 The FA Charity Shield was founded in 1908 as a contest between the top professional and amateur teams of each season . It was played between the Football League champions and FA Cup winners for the first time in 1921 ; the formation of a new top @-@ tier division , the Premier League , in 1992 meant it displaced the Football League spot . Wembley Stadium acted as the home venue of the Shield , first hosting the event in 1974 . The Arsenal players in the 1993 staging of the Charity Shield were the first in the competition 's history to wear permanent squad numbers and names on the back of their shirts , while the Manchester United players used the traditional 1 – 11 numbering system without the names , which was phased out by the start of the 1993 – 94 FA Premier League season . The Premier League intended to introduce persistent squad numbers with names at the start of the 1992 – 93 season , but Manchester United vetoed plans as their laundry room " was too small to handle all the extra shirts " . 
