As we prepare for the second of this weekend’s Semi-Finals at Wembley, we take a look at some of the more interesting and peculiar facts of The FA Cup.
Hull City take on Sheffield United for the right to face Arsenal on Saturday 17 May, and both sides have come a long way in The Cup this season.
Since the competition started way back on Friday 16 August, a total of £25.2m prize fund has gone back into the game and benefited all 737 clubs that originally entered.
To date, there has been 880 FA Cup matches this season with 2,980 goals – and we are all hoping for a lot more.
Check out some more FA Cup stats below:
- Wembley Stadium has hosted 20 Semi-Final matches. The first was Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal in 1991
- The last non-League side to be knocked out of The FA Cup this season was Kidderminster Harriers, beaten 1-0 by Sunderland in the Fourth Round
- The record crowd for an FA Cup Semi-Final is 88,141 for Manchester United v Everton at Wembley in 2009
- Arsenal have generated over £1.5m in FA Cup prize money and FA broadcast fees this season
- The Gunners reached consecutive FA Cup Semi-Finals in 1971 and 1972 without having been drawn at home
- Hull City are playing in only their second FA Cup Semi-Final. They lost the first to Arsenal in 1930.
- Arsenal were playing in their 27th Semi-Final, equalling Manchester United’s record
- The draw for this season’s Fourth Round Qualifying was live on talkSPORT. A choir sang Abide with Me before the start - click here to hear the rendition of the classic Cup hymn
- When Sheffield United reached the Semi-Finals of The FA Cup and League Cup in 2002-03, they were drawn at home nine times out of nine
- Sheffield United beat Colchester United 3-2 in the First Round and have earned £1.3m in FA Cup prize money and broadcast fees this season.
- FA Cup superfan Simon Rogers has been to 31 ties this season, starting with Mickleover Sports v Harborough Town in September
The FA Cup
- Arsenal had almost 50,000 fans watching their Semi-Final v Wigan at Wembley on Saturday. Their average home attendance is 60,014.
- Sheffield United are the first team from outside the top two divisions to make the Semi-Finals since Wycombe Wanderers in 2001
- Villa Park has staged the most Semi-Final matches – 55 including replays
- The record win in a Semi-Final is Newcastle United 6-0 Fulham at Anfield in 1908
- Over 26,000 fans will be cheering on Hull City against the Blades. The average at the KC Stadium this season has been 24,035.
- Hull have beaten Middlesbrough, Southend, Brighton and Sunderland in The FA Cup and received £1.1m in prize and broadcast money
- The last player to score a Semi-Final hat-trick is Alex Dawson for Manchester United v Fulham in a replay at Highbury in 1958
- The first Semi-Final to go to a penalty shootout was Liverpool v Portsmouth at Villa Park in 1992
- Billy Meredith played for Manchester City against Newcastle United in a Semi-Final at St Andrews in 1924 when he was 49 years old
- The first-ever Semi-Final was Royal Engineers v Crystal Palace at Kennington Oval in 1872
- The Semi-Final replay between Queens Park and Nottingham Forest in 1885 was played at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh.
- The Semi-Finals in 2008 had only one top-flight club (Portsmouth). It was the first time that had happened for 100 years.
- The three Semi-Final matches in 1990 had a total of 16 goals - with 16 different players scoring them.
