This season has seen one of the great FA Cup campaigns, from Middlesbrough beating Manchester City in the Fourth Round, to Bradford City shocking Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the same day.
Over 2million fans have attended an FA Cup game this season with the competition also enjoying a resurgence in popularity amongst domestic and global television audiences.
With over 700 clubs entering the competition since it began in August, The FA Cup continues to touch all parts of the world’s favourite sport, with its distributions being critical to the lifeblood of non-league, amateur and grassroots football in England.
Emirates is a long-standing supporter of football with partnerships across Europe including AC Milan, Real Madrid, Olympiacos FC, Hamburger SV, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
Throughout the next three years, Emirates will focus on bringing the world’s most prestigious domestic cup competition closer to its fans from across the nation as well as the rest of the globe.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said:
“Football is a truly global sport, a unifying factor in many communities and nations across the world. Never is this more evident than with The FA Cup, which has an unrivalled heritage and draws a global audience of more than 1.1 billion people.
The spirit of competition, fair play, and sparking the passions of a global audience, are all values we share at Emirates.
That is why we are proud to be the first title sponsor of the tournament and we look forward to a long-term partnership to support and connect fans to their teams both here in the UK and across the world.”
Greg Dyke, Chairman of The FA said: “Emirates’ commitment to our sport is evident and securing such an iconic and forward-thinking lead partner for The FA Cup is great news for us, the fans and for the whole game.
The partnership will help take the tournament to new audiences, inspire interest in football from across the globe and allow us to continue our investment into the game at all levels.”
Next season’s FA Cup kicks off on 15th August with Extra-Preliminary rounds and culminates in a showpiece final at Wembley on Saturday 21st May 2016.
About Emirates
Emirates airline operates 112 non-stop flights per week from the UK to Dubai – five services a day from Heathrow, three daily from London Gatwick and Manchester, two per day from Birmingham and Glasgow and a daily service from Newcastle.
In Dubai, passengers can connect to flights to Emirates’ global network which spans over 145 destinations across six continents in 84 countries.
About The FA
The FA is the not-for-profit, governing body of football in England which re-invests £100m back into the game each year.
It grows participation, promotes diversity and regulates the sport for everyone to enjoy.
Over eight million players of all ages, 400,000 volunteers, 300,000 coaches and 27,000 qualified referees help The FA keep the grassroots game going.
The FA runs 24 England teams, across men’s, women’s, youth and disability football, utilising the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park.
Football is the nation’s favourite game. The FA aims to grow it further in 2015. To find out more visit TheFA.com and follow @FA
Photo Captions:
1.) Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline and Greg Dyke, Chairman of The FA raise The FA Cup above the grounds of Wembley Stadium as Emirates is announced as Lead Partner of the tournament. Photo credit: Getty.
2.) Emirates were today announced as the Lead Partner of The FA Cup from August 2015. Photo credit: Getty.
3.) Sir Tim Clark and Greg Dyke stand on the pitch at Wembley Stadium with The FA Cup after announcing that Emirates are to become Lead Partner of the tournament for the next three years.
