The English FA Cup Final or more correctly The Football Association Challenge Cup was first contested in 1872 when around 2,000 spectators turned up at Kennington Oval London to see Wanders beat Royal Engineers 1-0. By 1923 the final had moved to Wembley Stadium and that year a crowd of over 126 thousand saw Bolton beat West Ham. Despite the massive increase in the numbers attending the game the real explosion in viewing numbers was yet to happen.
The first televised FA Cup final took place on 30th April 1938 with an estimated audience of 10,000. The game between Preston North End and Huddersfield Town was the 63rd staging of the event. Preston were losing finalists the previous year and the final looked to be heading for a draw when 1 minute from the end of extra time Preston’s George Mutch scored from a penalty.
Bringing television cameras to the final was to start a tradition still observed today. Regardless of which team they support many football fans watch from early morning as both teams prepare for the day right through until after the final whistle. Perhaps today the fervour of the cup final has died a little since the 2005 audience of 484 million but for those teams involved (Portsmouth and Chelsea this year) the romance of the cup is every bit as important.
