International Selection Committee (The F.A.)

"The British Empire Exhibition was opened in the stadium on St. George's Day, 1924, three days before Wembley's second FA Cup Final, by King George V. It was to be a celebration of the diverse cultures and resources of the British Empire following the hardships of the First World War. The stadium had become the centrepiece of a huge theme park with fairground rides, lakes and palaces. The stadium was used to host such diverse attractions as the first rodeos to be held in England, the Boy Scouts' Imperial Jamboree and a re-enactment of the Great Fire of London, with the pitch being transformed into a burning network of streets!"
"There had been an RAF Senior Cup Final played during the Exhibition, on 2 May 1924, RAF Manston beat the holders, RAF Cranwell."
   

"When the Exhibition closed in 1925, it was visited by more than 27 million people, the Wembley site faced an uncertain future with its buildings being sold off or demolished. The stadium faced a similar fate until Arthur Elvin's intervention. The significance of his determination to buy the stadium and to make it a viable proposition can never be understated in its history. It was the defining period and without him, Wembley would never have become a name indistinguishable from English football history. His objective was to provide popular entertainment and the introduction of greyhound racing several times a week, from 1927, gave him the foundation and financial stability to make the stadium pay. A dog named Spin won the first race."

"Boxing was first staged at Wembley (on 9 August) 1924 when the American heavyweight Tommy Gibbons knocked out Jack Bloomfield in a poorly attended fight."
"Rugby Union was first played at Wembley in (on 14 March ) 1925, with the Army and the RAF sharing the points in a 5-5 draw."
  

"The 1928-29 season was unique in Wembley's history for the proliferation of amateur matches. It was originally planned that a team formed especially to enter the Football League, called the Argonauts, would play there but they were not elected and Ealing took over the venue. Elvin's first attempt to introduce more football in Wembley's calendar came with Ealing Association's move to the stadium as an experimental home ground."
Ealing Association of the Southern Amateur League First Division, played at Wembley between 29th September and 8 December 1928. They lost six of the eight matches, conceding 24 goals. They returned to Corfton Road in Ealing, but failed to maintain their status in the division and were relegated. From the following month, January 1929, the Old Malvernians took advantage of their departure, playing twice, each in the next two months.

"The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final made its Wembley debut (on 4 May) 1929, with Wigan beating Dewsbury, 13-2 and the fixture was to become an annual pilgrimage to the capital for thousands of northern fans."
"Speedway was the next sport to receive the Wembley treatment (on 16th) May 1929 as Wembley Lions joined the Southern League. Despite an inauspicious start, when they lost nine of their first 11 fixtures, they turned things around and won the title."
  

The visit of England and Scotland in 1930 was preceded by the final of the Wembley Hospital Cup, on 22 February, between Glacier Sports and Harrow St. Mary's. The match went into extra time with Harrow running out winners 5-4, scoring the winning goal after 118 minutes of football.

"The stadium had become an international [speedway] venue with England defeating Australia in the 1930 Fifth Test." (26 September 1930 - England 49 Australia 45).
"Orient had moved to a new ground at Lea Bridge Road but the Football League had declared it unsuitable and they were given permission to use Wembley for home matches while the new ground was undergoing changes." Orient won twice at the end of 1930, on 22 November and 6 December, against Brentford and Southend United.
   

On 21 March 1934, the London Occupational League Final was held between Greenwich Trafalgar and Wathamstow Fellowship, with the Fellowship winning by a single goal. The Prince of Wales presented the honours to the London unemployed.

"Wembley tried its hand with American sports, as played by the American forces. Two teams from the USS New Orleans played baseball in 1934."

Boxing: "Commonwealth champion Jack Petersen was defeated by the German heavyweight Walter Neusel (on 27th June) 1935."
   

