Misplaced Pages

FA Cup: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 08:35, 28 December 2013 editCR85747 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers19,751 edits Media coverage← Previous edit Revision as of 10:09, 31 December 2013 edit undo176.251.172.66 (talk)No edit summaryTag: blankingNext edit →
Line 2: Line 2:
{{Use British English|date=April 2013}} {{Use British English|date=April 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox football tournament {{Infobof football tournament
| logo = ] | logo = ]
| founded = 1871 | founded = 1871
Line 14: Line 14:
| current = ] | current = ]
}} }}
'''The Football Association Challenge Cup''', commonly known as the '''FA Cup''', is an annual ]
'''The Football Association Challenge Cup''', commonly known as the '''FA Cup''', is an annual ] cup competition in ] and is the oldest association football competition in the world.<ref>. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 22 January 2010.</ref> The FA Cup is run by and named after ] and usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a ] is also held. Its current ] name is '''the FA Cup with ]'''.<ref></ref>

The FA Cup was first held in ]. Entry is open to all teams who compete in the ], the ] and in steps one to five of the FA ], as well as selected teams in step 6.<ref> The FA.com. Retrieved 15 February 2011</ref> This means that clubs of all standards compete, from the largest clubs in England and Wales down to amateur village teams. The tournament has become known for the possibility for "]" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically winning the Cup, although lower division teams rarely progress beyond the early stages. The qualification rounds and a system of ] mean that the very smallest and very biggest teams almost never meet.

] are the current holders, after defeating ] 1–0 to win the Cup for the first time.

==Format==
The competition is a ] with pairings for each round drawn at random. There are no ] and the draw for each round is not made until after the scheduled dates for the previous round (except for the Preliminary and First Qualifying rounds which are drawn at the same time as the Extra-preliminary round). The draw also determines which teams will play at home.

Each tie is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn, there is a replay, usually at the ground of the team who were away for the first game. Drawn replays are now settled with ] and ]; until the 1990s further replays would be played until one team was victorious. Some ties took as many as six matches to settle; in their 1975 campaign, ] played a total of 12 games over six rounds, which remains the most games played by a team to reach a final.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompetitions/TheFACup/History/HistoryOfTheFACup/1975WestHamFulham.aspx |title=TheFA.com – Hammers nail Fulham |publisher=The Football Association |accessdate=5 March 2005}}</ref> Replays were traditionally played three or four days after the original game, but from ] they were staged at least 10 days later on police advice. This led to penalty shoot-outs being introduced. Replays are no longer held for the semi-finals or final.

There are a total of 14 rounds in the competition&nbsp;– six qualifying rounds, followed by six "proper", plus the semi-finals and the final. The qualifying rounds are regionalised to reduce the travel costs for smaller ] sides. The First and Second Rounds were also previously split into Northern and Southern sections, but this practice was ended after the 1997–98 competition.

The competition begins in August with the lowest-ranked clubs (those from level 9 and below of the ]), contesting the Extra Preliminary Round, followed by the Preliminary Round (when clubs from level 8 enter) and First Qualifying Round (level 7 clubs enter). Clubs in the ] and ] join in the Second Qualifying Round, and ] clubs join in the Fourth Qualifying Round.

The 32 winners from that round progress to the First Round (often called the First Round Proper). They are joined by the 48 clubs from ] and ]. Finally, teams from the ] and ] enter at the Third Round Proper, at which point there are 64 teams remaining in the competition. The Sixth Round Proper is the quarter-final stage, at which point eight teams remain.

The FA Cup has a set pattern for when each round is played. Normally the First Round is played in mid-November, with the Second Round on one of the first two Saturdays in December. The third round is played on the first weekend in January, with the Fourth Round later in the month and Fifth Round in mid-February. The Sixth Round (or quarter-finals) traditionally occurs in early or mid March, with the semi-finals a month later.

The final is normally held the Saturday after the ] season finishes in May. The only seasons in recent times when this pattern was not followed were ], when most rounds were played a few weeks earlier than normal as an experiment, and ] and ] when the FA Cup Final was played before the Premier League season had finished, to allow the stadium to be ready for the ] final.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/mar/06/fa-cup-final-manchester-derby |title=Tarnished FA Cup needs a Manchester derby's drama |work=The Guardian |date=6 March 2011}}</ref>

===Draw===
The draw for each of the "proper" rounds is ] and is broadcast live on television, usually taking place at the conclusion of live coverage of one of the games of the previous round. No teams are seeded in the qualifying round draws either, but the teams are grouped geographically in the qualifying rounds to reduce travel costs. Public interest is particularly high during the draw for the third round, which is where the top-ranked teams are added to the draw.

