The Magic of the FA Cup - Fizzles Out for Financial Gain
A Big Talking Point regarding Football Fixtures being moved for TV Coverage has reared it's ugly head once again - this time regarding International Coverage of the FA Cup.
I know over the last few seasons Round One and Round Two ties have been split mostly on Saturdays and Sundays (with the odd chosen Friday and Monday Night game for TV Coverage). The Split of fixtures was to benefit companies such as the BBC holding FA Cup Live Score programmes showing live Highlights and reaction of the Sunday games.
This Year has seen an unprecedented amount of FA Cup Third Round games shifted for TV Coverage at home... and now abroad. Just 10 of the 32 ties will be played in the traditional Saturday 3pm slot. For us at Quirky Football, this has gone too far.
FA Cup Third Round weekend was looked forward to up and down the country. Coming home and listening to 5Live while the reaction to all the shocks of the day were rolling in. Later fans across the land tuned in to watch the giant killings and cup shocks unfold in front of their eyes in the Highlights show. This magic of knowing that the majority of the cup's drama will unfold on that one day has vanished along with the anticipation of watching the FA Cup Saturday 3rd Round Highlights. Instead we have to settle for at least one more show to catch up on all the action.
Thirty Years ago this time around - On FA Cup Third Round weekend in 1989 - all of the 32 ties were played at 3pm on Saturday the 7th of January. Only replays were played on different dates.
Ridiculous Fixtures have been moved for INTERNATIONAL TV Coverage on Sunday the 6th of January, including Preston North End v Doncaster Rovers. Why should foreign corporations dictate our English Football? International media companies now take priority over the fans who are the true life-blood of the sport.
Even Manchester United's Home tie against Reading has been brought forward to benefit BT Sport. Up until the Third Round in January 2018, United had 58 consecutive FA Cup matches aired on television. Which neutral wants to watch a currently lacklustre underachieving Moaning Mourinho side at home, take on a club struggling in the Championship's bottom Three? TV companies are also ruining the good of the competition by not investing and showcasing teams in the lower echelons and instead promoting the Glory Hunter bandwagon. Cardiff's trip to Gillingham would have been a more suitable option.
You can dress it up season upon season in promotional babble, but the waning Magic of the FA Cup is being suffocated in it's global outreach and corporatism.
I know over the last few seasons Round One and Round Two ties have been split mostly on Saturdays and Sundays (with the odd chosen Friday and Monday Night game for TV Coverage). The Split of fixtures was to benefit companies such as the BBC holding FA Cup Live Score programmes showing live Highlights and reaction of the Sunday games.
This Year has seen an unprecedented amount of FA Cup Third Round games shifted for TV Coverage at home... and now abroad. Just 10 of the 32 ties will be played in the traditional Saturday 3pm slot. For us at Quirky Football, this has gone too far.
FA Cup Third Round weekend was looked forward to up and down the country. Coming home and listening to 5Live while the reaction to all the shocks of the day were rolling in. Later fans across the land tuned in to watch the giant killings and cup shocks unfold in front of their eyes in the Highlights show. This magic of knowing that the majority of the cup's drama will unfold on that one day has vanished along with the anticipation of watching the FA Cup Saturday 3rd Round Highlights. Instead we have to settle for at least one more show to catch up on all the action.
Thirty Years ago this time around - On FA Cup Third Round weekend in 1989 - all of the 32 ties were played at 3pm on Saturday the 7th of January. Only replays were played on different dates.
Ridiculous Fixtures have been moved for INTERNATIONAL TV Coverage on Sunday the 6th of January, including Preston North End v Doncaster Rovers. Why should foreign corporations dictate our English Football? International media companies now take priority over the fans who are the true life-blood of the sport.
Even Manchester United's Home tie against Reading has been brought forward to benefit BT Sport. Up until the Third Round in January 2018, United had 58 consecutive FA Cup matches aired on television. Which neutral wants to watch a currently lacklustre underachieving Moaning Mourinho side at home, take on a club struggling in the Championship's bottom Three? TV companies are also ruining the good of the competition by not investing and showcasing teams in the lower echelons and instead promoting the Glory Hunter bandwagon. Cardiff's trip to Gillingham would have been a more suitable option.
You can dress it up season upon season in promotional babble, but the waning Magic of the FA Cup is being suffocated in it's global outreach and corporatism.
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