The competition was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from
England and
Italy. It was founded by
Gigi Peronace, following the two-team
Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1969. The initial Anglo-Italian Cup was played as an annual tournament from 1970 to 1973. The first final was abandoned early due to violence, with
Swindon Town declared the winners. During its time the tournament had a reputation for violence between fans, and also between players on the pitch.
[2][3] but it returned as a semi-professional tournament from 1976 before it was abolished again in 1986.
In 1992, the Anglo-Italian Cup was re-established as a professional cup for second-tier clubs – it replaced the English
Full Members Cup. The Italian representatives were
Serie B teams. This version of the Cup ran for four seasons, until 1996, before being discontinued due to fixture congestion. The trophy was a 22-inch (56 cm) high gold
loving cup mounted on a wooden
plinth.
[4][5]