===Eligible teams===
All clubs in the ] and ] are automatically eligible, and clubs in the next six levels of the ] are also eligible provided they have played in either the FA Cup, ] or ] competitions in the previous season. Newly formed clubs, such as ] in ] and also ], may not therefore play in the FA Cup in their first season. All clubs entering the competition must also have a suitable stadium.

It is very rare for top clubs to miss the competition, although it can happen in exceptional circumstances. Defending holders ] did not enter the ], as they were already in the inaugural ], with the club stating that entering both tournaments would overload their fixture schedule and make it more difficult to defend their Champions League and Premiership titles. The club claimed that they did not want to devalue the FA Cup by fielding a weaker side. The move benefited United as they received a two-week break and won the 1999–2000 league title by an 18-point margin, although they did not progress past the group stages of the Club World Cup. The withdrawal from the FA Cup, however, drew considerable criticism as this weakened the tournament's prestige and ] later admitted his regret regarding their handling of the situation.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/853647.stm |title=Man Utd's FA Cup catastrophe| publisher=] |date=27 July 2000 |accessdate=1 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/i-regret-manchester-uniteds-fa-cup-pullout-fergie-14583761.html |title=I regret Manchester United's FA Cup pull-out: Fergie |work=The Belfast Telegraph |date=3 December 2009 |accessdate=1 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/united-underline-cup-withdrawal-742549.html |title=United underline Cup withdrawal |work=The Independent |last=Staniforth |first=Tommy |date=29 October 1999 |accessdate=16 May 2011}}</ref>

Welsh sides that play in English leagues are eligible, although since the creation of the ] there are only six clubs remaining: ] (the only non-English team to win the tournament, in ]), ], ], ], ] and ]. In the early years other teams from Wales, Ireland and Scotland also took part in the competition, with Glasgow side ] losing the final to ] in ] and ] before being barred from entering by the ]. In the 2013/2014 season the first ] club entered the competition when ] competed for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisguernsey.com/sport/2013/04/30/lions-in-fa-cup/|title=Lions in FA Cup |author=Guernsey Press |date= 30 April 2013 |work=|publisher=www.thisisguernsy.com |accessdate=3 May 2013}}</ref>

The number of entrants has increased greatly in recent years. In the ] season, 660 clubs entered the competition, beating the long-standing record of 656 from the 1921–22 season. In ] this increased to 674 entrants, in ] to 687, in ] to 731 clubs, and for the ] and ] competitions it reached 762.<ref>{{dead link|date=March 2012}}</ref> The number has varied slightly but remained roughly stable since then, with 759 clubs participating in ], a record 763 in ] and 758 for ]. By comparison, the other major English domestic cup, the ], involves only the 92 members of the Premier League and Football League.

===European qualification===

The FA Cup winners qualify for the following season's ] (formerly named the UEFA Cup; until 1998 they entered the ] instead). This European place applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the English top flight. However, if the FA Cup winning team has also qualified for the following season's ], then the losing FA Cup finalist is given the Europa League place instead. FA Cup winners enter the Europa League at the Group Stage. Losing finalists, if they enter the Europa League, must begin earlier, at the play-off or Q3 stage.<ref name="BBCUP"> Premier League, 3 May 2012</ref> From the 2015/16 season, ] will not allow the runner-ups to qualify for the Europa League through the competition.<ref>{{cite web|title=UEFA Direct|url=http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/EuroExperience/uefaorg/Publications/02/01/17/30/2011730_DOWNLOAD.pdf|publisher=UEFA Magazine|accessdate=27 October 2013|format=pdf|date=October 2013}}</ref>

The FA Cup winners also qualify for the single-match ] against the ] Champions.

==Venues==
Matches in the FA Cup are usually played at the home ground of one of the two teams. The team who plays at home is decided when the matches are drawn. There is no seeding system in place within rounds other than when teams enter the competition, therefore the home team is simply the first team drawn out for each fixture. Occasionally games may have to be moved to other grounds due to other events taking place, security reasons or a ground not being suitable to host popular teams. In the event of a ], the ] is played at the ground of the team who originally played ], with a penalty shoot-out deciding the winner if the replay game also ends in a tie.

