The FA Cup on tour
The FA Cup is returning to BBC Television this autumn with more coverage than ever before across TV and BBC Local Radio. To celebrate this, the famous old trophy is going on tour, visiting five regions across five days, beginning in the North East on Monday 3 November and ending in the North West on Friday 7 November.
Published: 31 October 2014
The FA Cup has got to be one of the most famous trophies in world sport. It’s great we’re able to bring it to so many different places where there some inspiring footballing projects going on.
The whistle-stop tour will see the FA Cup visiting various community-focused projects, as well as the BBC building in each region where there will be the chance to take a selfie with one of the most coveted trophies in the football world.
The full run-down of where the FA Cup will visit as part of the tour is:
Monday 3 November: North East – Visiting Longhoughton Rangers FC in Northumberland, where a group of Dads set up the club and managed to secure £1million and a 3G pitch. The club's Under 14 coach Steve Mullen, who scored in the FA Cup for local non-league team Alnwick Town and were featured on Match of the Day in 1992, will also be there on the day. The FA Cup then moves onto BBC Newcastle for an appearance on BBC Look North.
Tuesday 4 November: Yorkshire - The FA Cup visits an Asians in Football event with West Riding FA, meeting local fans to capture the excitement in the lead up to the Halifax v Bradford City West Yorkshire derby, then arriving at BBC Leeds reception before appearing on BBC Look North.
Wednesday 5 November: West – The FA Cup will be visiting Help for Heroes Recovery Centre, Tedworth House in Wiltshire. The trophy will then arrive at BBC Bristol reception, before making an appearance on BBC Points West.
Thursday 6 November: West Midlands - Worcester FA Skills session at a local primary school with Worcester City manager Carl Heeley passing on some coaching tips. The FA Cup will then visit West Bromwich Albion FC for the unveiling of a statue of Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown. BBC Birmingham at The Mailbox is the next stop on the tour for the trophy, before appearing on BBC Midlands Today.
Friday 7 November: North West – The FA cup will be visiting Street League’s Centre of Manchester Academy to attend a Street Football session with unemployed young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The trophy will also visit a women’s veteran’s football team called Reddish North Town in Stockport. The FA Cup will then make its way Warrington ahead of BBC Sport’s first live FA Cup 1st Round game: Warrington Town v Exeter City, live on BBC Two on Friday from 7.30pm.
Charles Runcie, Head of BBC Sport, English Regions, says: “The FA Cup has got to be one of the most famous trophies in world sport. It’s great we’re able to bring it to so many different places where there some inspiring footballing projects going on. To see the trophy up close and personal – it’s almost as good as scoring the winner at Wembley!”
In a first for FA Cup coverage, the BBC will be giving extra prominence to the early rounds of the competition, placing lower league clubs in the spotlight, with BBC Local Radio stations across the country charting the route to the first round proper, with many local sides up against league teams ranked much higher than themselves.
Fans will be able to enjoy every twist and turn along the road to Wembley this season with extensive coverage across all platforms. This includes up to 16 live matches on TV, live commentaries on Radio 5 live and BBC local radio, and every FA Cup goal being available to watch online at www.bbc.co.uk/sport
BBC Sport has a four-year FA Cup rights contract running until 2018 in partnership with BT Sport.
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