"Wembley made its money from other events during this period. It became the premier venue for speedway, with the World Championship being held there annually from (10 September) 1936 and the Lions' Australian captain, Lionel Van Praag, became the first World Champion."
A University International was held on 7 January 1937 between Great Britain and Germany. Britain won by a single Collins goal, in a team that included Maurice Edelston, who returned to Wembley with England in a 1942 Wartime International. He commentated on the FA Cup finals for BBC Radio Two during the 1970s.
In the 1937 summer, "the stadium was used for the final of a competition contested by local Feathers clubs, which were organised by juniors, who met regularly for friendship, occupation, and recreation."

"Wembley was used to stage all manner of festivals, ceremonies, pageants and tattoos right from the early days of the British Empire Exhibition. In June 1937, 6,000 members of the Women's League of Health and Beauty gave a display of exercise to music as part of the Coronation Pageant and four months later the Lord Mayor of London was at the stadium to present the charter as Wembley officially became a London borough. The stadium had originally been built in the countryside around London but the area developed rapidly to become part of the capital city."
   

"Wembley Stadium played an important role during the role during the war. Not only did it stage wartime cup finals and internationals for the Red Cross and other charities, but it was a temporary home for refugees."
"It was not until the Second World War that football really established itself at the stadium. Even though the FA Cup was suspended, a cup final was still held there during the spring. In 1940 (8 June 1940 - Blackburn Rovers 0 West Ham United 1) and '41 (10 May 1941 - Arsenal 1 Preston North End 1; replayed 31 May - Arsenal 1 Preston North End 2), it was the Football League War Cup Final, in 1942 it was the London War Cup Final for the breakaway teams in the London League (30 May 1942 - Brentford 2 Portsmouth 0) and for the remaining two years it was the Football League South Cup Final (1 May 1943 - Arsenal 7 Charlton Athletic 1; 15 April 1944 - Charlton Athletic 3 Chelsea 1 & 7 April 1945 - Chelsea 2 Millwall 0). During the hostilities, England made eight appearances (see below) and then played two Victory Internationals (26 May 1945 - England 2 France 2 (65,000) & 19 January 1946 - England 2 Belgium 0 (85,000)). The Belgians and Dutch, whose refugees had been housed at the stadium, had played the first game between foreign teams, in 1941 (11 October 1941 - Belgium 5 Netherlands 4)."
"The Middlesex Charity Cup Final was played each year from 1942-45, as well as the Wembley Youth Committee League Cup Finals and a Civil Defence Cup Final. There was also a charity match each year from 1941-45 between the forces and the police, or rather, the professional footballers serving in those organisations."
"The end of the war saw an International Trial Match held at the stadium (6 April 1946 - FA 3 Army Physical Training Corps 5) and the first British Junior Cup Final for youths from the forces' training organisations (30 March 1946 - ATC 4 NABC 2), plus boys' clubs. This competition held its final at Wembley every year from 1948-56."
"In 1945, Wembley marked the end of the Second World War with a thanksgiving service."

Walter Winterbottom

1948: "With London awarded the first post-war Olympics, Wembley was the natural choice for the showpiece events. In the football tournament, the semi-finals, final and bronze medal play-off were staged amid the athletics, hockey and equestrianism."
"They began on July 29th and were formally opened by King George VI. The following day, the athletics began with a bang as Emil Zatopek smashed the 10,000 metres world record by 12 seconds, finishing an astonishing 45 seconds ahead of the silver medallist. Three days later, Dutch housewife Fanny Blankers-Koen won the 100 metres, the first of her four gold medals in. As well as the athletics and football, the stadium was also used for the closing stages of the hockey tournament, won by India, who thrashed Great Britain 4-0 in the final. As an exhibition sport, lacrosse was played at Wembley for the one and only time. England drew 5-5 with Renseller Polytechnic Institute from the state of New York. The Olympics ended with the equestrian events on the famous turf. Great Britain was unable to win any gold medals at the stadium, but the Games were a huge success."

