Your Emirates FA Cup Final questions answered
With the teams confirmed and kick-off time announced, preparations for The Emirates FA Cup Final are in full flow.
Fans of the two finalists – Arsenal and Chelsea – will already be planning for the big day, which falls on Saturday 27 May.
With exactly one month to go, TheFA.com put some big questions to head of professional game relations Andy Ambler:
"Traditionalists may argue for a 3pm kick-off but, quite
simply, we want as many people across the world to enjoy this event. The
Emirates FA Cup Final is the highlight of the domestic football calendar and it
attracts a huge domestic and international audience.
"The 5.30pm kick-off slot on Saturday attracts the most viewers domestically and globally. We’re lucky to have BBC and BT Sport broadcasting the Final in the UK, and both will do a tremendous job with it."
"Last year we took the step of reducing the ticket prices for the Final by £5 across all price points and that reduction remains in place.
"Tickets are priced at £45, £65, £85 and £115 for adults and there is a concessions policy which the two clubs will apply for the match.
"If you look at similar sporting events across the country, I think that represents really good value."
"The equivalent of about 80 per cent of the available seating at Wembley will be allocated to Arsenal and Chelsea fans via their clubs. In 2016, we took the step of increasing the fan allocation and it was really important for us that this remained in place this year.
"The Emirates FA Cup Final is the pinnacle of the football calendar and we use this opportunity to reward 14,000 members of the ‘football family’ with tickets to the game. This includes recognising thousands of volunteers – representing counties, leagues, local clubs and charities – who are the lifeblood of football in this country.
"The remainder of the tickets are allocated to The FA’s commercial partners and also Club Wembley."
"This is our biggest priority. We’ll be continuously liaising with the relevant authorities in the build-up to the Final and, as always with Wembley Stadium, we will have very robust security operations in place.
"Fans are likely to face additional searches, so we’d ask them to be patient and allow plenty of time to enter the stadium."
"We’ll be releasing details of the entertainment programme in due course but we will ensure that our plans are in keeping with the traditions and stature of cup final day.
"We will also be paying special recognition to those clubs at different levels of the football pyramid who contributed to such a memorable season in the competition.
"We’d encourage fans to arrive to Wembley Stadium in plenty of time and soak up the unique atmosphere that only The Emirates FA Cup Final provides."