In the days when multiple replays were possible, the second replay (and any further replays) were played at neutral grounds. The clubs involved could alternatively agree to toss for home advantage in the second replay.

Traditionally, the ] was played at London's ]. Early finals were played in other locations and, due to extensive redevelopment of Wembley, finals between 2001 and 2006 were played at ] in ]. The final returned to Wembley in May 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6039052.stm |title=Wembley Stadium to open next year |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=17 March 2007 | date=19 October 2006 |first=Howard |last=Nurse}}</ref> Early finals venues include ], in 1872 and 1874–92, the ], Derby in 1886, ], Manchester in 1893, ] in 1894, ] for the 1901 replay, ] in 1912, the ] Park, 1895–1914, ] 1920–22, and ], ], London in 1873. In more recent times ] between Leeds and Chelsea was held at ] in Manchester. This was the only time between 1923 and 2000 that the FA Cup final or the FA Cup Final replay was held at a stadium other than Wembley.

The semi-finals were traditionally contested at high-capacity neutral venues; usually the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final. Venues used since 1990 include ] now demolished ] stadium, ] ] Stadium, ] ] stadium, ] former home, ] (since redeveloped as housing), London's Wembley Stadium, the ] in Cardiff and ] ] in Birmingham. Villa Park is the most used stadium, with 55 semi-finals. The 1991 semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham was the first to be played at Wembley, as were both 1993, 1994 and 2000 semi-finals. In 2005, both were held at the Millennium Stadium. The decision to hold the semi-finals at the same location as the final can be controversial amongst fans<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsf.org.uk/news/news0002-facup.html |title=Football supporters hail FA Cup semi final decision |publisher=Football Supporters' Federation |accessdate=8 February 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070208165141/http://www.fsf.org.uk/news/news0002-facup.html |archivedate = 8 February 2007}}</ref> However, starting with the 2008 cup, all semi-finals are played at Wembley; the stadium was not ready for the 2007 semi-finals. For a list of semi-final results and the venues used, see ].

==Trophies==
]
At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, known as the "FA Cup", which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation is made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain, mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation was made on a podium on the pitch.

The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team, but during the game the cup actually has both teams' sets of ribbons attached and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. This tradition was ended by the Football Association in 2013 at the behest of an American brewery which was sponsoring the competition that year, when the winners, Wigan Athletic, were presented with a trophy dressed in sky blue and red ribbons bearing the sponsor's name and logo, rather than their club colours of royal blue and white. Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners and runners-up medals. The present FA Cup trophy is the fourth.

The first, the 'little tin idol', was used from the inception of the Cup in 1871–72 until it was stolen from a ] shoe shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by ] on 11 September 1895, and was never seen again. The FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement. Almost 60 years later, the thief admitted that the cup had been melted down to make counterfeit ] coins.<ref>] ''Illustrated History of Football'' Reed International Books Limited. 1996. p11. ISBN 1-85613-341-9</ref>

The second trophy was a replica of the first, and was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving president ]. It was sold at ] on 19 May 2005 for ]420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes) to ], the then joint chairman of ]. ] has loaned this trophy to the ] which is now based in Manchester and it is on permanent display to the public.

]

A new, larger, trophy was bought by the FA in 1911 designed and manufactured by ] and won by ] in its first outing. This trophy still exists but is now too fragile to be used, so an exact replica was made by ]<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.toye.com/products/sports/trophies-awards/| title=Toye trophies page}}</ref> and has been in use since the 1992 final. A "backup" trophy was made alongside the existing trophy in 1992, but it has not been used so far, and will only be used if the current trophy is lost, damaged or destroyed. An otherwise identical, but smaller replica was also made by Fattorini, the North Wales Coast FA Cup trophy, and is contested annually by members of that regional Association.

Though the FA Cup is the oldest domestic football competition in the world, its ''trophy'' is not the oldest; the oldest trophy for a national competition is the ], which was first presented in 1874. An even older trophy still in existence is the ], made for a one-off competition in ] in 1867.

In 1914 ] won the cup and received unique medals incorrectly struck as "English Cup Winners". One is displayed at ], within the 1914 collection.

