By David Gold
August 17 – The opening match of this season’s FA Cup, between Ascot United of the Hellenic League and Combined Counties League outfit Wembley FC, is to be the first football match ever broadcast live on social networking site Facebook.
The deal to show the game has been brokered by Budweiser, the competition’s sponsor, and the game will be available via an application built into its Facebook page.
But only viewers over the age of 18 will be able to access the live stream of the game, being held at Ascot’s Racecourse Ground this Friday (August 19).
The deal is a major coup for the two sides involved, and Ascot United chairman Mike Harrison said: “To be involved in the first game of the FA Cup this season is an honour in itself, but to be part of a world first and have our match broadcast to a massive global audience is fantastic for our club.”
Wembley player-manager Ian Bates told www.thefa.com: “We don’t pay a penny to our players but we’ve got a good side.
“If we play our game, we have a great chance.
“The FA Cup is an extremely difficult competition.
“You’re playing teams in leagues above who have more resources and it’s hard to progress further.”
Facebook though say that they do not sponsor, endorse or associate themselves with the live stream, but Budweiser marketing director Ian Newell said: “Budweiser is committed to bringing the world’s most prestigious knockout competition closer to the fans.
“What better way to demonstrate this than by broadcasting the very first kick to a global audience via Facebook?
“This is the first time an FA Cup tournament fixture has been broadcast live on the social network, which is great news for football fans and clubs alike.”
The game is the first of up to six qualifying rounds in total that hundreds of amateur and semi-professional sides will have to contest for a chance to compete in the first round of the FA Cup, which takes place in November.
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