1930–31 Swiss Cup

The 1930–31 Swiss Cup was the 6th edition of Switzerland's football cup competition, organised annually since the 1925–26 season by the Swiss Football Association.

In Switzerland, after the end of the first world war, the 1920s saw a rapid rise in the popularity of top-level football and also a decade of rapid growth in grassroots football and many new football clubs were formed. By the mid-1920s, every larger Swiss town had a football pitch and its own football club. Top level organised football also experienced a boom and the larger already existing clubs were also expanding and growing. Between 1922 and 1930, twelve new football stadiums were built, each with a capacity of over 10,000 spectators. Furthermore, semi- and fully professional football players began to emerge and transfer fees started to become a reality.^[1]

The structure of the Swiss championships provided a top-tier Serie A with 27 teams (3 regional groups of 9 clubs) and a second-tier Promotion Series with 54 teams divided into 6 groups. From the third-tier the football system was arranged in the regional leagues, named Serie B, C and D. However, the Swiss league system was suffering a crisis and the differences had expand during the previous few years. There were continuous disagreements between smaller and larger clubs, mainly concerning promotion/relegation procedures, which included play-offs between lower-tier group winners and upper-tier group losers. Things came to a peak at exactly this time, due to the fact that at the end of the previous season there were no promotion/relegation play-offs between the top two tiers. At last years' AGM the Swiss Football and Athletics Federation (SFAV), as the Swiss Football Association used to call itself, then decided to reorganise the structures of their championships and that the first, second and third tiers would be re-arranged. The new league would start explicitly in the following season and his season remained as transition season.^[2]

The Cup competition that had been introduced five years earlier, to relieve these rising differences, proved to be a success. This season 135 clubs applied to join the cup competition and, therefore, it began with two preliminary rounds, before the main competition began. The first qualifying round was played at the end of August and second qualifying at the beginning of September 1930. The first principal round was played at the beginning of October. The competition was to be completed on Sunday 10 May 1931, with the final, which this year was held at the Campo Marzio in Lugano.

The preliminary rounds were held for the lower league teams that were not qualified for the main rounds. Reserve teams were not admitted to the competition. The 27 clubs from this season's top-tier, in the 1930–31 Swiss Serie A, joined the competition in the first principal round, which was played on Saturday and Sunday, 4 and 5 October.

The matches were played in a knockout format. In the event of a draw after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time. In the event of a draw at the end of extra time, if agreed between the clubs, a second extra time was played. If the score was still level at the final whistle, a replay was foreseen and this was played on the visiting team's pitch. If no replay was agreed or the replay ended in a draw after extra time, a toss of a coin would establish the team that qualified for the next round.^[3]

The lower league teams that had not qualified for the competition competed here in two preliminary knockout rounds. Reserve teams were not admitted to the competition. The aim of this preliminary stage was to reduce the number of lower league teams to 31 before the first main round, to join the 33 clubs from the top-tier that were automatically qualified. The draw in the preliminary stage and in the early rounds of the main competition respected local regionalities. Both preliminary rounds were played in advance of the lower leagues regional season.

• Note to match Couvet-Sports–Richemond-Daillettes: Richemond-Daillettes declaired forfeit and the match was awarded as a 3–0 victory for Couvet-Sports.
• Note to match Le Locle–Dopolavoro: a player of FC Le Locle was not qualified, the result was annulled and the match was awarded as a 3–0 victory for Dopolavoro.
• Note to match CAA Genève–Boudry: a player of CAA Genève was not qualified, the result was annulled and the match was awarded as a 3–0 victory for Boudry.
• Note to match Sylva-Sports–Zähringia: following a protest from Zähringia, the result was annulled and awarded as a 3–0 victory for Zähringia.
• Note to match Racing-Club–Stade Lausanne: a player of Stade Lausanne was not qualified, the result was annulled and the match was awarded as a 3–0 victory for Racing-Club.

• Note to match Vevey Sports–ASEP Saint-Imier-Sports: Saint-Imier declaired forfeit and the match was awarded as a 3–0 victory for Vevey Sports.
• All the other clubs received byes.

The winners of the qualification round were to join the clubs from the lower leagues that had already qualified and the teams from the top-tier that were automatically qualified. The draw in the early rounds of the main competition respected local regionalities, whenever possible.

• Note to match Monthey–Thun: The match was abandoned due to darkness and awarded as a 3–0 victory for Thun who qualified for next round.

• Servette played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier), Xamax in the Serie C (fourth tier).

• Zürich played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier)
• Black Stars played the first half of the 1930/31 season in the second-tier and the second half of the season in the top-tier.

Notes

• Basel played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier)
• Locarno played the first half of the 1930/31 season in the second-tier and the second half of the season in the top-tier.

• Both Aarau and Blue Stars played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

• Zürich played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier), Liestal in the Serie B (third tier).

• Racing-Club played the first half of the 1930/31 season in the second-tier and the second half in the top-tier.
• Servette in the top-tier.

• Both Winterthur and Nordstern played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

• Both Bern and La Chaux-de-Fonds played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

• Both Lugano and Zürich played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

• Both GC and Brühl played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

• Both St. Gallen and Blue Stars played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

• Racing-Club played the first half of the 1930/31 season in the second-tier and the second half in the top-tier.
• Grenchen in the top-tier.

• Cantonal played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier), Olten in the Serie Promotion (second tier)

• Both UGS and Fribourg played the 1930/31 season in the Serie A (top-tier).

The final was held on Sunday 10 May 1931. The location for the final was decided by a toss of a coin between the two finalists. Lugano won the draw and so the final was held at the former Campo Marzio in Lugano.

Lugano won the cup and this was the club's first cup title to this date.^[3]

• 1930–31 Swiss Serie A
• 1930–31 FC Basel season

• Fussball-Schweiz
• Switzerland 1930–31 at RSSSF