==Sponsorship==
{{see also|English football sponsorship}}
Since the start of the 1994–95 season, the FA Cup has been sponsored. However, to protect the identity of the competition, the sponsored name has always included 'The FA Cup' in addition to the sponsor's name, unlike sponsorship deals for the ] where the word 'cup' is preceded by only the sponsor's name. Sponsorship deals run for four years, though – as in the case of E.ON – one-year extensions may be agreed.

Below is a list of sponsors and the sponsored name of the competition:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin-left:1em;"
!Period
!Sponsor
!Name
|-
|1871–1994
|rowspan=1|No main sponsor
|'''The FA Cup'''
|-
|1994–1998
|rowspan=1|]
|'''The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods'''<ref name = "Littlewoods">{{cite news|title=F.A. Cup Soccer Gets A Sponsor|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E1DF1538F931A3575AC0A962958260|work=The New York Times|date=2 September 1994|accessdate=10 October 2011}}</ref>
|-
|1998–2002
|rowspan=1|]
|'''The AXA-Sponsored FA Cup'''<ref name = "Axa wins FA Cup">{{cite news|title=Axa wins FA Cup|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/138103.stm|publisher=BBC News|date=23 July 1998|accessdate=10 October 2011}}</ref>
|-
|2002–2006
|rowspan=1|No main sponsor
|'''The FA Cup'''
|-
|2006–2011
|]
|'''The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON'''<ref></ref><ref>http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompetitions/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/2010/eon-180610</ref>
|-
|2011–2014
|rowspan=1|]
|'''The FA Cup with Budweiser'''<ref></ref>
|}

From August 2006 to 2013, ] supplied match balls for all FA Cup matches. Since March 2013, ] has supplied the official match ball.<ref>{{cite web|last=DailyMail|title=First look at new FA Cup ball, making its debut in this weekend's semi-finals |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2308022/New-FA-Cup-ball-Nike-Maxim.html|work=12 April 2013|accessdate=22 April 2013}}</ref>

==Giant-killers==
The FA Cup has a long tradition of lower-ranked teams becoming "giant-killers" by defeating opponents from a higher division.<ref> Tiger, Carolina. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 20–01–10</ref> Linked to this giant-killing is the progression of small teams through the Cup, to later rounds than they would expect to reach.

Giant-killing victories on various scales happen every year; it is considered particularly newsworthy when a top Premier League team suffers an upset defeat, or where the giant-killer is from outside the ] divisions. The most recent example of a ] team beating top-flight opposition is ]'s victory over ] at Carrow Road in ].<ref>, 26 January 2013</ref> In games between league sides, one of the most notable results was the 1992 victory by Wrexham (who finished the previous season in last place, 92nd in the league) over Arsenal, the reigning champions. One analysis of four years of FA Cup results showed that it was 99.85% likely that at least one team would beat one from a higher division in a given year. The probability drops to 48.8% for a two-division gap, and 39.28% for a three-division gap.<ref name="times analysis">https://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7973-1430225,00.html</ref>

Almost every club in the League Pyramid has a fondly remembered "giant-killing" act in its history. Some small clubs gain a reputation for being "cup specialists" after two or more such feats within a few years.<ref name="times analysis" /> ] holds the record for the most victories over league opposition as a non-league team, having recorded 20 wins before Yeovil entered the league.<ref></ref> The record for a club which has never entered the league is held by ], with 16 league scalps.

A few teams have ] while outside of the top division, though no team from the third level of the football league has progressed to the final. For non-league teams, reaching the third round – where all top flight sides now enter – is considered a major achievement. In the ], a record nine teams achieved this feat.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jan/03/fa-cup-third-round-non-league | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Non-league presence in third round of FA Cup breaks all-time record | first=Anna | last=Kessel | date=3 January 2009 | accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> ] won the ] as a ] club, but since 1945 no non-league team has ],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/sports_talk/1060082.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Ask Albert – Number 8 | date=7 December 2000 | accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> although in 1978 Blyth Spartans of the Northern League took Wrexham to a 5th round replay at St. James Park, only to lose 2-1.

