The earliest start possible.
5:56am to be exact, what an earth was I doing up at this early hour on a Monday morning?
The FA Cup third round qualifying draw, and yes you read that correctly, I can’t believe it either.
As part of the FA Young Reporters Club, the FA gave me the once in a lifetime opportunity to make the draw alongside Andy Ambler, their director of professional game relations.
After covering tenth-tier side Burnham Town FC in their first round qualifying win over Bury Town, I never thought it would lead to this incredible opportunity, one that I will never forget.
The thoughts running through my head on the journey to Wembley were predominantly negative, with dropping the ball or saying the wrong number being a real concern of mine in front of the cameras.
These concerns intensified as I was walking up Wembley Way, but as we were greeted by the FA’s digital producer Glenn Lavery, those nerves soon eased as we were shown to the VIP box, where the draw would take place.
The view of the pitch was stunning, and the perfect backdrop for my appearance in front of the cameras was capped off with the FA Cup perfectly placed in the centre of the room.
We were introduced to the production team who talked us through how to present the draw effectively and after a quick rehearsal, we were ready to get the FA Cup third round qualifying draw underway.
With the draw being split into two halves (North and South), I was able to observe the North side of the draw with my fellow Young Reporter sitting alongside Andy to present this half of the draw.
This gave me a glimpse of the pace and tone that was needed to present the draw, whilst Chris Darnell had the all-important job of reading out the teams that had been drawn by Andy and myself.
As the North draw concluded, I had a microphone attached to myself in preparation for my big moment and after some brief sound checks, we were ready to go.
Those nerves I had previously experienced returned as Andy drew the first home team of the South draw out, but after successfully drawing out the first away team of the round, I never looked back.
After what seemed like seconds, the draw had concluded and myself and my fellow Young Reporter were being praised by the production team and having photos taken with Andy and the FA Cup.
Drawing out those teams and having the opportunity to take part in such a high-profile competition in English football is a moment that will stick with me for the rest of my life and will certainly be up there with one of my proudest moments.
By Jacob Potter
Wembley is quite far from home, so to be able to come to the largest stadium in the country is always worth the journey.
We were asked to meet Glenn Lavery, who is the digital producer at the FA, at the Club Wembley entrance of the stadium where we were taken to the box and introduced to the gentlemen that made sure the draws run smoothly.
I’ve only ever been to Wembley once, when I saw England take on Nigeria in the summer which was great, but now I finally got to see the view some of the guests are lucky enough to have at Club Wembley level.
As an Arsenal supporter I’ve seen the club lift the trophy three times over the past five years and to see it in person just made the moment even better.
Initially I thought it was way smaller than it actually is and Glenn explained to me that how much care is taken into looking after the trophy, especially after a team has finished celebrating with it.
After the cameras and mics were set up I sat down and was introduced to director of professional game relations, Andy Ambler, before we both revealed the numbers for the draw.
Meeting Andy was great and he made me feel comfortable with the whole procedure. As the draw commenced, Chris Darnell, FA competitions manager, read out the teams from the Northern end of the country and the fixtures were announced.
When the draw started, I was not actually aware that this was the first and final take, I thought it was a test run.
It probably turned out best that way as it’s always nerve racking, especially when you take part in such a massive opportunity.
I also felt a sense of power, knowing I have control over who plays who was quite thrilling. I hope all the teams and players are happy with the draw and we have a great round of games.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Young Reporters’ Club for giving unimaginable opportunities to young journalists like me.
A year ago I would have never even of thought about being in the position I am today and moments like this help me grow in confidence and get a stronger insight into the sport I love.
By Samuel Ogunleye
If you're aged between 18 and 24 and are interested in joining The FA's Young Reporters' Club, please e-mail Editorial@TheFA.com with an excerpt from an essay, match report or interview you have written. Tell us a bit about yourself, too, and we may well get in touch with you ahead of the next round.
