Emirates is officially the Lead Partner of the FA Cup, which will be known as The Emirates FA Cup, from next season until 2018.
Ironically, it was Emirates sponsored Arsenal who lifted the FA Cup silverware for the second year running on Saturday when they trounced Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley Stadium, just a stones throw from their own ground in North London – The Emirates Stadium.
The road to Wembley this year had seen one of the greatest FA Cup campaigns with the usual giant killing of top teams, from Middlesbrough beating Manchester City in the Fourth Round, to Bradford City shocking Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the same day.
Whilst the 143 year old FA Cup has copped some flak in recent years for losing a bit of its sheen, over two million fans attended an FA Cup game this season with the competition also enjoying a resurgence in popularity amongst domestic and global television audiences.
Sir Tim Clark and Greg Dyke stand on the pitch at Wembley Stadium with The FA Cup.
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.
“Football is a truly global sport, a unifying factor in many communities and nations across the world.”
Sir Tim Clark, Emirates Airline President
“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.”
Next season’s FA Cup kicks off on 15 August with Extra-Preliminary rounds and culminates in a showpiece final at Wembley on Saturday 21 May 2016.
