The FA Community Shield 2017 will be staged at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 6 August
The FA has revealed more information around the support for the Grenfell community at Sunday’s FA Community Shield supported by McDonald’s.
In June, it was announced that this year’s Shield would be dedicated to all those affected by the tragic events at Grenfell Tower with The FA alongside Arsenal, Chelsea and McDonald’s, hoping to donate in the region of £1.25m.
Football has been united in its support for Grenfell, with the Premier League, the English Football League and the National Game all making their own donations to those in the community.
Emirates FA Cup winners Arsenal will take on Premier League champions Chelsea in the season’s traditional curtain-raiser at Wembley Stadium connected by EE.
Over 1,000 members of both the affected community and the three emergency services have been invited to attend the fixture. 300 of those seats have been volunteered by The FA Council and other dignitaries in the Royal Box and Wembley Suite, with the usual regulations on age limit and dress code in the area being especially lifted for the event.
Representatives from the three emergency services will play a central role in the pre-match ceremony, including bringing the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup trophies, along with the FA Community Shield, onto the pitch before the game. Chelsea and Arsenal players will wear black armbands and will walk out with mascots including four children from Grenfell Tower.
The Choir for Grenfell – formed in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy by members of the affected community – will perform Bridge Over Troubled Water on the pitch, the single recorded and released to raise money for the community. The National Anthem will follow The Choir for Grenfell’s performance.
Proceeds from the Community Shield will go to those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster
Ahead of kick-off, four wreaths will be laid on the pitch by FA Chairman Greg Clarke, Patrick Golbourne, Borough Commander at the London Fire Brigade and two former Grenfell Tower residents. This will be followed by a period of silence to remember the lives tragically lost.
At the conclusion of the match, another three individuals representing London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police will deliver the Community Shield and medals to the Royal Box before they are presented to the teams and officials.
FA Chairman Greg Clarke said: ‘The Community Shield provides The FA and both clubs with the opportunity to pay our respects to the victims and all those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster, just five miles from Wembley Stadium.
“The FA - together with both clubs, the Premier League, English Football League and the National Game - are hoping to raise in the region of £1.25m for the community. Football is for all, and it has the powerful ability to inspire, unite, and bring people together even in the toughest of circumstances.
“We know the game means little in comparison but it was important to do something in support of our neighbours and as a thank you to the heroic work of our brave emergency services.”
