I’ve recently highlighted a couple of upcoming dates at Wembley Stadium and this weekend has seen the line-up finalised for one of them and another step closer taken in the other.
The first ever Non-League Finals Day takes place under the arch on Sunday 22 May with the FA Vase and FA Trophy played on the same day and a combined admission ticket available for both matches with children under-16 priced at just £1.
The Trophy is the competition for those clubs at the higher reaches of the Non-League game although it has struggled for prominence in recent years as the opportunity (and reward) for automatic promotion to the Football League has grown and teams in the National League (Conference) have concentrated more of their efforts on that prize.
However, the chance to lift silverware at Wembley will always have an allure all of its own and this season’s final will be contested between Grimsby Town and FC Halifax after they saw off challengers from outside the National League in the shape of Bognor Regis Town and Nantwich Town respectively.
The presence of two ‘Phoenix’ clubs in the FA Vase semi-finals has generated plenty of interest and Hereford FC and Salisbury FC played in front of over 8,000 spectators in their two legs, Hereford just coming out on top and sure to bring an army of fans to Finals Day.
They will play Morpeth Town of the Northern League, winners over Bowers & Pitsea and keen to extend a proud tradition of clubs from the North East having won the competition.
Wembley will once again host the FA Women’s Cup Final after a successful first time at the venue in 2015 and Sunday saw the bulk of the Fifth Round ties played after Manchester City defeated Liverpool on Saturday evening.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Reading, Sunderland and Notts County from WSL 1 also won through on Sunday and will be joined in the last eight by Aston Villa of WSL2 and Sporting Club Albion who won at Brighton & Hove Albion in the battle between the only two teams from outside Women's Super League left in the competition.
Children go free to this year’s final, which will be held on Saturday 14 May.
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