The FA Community Shield, formerly known as the FA Charity Shield, evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, which was introduced in 1898 as a contest between professionals and amateurs.
This competition was replaced by the Charity Shield in 1908, following a dispute between the FA and the leading amateur clubs. This new Charity Shield was originally fought out between the champions of the Football League and the winners of the Southern League.
Its format varied over subsequent years until the pattern of the Football League winners playing the FA Cup winners, first tried in 1921, became established in the 1930s. Now, Premier League winners face FA Cup victors. There have been several exceptions to this pattern, two of which involved Leicester.
In 1961, champions Tottenham Hotspur also won the FA Cup after defeating the Foxes, so their opponents in the 1961 Charity Shield were an FA XI.
Ten years later, Arsenal also lifted the league and cup double but, owing to a previously arranged pre-season tour, the Gunners couldn’t contest the Charity Shield, so the Foxes, as Second Division champions, played beaten FA Cup finalists Liverpool, defeating the Reds 1-0 at Filbert Street.
Since 1974, the venue for the Charity or Community Shield fixture has been Wembley Stadium. The exceptions were between 2001 and 2006, as Millennium Stadium hosted it while Wembley was being rebuilt, and in 2012, as the match was played at Villa Park with Wembley being readied for the Olympics.
In 2002, meanwhile, the FA Charity Shield was renamed the FA Community Shield.
On 7 August, 2016, Leicester City, as Premier League champions, faced the 2016 FA Cup winners, Manchester United, in that season’s Community Shield match. For participating in this fixture, the FA presented the Club with this silver replica of the Community Shield.
As the current FA Cup holders, the Foxes will face Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield fixture on Saturday 7 August, 2021. By coincidence, Leicester's two previous Community Shield matches, in 1971 and 2016, were also played on on this date.