"Wembley was now a huge name and the time was right to add more football matches to the schedule. 1949 saw the FA Amateur Cup Final move to Wembley (23 April 1949 - Bromley 1 Romford 0), just in time for its golden era in the early 1950s, when 100,000 crowds were recorded for five consecutive finals."
   

"The first schoolboy international played at Wembley was in 1950 and became a popular annual fixture."
Schoolboy International: 15 April 1950 - England 8 Scotland 2 (80,000). - Johnny Haynes scored twice in his first Wembley appearance.

"Middlesex played their home leg of the 1950 FA County Youth Cup Final at Wembley (20 May 1950 second leg - Middlesex 1 Essex 2) and the new decade brought even more games to the stadium."
   

"After the men's hockey at the Olympics, the women's game made its Wembley debut (on 3 March) in 1951, with England beating Ireland 6-1. They became annual fixtures and the terraces echoed to high-pitch voices."

Schoolboy International: 7 April 1951 - England 3 Wales 0 (51,000) - The England team included Duncan Edwards and their captain, David Pegg

"The FA had seen that Wembley could attract top crowds to any England games at Wembley and Argentina became the first foreign visitors for a full international at the stadium."

"After [Argentina] the floodgates opened. England played Wales for the first time in the British Championship at Wembley for the first time, in 1952."

Amateur International: 15 March 1952 - England 1 Scotland 2 (80,000). - The England team featured George Robb and Bill Slater. Coached by Walter Winterbottom.
Schoolboy International: 5 April 1952 - England 1 Scotland 0 (80,312). - Captained by Duncan Edwards.
  

Season 1952-53

"American football was played in the stadium during the war and  (on 13 December) 1952 the final of a competition for the US Forces in Europe ended at Wembley with the German-based Furstenfeldbruck Eagles beating Burtonwood Bullets 26-7." Burtonwood were the Warrington-based UK champions
 
Schoolboy International: 28 March 1953 - England 3 Wales 3 (80,500). - Captained by Duncan Edwards in front of a record crowd for a schoolboy fixture, who witnessed two goals by the young Bobby Charlton.

"Four amateur internationals between England and Scotland were played at Wembley in the 1950s, hoping to capitalise on the popularity of the amateur game during the period, but these did not quite capture the public's imagination like the Amateur Cup Finals. England lost three of them and they were eventually discarded from the calendar after 1958."
"One amateur fixture that did survive was the annual Varsity match between the Cambridge and Oxford Universities. First played at Wembley in 1953 (7 March 1953 - Cambridge University 0 Oxford University 0), a rearranged fixture after the postponement in December 1952, it ran until 1987, when the sparse crowds could no longer justify use of the stadium."
"The FA Cup Final continued to grow in popularity throughout the 1950s and live television coverage meant that the fixture was switched to the week after the end of the league season so as not to affect other attendances. From 1953 onwards it was the only fixture of the day."
  

Season 1953-54

British Amateur Championship: 27 March 1954 - England 1 Scotland 4.
Schoolboy International: 3 April 1954 - England 1 Scotland 0.

"(On 23 May) 1954, the American evangelist, Billy Graham managed to fill Wembley with 120,000 people on the first of several visits. Only the 1923 FA Cup Final saw more people in the stadium."
  

Season 1954-55

Schoolboy International: 23 April 1955 - England 6 Wales 0 (90,000). - a new record for a schoolboy fixture
  

"The clamour for more midweek games led to Wembley installing floodlights in 1955, with a London representative side meeting Frankfurt in the European Fairs Cup, the stadium's first European tie." (26 October 1955 - London 3 Frankfurt 2).

British Amateur Championship: 24 March 1956 - England 4 Scotland 2 (10,000). - a new record for a schoolboy fixture
Schoolboy International: England 1 Scotland 2 - a first schoolboy defeat for England at Wembley. Barry Bridges scored for England.

Olympic Qualifying second leg: 12 May 1956 - Great Britain 3 Bulgaria 2 (30,000). - this match followed the curtain-raiser, the British Junior Cup final between ACF and NABC.
  

