Should Wembley host FA Cup semis?

An FA spokesman and the secretary of the Manchester City Supporters Club debate the merits of playing the FA Cup semi-final at the national stadium Matt Phillips, FA spokesman: The Football Association said eight years ago that Wembley is now the host for the semi‑finals and the final of the FA Cup so we won’t see a return to any other stadiums for the foreseeable future. Wembley has a capacity of nearly 90,000, which means many more fans have the opportunity to see their team in the semi-finals now than when the matches were played at grounds such as Anfield, Villa Park and Old Trafford. Semis have been played at Wembley since 1991 and some of the biggest crowds in the history of the FA Cup have come from those matches. Stoke City have already sold out their allocation so the demand for Wembley is clearly there. Wembley is set up to deal with large crowds and that’s what you’ll always get at semi-finals – it’s purpose built for major events, particularly major football events. This is a stadium that will host the Champions League final next month. We’re aware that some fans wonder why Saturday’s semi-final – a Manchester derby – is being played in London rather than Old Trafford or Anfield but when it comes to the FA Cup we’re beholden to the draw. We’ve got two teams from the north in the first semi-final but Saturday’s match could quite easily have been between two London clubs: in the past we’ve seen London sides and teams such as Portsmouth play at Wembley. At the start of the season everyone knows the semi-finals will be in London, so it’s not like it comes as a shock when fans need to make travel arrangements. The semi-finals and the final are both played at Wembley but that doesn’t take away the magic of a final at the stadium. Wembley is set out in a different way for each round so fans who come for the semi-final will have a different experience from those who come for the final. This weekend three of the clubs involved – Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Stoke – will play their first game at the new Wembley so it will be a fresh experience for them. At least one of those teams won’t be coming back for the final so playing the semis at Wembley gives more supporters and clubs the chance to experience the national stadium. London will host a number of big events this weekend with the FA Cup semi-finals, the marathon and Liverpool’s visit to Arsenal but it’s a city that can cope with large crowds. Bear in mind that next year the capital will take in the Olympics – if it’s set up to cope with the logistics of so many events and people in one place I’m sure it can handle this weekend’s schedule. Kevin Parker, general secretary, Manchester City Supporters Club: My family, friends and I are looking forward to going to Wembley for the semi-final because we haven’t played in a Cup final since 1981. But the reality is that we’d be looking forward to the semi-final whether it was being played at Wembley, the Millennium Stadium, the Emirates or at St James’s Park

Posted by on April 14, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.