Tuff Dogs and Butterfield and Vallis United have become the first Corona League teams to enter the FA Cup and will make their debuts in preliminary round matches next Sunday.

Today’s draw for the six preliminary round matches involving the First Division and two Corona League teams, pitted Tuff Dogs against Young Men’s Social Club while B&V United, in their first season in the Corona League, will take on BAA Wanderers.

The Bermuda Football Association (BFA) have extended invitations to Corona League teams to enter the FA Cup since the league was formed three years ago, but only now have they been accepted.

“There has been interest for a number of years but this is the first time a [Corona League] club has signed up and we’re very excited about Butterfield and Vallis and Tuff Dogs joining in,” Stephen Coddington, the chairman of the BFA competitions committee, said. “Hopefully it will have a domino effect.”

Teams from the now defunct Commercial League traditionally competed in the FA Cup. Many of those teams are now part of the Corona League, run independently from the BFA.

The only team in the Masters Division that is not a part of a Premier or First Division club are St George’s All-Stars. None of the other Masters teams are eligible to compete in the FA Cup.

“St George’s All-Stars used to participate in the FA Cup and were also asked to take part this year and chose not to,” Coddington said.

“Those teams that are a part of a club have to come up with their own constitution, own colours and own executives to be a separate entity [in order to participate in the FA Cup].”

Ireland Island Rangers, of the First Division, have opted not to enter the FA Cup this season, with eleven teams entering yesterday’s draw and six teams advancing to join the ten Premier Division teams in the first round.

St David’s Warriors have a bye while two all-First Division ties have Boulevard Blazers and X-Roads clashing at Police Field ahead of another First Division encounter between Devonshire Colts and Somerset Eagles, who drew 1-1 last weekend.

“I think we will be back in the flow of football, we had two weeks off because of the storms, and I’m expecting a better performance,” Ray Jones, the Devonshire Colts president, said.

“I’m pretty sure the Eagles coach feels the same way, the game was a bit helter-skelter and didn’t have much fluidity to it.”

Colts won the FA Cup in 2006-07, beating Boulevard 2-0 to become the first First Division side to lift the trophy.

“Promotion is definitely our main priority but obviously a good cup run builds confidence,” Jones said. “The coach will probably challenge the team to become the next Devonshire Colts side to lift the FA Cup from the First Division.”

The rescheduled Dudley Eve Trophy semi-finals will take place tonight at Devonshire Recreation Club, with Somerset Trojans playing Flanagan’s Onions at 7pm and Dandy Town facing North Village at 9pm.