Season 1956-57

Schoolboy International: 30 March 1957 - England 2 Wales 0. - The England team featured Nobby Stiles and Bobby Tambling

World Cup Preliminary match

"[On 16th October] 1957, the one and only Under-23 international to be held at Wembley was played between England and Romania."
Under 23 International: England 3 Romania 2 (34,381) - with two Jimmy Greaves' goals. England played in red.

Northern Ireland's win ended England's run of ten Wembley wins in a row. Also the first Home Championship defeat at Wembley.

On 6 February 1958 - The Munich Air Disaster - which amongst others, took the lives of Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor.

British Amateur Championship: 29 March 1958 England 2 Scotland 3 (6,000) - The final amateur fixture at the stadium.
Schoolboy International: 26 April 1958 - England 3 Scotland 1 (90,000) - England included Terry Venables, as Scotland gave Wembley its first look at Billy Bremner

"Irish fans living in London were treated to their national sports when Wembley began staging an annual double bill from (24 May) 1958. Galway beat Derry (3-08 to 2-04) at Gaelic football and All-Ireland Hurling Champions, Kilkenny, defeated Clare (6-10 to 5-07 in front of 33,204). Different teams were invited each year in May and the event ran until 1976 when dwindling attendances brought the games to an end."
   

Schoolboy International: 25 April 1959 - England 2 West Germany 0 (95,000) - Another schoolboy fixture attendance record witnessed Martin Peters oppose Wolfgang Overath for the first time. England were captained by Chris Lawler.

Schoolboy International: 30 April 1960 - England 5 Scotland 3 (92,000)

Schoolboy International: 29 April 1961 - England 8 Wales 1 (95,000)

"Possibly the most bizarre event the stadium ever staged was the ski-jumping on May 31st and June 1st 1961. Two nights of fund-raising for British skiing were made possible with artificial snow."
   

Season 1961-62

World Cup Preliminary match

Schoolboy International: 28 April 1962 - England 1 West Germany 2 (95,000) - first home defeat by a foreign team

Season 1962-63

"The Centenary of the FA in 1963 brought about a few changes. Wembley acquired a new roof to cover all the spectators and the stadium saw its first European Cup Final, as well as two youth internationals, the first being the final of the European Youth Tournament."

European Youth Tournament: 23 April 1963 - England 4 Northern Ireland 0 (30,500) - In the England team was Tommy Smith. The Irish custodian was a young Pat Jennings.
Schoolboy International: 27 April 1963 - England 4 Wales 1 (90,000)

European Cup Final: 22 May 1963 - Benfica 1 AC Milan 2 (45,000) - played three days before the FA Cup Final: Leicester City 1 Manchester United 3

"It was not until [18th June] 1963 that the stadium made boxing history. Cassius Clay, the Olympic Light-Heavyweight champion of 1960, beat the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight champion, Henry Cooper in the fifth round. Cooper had knocked down Clay at the end of the previous round but his own cut eye ruined his chances. Clay had predicted he would win in the fifth."
    

"International Rugby League took a little longer to establish itself at Wembley, probably because of the lack of home success. Great Britain took their First Test with Australia to Wembley in 1963 but had to wait another ten years for their first victory."
Rugby League - 1963-64 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain & France: The Ashes Series: First Test: 16 October 1963 - Great Britain 2 Australia 28 (13,946).

Youth International: 6 November 1963 - England 5 Rest of the United Kingdom 2 (8,000) - Again, Tommy Smith was in the England team, scoring two penalties. It was another match celebrating the FA Centenary.

Schoolboy International: 25 April 1964 - England 1 West Germany 1.

Schoolboy International: 3 April 1965 - England 3 Scotland 0 (85,000) - a young Peter Shilton was keeping goal for England.

"West Ham United won the European Cup-Winners Cup at the stadium in 1965."
European Cup-Winners Cup Final: 19 May 1965 - TSV Munich 0 West Ham United 2.