] are the lowest-ranked team to play in the third round, in the ] whilst the club was in the ], the eighth tier of the English football pyramid.<ref>.</ref>

==Notable events in the FA Cup==
{{Main|History of the FA Cup}}

==FA Cup winners and finalists==
{{main|FA Cup Final}}
{{see also|List of FA Cup finals}}
Three clubs have won consecutive FA Cups on more than one occasion: ] (1872, 1873 and 1876, 1877, 1878), ] (1884, 1885, 1886 and 1890, 1891), and ] (1961, 1962 and 1981, 1982).

Seven clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a ], namely ] (1889), ] (1897), ] (1961), ] (1971, 1998, 2002), ] (1986), ] (1994, 1996, 1999) and ] (2010). Arsenal and Manchester United share the record of three doubles. Arsenal have won a double in each of three separate decades (1970s, 1990s, 2000s). Manchester United's three doubles in the 1990s highlights their dominance of English football at the time.

In 1993, Arsenal became the first side to win both the FA Cup and ] in the same season, beating ] 2–1, in both finals. Liverpool repeated this feat in 2001, as did Chelsea in 2007. In 2012, Chelsea accomplished a different cup double consisting of the FA Cup and the ] ].

In ], Manchester United added the ] ] crown to their league and cup double, an accomplishment known as ]. Two years later, in ], Liverpool won the FA Cup, ] and ] to complete a ].

] have the unusual accolade of holding the FA Cup for the longest unbroken period of time; having won the Cup in 1939, the next final was not contested until 1946, due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The FA Cup has only been won by a non-English team once. ] achieved this in 1927 when they beat Arsenal in the final at Wembley. They had previously made it to the final only to lose to Sheffield United in 1925, and lost another final to Portsmouth in 2008. Cardiff City also is the only team to win the national cups of two different countries in the same season, having also won the Welsh Cup in 1927.

===Winners from outside the top flight===
Since the foundation of the Football League, ] in ] have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the ] and were only elected to the Football League in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of only two 18-team divisions.

In the history of the FA Cup, only eight teams who were playing outside the top level of English football have gone on to win the competition, the most recent being ], who beat ] in 1980. Excluding Tottenham in 1901, these clubs were all playing in the old ], no other ] or lower side having reached the final.

One of the most famous upsets was when ] beat ] 1–0 in 1973. Leeds were third in the First Division and Sunderland were in the Second.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/History/Postings/2003/11/46982.htm |title=TheFA.com – Shocks do happen |publisher=The Football Association |accessdate=6 April 2005 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20050305044037/http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/History/Postings/2003/11/46982.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 5 March 2005}}</ref> Three years later Second Division ] also won the Cup, against First Division ] by the same 1–0 scoreline. The other non-top flight winners of the FA Cup were ] in 1894, the first non-top flight team to win the FA Cup since the inception of the league; ] in 1908; ] in 1912; and ] in 1931. West Bromwich Albion remain the only team to have won the FA Cup and promotion from the ] in the same season.

Thus far the FA Cup final has never been contested by two teams from outside the top flight. Uniquely, in 2007–08, three of the four semi-finalists (], ] and ]), were from outside the top flight, although ] went on to win it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7286364.stm |title=FA Cup semi-final draw 2008 |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=15 March 2012 |date=10 March 2008}}</ref>

==Media coverage==
The FA Cup Final is one of 10 events reserved for live broadcast on UK terrestrial television under the ].

From ] to ], FA Cup matches are shown live by ] across England and ], with ] broadcasting to ]. ITV shows 16 FA Cup games per season, including the first pick of live matches from each of the first to sixth rounds of the competition, plus one semi-final exclusively live. The final is also shown live on ITV.

Beginning with the ], terrestrial rights will return to ], with the final being shown on ]. The BBC held those rights prior to 2008.<ref>{{cite web |first=Phil |last=McNulty |title=FA Cup: BBC to show live matches from 2014-15 season |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23339424 |website=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=17 July 2013 |accessdate=17 July 2013}}</ref>

Under the same 2008 contract, ] showed three games and one replay in each round from round three to five, two quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final. The channel also broadcast ITV's matches exclusively to ], after the ITV franchise holder in Scotland, ], decided not to broadcast FA Cup games. Setanta entered administration in June 2009 and as a result the FA terminated Setanta's deal to broadcast FA-sanctioned competitions and ].<ref>{{cite news |title=FA face Setanta shortfall |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8115805.stm |website=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=23 June 2009 |accessdate=12 August 2009 }}</ref>

