in his native Norway as a soccer star when he came to the U.S. in the 1920’s. He quickly stood out as the most versatile player on the Vikings team as a central midfielder. He could score from thirty yards out with either foot and was known for his ability to head the ball into the net. His brothers, Sverre and Karre were also part of this dominant Vikings team.
Helmuth Fluehe from Einbeck in Germany was the star of AC Germania. After shortly arriving in Utah and playing for AC Germania, he switched and played for Vikings and became good friends with Alf Engen. After four years, he switched back to AC Germania where he played for seven years. He helped AC Germania win the Daynes Cup and State Championship in 1937, 1938, and 1939. He continued to play during WWII against German prisoners of war at Fort Douglas.
Promotional poster for ‘German All-Stars’ v Vikings. Helmuth Fluehe is listed as captain.
Due to WWII there was an 11 year break in the competition. It resumed in 1951, with Vikings, AC Germania and Caledonians continuing their dominance in the state.
From 1959-1967 AC Alemania, a new German club, won the Cup every year to seal nine titles in a row. In the 1970’s, Utah began to see an influx of Hispanic immigrants, leading to teams like Pan World SC winning the cup in 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1981. In 1970 and 1976, BYU hoisted the Cup with the help of some remarkable coaches.
In 1970 they won with manager Bruno Gerzeli, who had a 14 year playing career in Italy (mostly Serie B and Serie C) and Colombia. In 1976 they won with manager Shavji “Jim” Dusara, who had managed Tanzania during their 1968 and 1972 Olympic Qualifying campaigns.
Sadly, in the 1980’s the Daynes Cup was stolen while being held at a local jewelers for engraving. The base of the cup is original and in the state association’s possession. However, the Cup itself has never been recovered.
In the 1990’s, more Hispanic and South American representative teams dominated the competition. Flamengo SC won in 1992 and 1993, while Botas de la Frontera SC won in 1996, 1997, and 1999.
Since the 2000’s, the Daynes Cup has been won by local Salt Lake teams in the Utah Adult Soccer Association Premier Division (with the exception of Clearfield High School winning in 2000). Those teams are Olympique Montreux, SS Lazio FC, Vikings SC and Red Devils FC.
Salt Lake Soccer Club with the Daynes Cup trophy, 1923.
This brings us to the modern day. The Daynes Cup has existed for over 100 years. Most people are surprised to hear the words soccer, history and Utah being used in the same sentence. After all, the most popular and professional club in the state, Real Salt Lake, has only existed for 20 years - comparatively speaking they are still a young team with a short history.
I guarantee that wherever you may be, there is football being played outside of the top professional clubs. The Daynes Challenge Cup in Utah is the very essence of grassroots and local soccer, while also being historically important and a lens through which you can study the history of soccer in Utah.
Some detractors may call it small and insignificant, but to me it is a part of Utah’s rich history which should be cherished and championed.
Full list of Daynes Cup winner, 1905-2023.
Sources
The J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah Online Database
The History of Soccer in Utah | Roy Webb, 2007
Utah Adult Soccer Association
Header Image: 2023 Daynes Cup Champions, Red Devils FC
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