In October 2009, The FA announced that ITV would show an additional match in the First and Second Rounds on ITV, with one replay match shown on ]. One match and one replay match from the first two rounds will broadcast on The FA website for free, in a similar situation to the ] between ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompetitions/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/2009/FACup_TVTies_1P.aspx |title=FA Cup to be broadcast Free-to-Air |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> The 2009–10 First Round match between ] and ] was the first FA Cup match to be streamed online live.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/10/oldham-athletic-news/31689/latics-to-face-leeds-in-cup |title=Latics to face Leeds in Cup |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref>

Many{{Who|date=June 2011}} expected ] to make a bid to show some of the remaining FA Cup games for the remainder of the 2009/10 season which would include a semi-final and shared rights to the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1194991/FA-Cup-England-TV-rights-grabs-Setanta-falls-administration-prepares-disappear-screens.html |title=FA Cup and England TV rights up for grabs as Setanta falls into administration and prepares to disappear from our screens |date=23 June 2009 |work=] |accessdate=30 December 2009 | location=London}}</ref> ] took over the package Setanta held for the FA Cup from the 2010–11 season.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/dec/07/fa-cup-espn-bbc-itv |title=ESPN secures rights to show FA Cup matches from next season |date=7 December 2009 |work=The Guardian |accessdate=30 December 2009 | location=London | first=Owen | last=Gibson}}</ref> The 2011 final was also shown live on ] in addition to ESPN (who provided the 3D coverage for Sky 3D) & ITV.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2011/ESPN_3D_Coverage.htm | title=ESPN's 3D coverage of 2011 FA Cup Final to be available on Sky 3D | work=Sky TV |accessdate=26 April 2011 | location=London}}</ref> Following the sale of ESPN's UK and Ireland channels to ], ESPN's rights package will transfer to ] from the 2013/14 season.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/Showarticle.cfm?ArticleID=022AEA86-B466-4C6E-9A3F-0BE241ED630B|title=BT Group acquires ESPN's UK and Ireland television channels business|publisher=BT Group|date=25 February 2013|accessdate=25 February 2013}}</ref>

] provide radio coverage including several full live commentaries with additional commentaries broadcast on BBC local radio stations.

Until the 2008/09 season, the ] and ] shared television coverage, with the BBC showing three matches in the earlier rounds. Some analysts argued the decision to move away from the Sky and, in particular, the BBC undermined the FA Cup in the eyes of the public.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1210599/EXCLUSIVE-E-ON-opt-extending-FA-Cup-sponsorship-deal.html?ITO=1490 | location=London | work=Daily Mail | title=EXCLUSIVE: E.ON opt against extending FA Cup sponsorship deal | first=Charles | last=Sale | date=2 September 2009}}</ref>

The FA Cup 2008–09 early rounds were being covered for the first time by ITV's online property, ]. The first match of the season, between Wantage Town and Brading Town, was broadcast live online. Highlights of eight games of each round were being broadcast as catch up on ITV Local.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/FA_Cup_online.htm |title=Watch The FA Cup online }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2008/07/Watch_live_online.htm |title=Cup tie live online }}</ref> Since the end of the ITV Local service, it is unknown whether or not this coverage will continue.

The FA sells overseas rights separately from the domestic contract. In Australia, FA Cup games from the First Round to the Semi-finals are broadcast exclusively by ], and the final is co-broadcast with ]. Due to ], the FA Cup Final is on a list of sporting events, that must first be offered to national television broadcasters and commercial free-to-air television broadcasters before rights can be acquired by a subscription television broadcaster. Starting in 2012–13, ] will feature the FA Cup games split between ] and the broadcast ] network, with the Final being on Fox (though subject to local pre-emption or tape-delay). ] broadcasts the tournament in Africa, and ] in India.

==See also==
*]
*]
*]
*]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
* – England's official Football Association site, all results with dates, including all qualifying rounds
*
* – manufacturers of the 1911 FA Cup and other sporting trophies
* – BBC News story on the sale of the second trophy
* – Independent FA Cup Supporters Club

{{FA Cup}}
{{Football in England table cells}}
{{Football in the United Kingdom}}
{{National football Cups (UEFA region)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fa Cup}}
]
]
]
]
]

{{Link FA|an}}

Revision as of 10:09, 31 December 2013

For other uses, see FA Cup (disambiguation).

Template:Infobof football tournament The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout

Category: