For the first time ever in the competition, the FA Cup trophy has already been engraved ahead of the final.
History has been made before anyone’s even kicked a ball.
In what is set to be a massive day for our city, Manchester United and Manchester City will face each other in an all-Manchester final of the Emirates FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 3 June – with it being the first time the two clubs have battled it out for the trophy in the final in the 151-year-old football competition’s illustrious history.
But that’s not the only first, as the competition’s official trophy and silverware provider has already begun engraving the cup ahead of the final for the first time ever too.
As many as 57 teams have reached an FA Cup final since the first clash all the way back in March 1872, but not once in 151 years have the trophy engravers had the chance to get busy before kick-off – until now, that is.
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Despite both United and City claiming several wins and successes throughout the competition’s history, the two sides have never met in an FA Cup final, and the same goes for both clubs in Sheffield, Nottingham, and Bristol – which has obviously meant that engravers haven’t had the chance to etch even the first half of any finalist’s name onto the trophy before.
The FA Cup trophy has already been engraved for the first time ever ahead of all-Manchester final / Credit: The FA
All that will change this year, though, with Manchester the undoubted winner regardless of whether it’s the blue or red half leaving Wembley with grins on their faces.
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The word ‘Manchester’ will already be on the trophy by the time the winners have lifted it it at Wembley.
The FA says this has broken “the age-old tradition” of the winners’ name being engraved in the days or months following the Final.
Kevin Baker, CEO of Thomas Lyte – the company which has been engraving the FA Cup trophy since 2014 – says The FA approached him with the “extraordinary request” and a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” earlier this month.
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Get set for a historic Battle of Manchester at @WembleyStadium.
“Recognising the rarity of the two clubs sharing such similar names, they asked us to engrave the word ‘Manchester’ on the trophy before the momentous showdown,” Kevin explained.
“This request is unprecedented and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Engraving the trophy with the name of the city that would eventually win the title, even before the final match, is a remarkable gesture. Each stroke of the hand engraving tools symbolised the historical significance and immense anticipation surrounding this fiercely contested Manchester derby.”
Manchester United and Manchester City will battle it out to be crowned champions in the final of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday 3 June.
Kick-off is at 3pm, and the game action is to be shown live on both BBC One and ITV.
Featured Image – The FA
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Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)
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Manchester Storm game postponed just one week after AO Arena return due to ‘technical issue with the ice’
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Storm’s second game back at the AO Arena had to be postponed over the weekend due to a ‘technical issue with the ice’.
The ice hockey team made a record-breaking return to the venue earlier this month, attracting some 11,000 fans to watch their match against Sheffield Steelers.
But just one week later, as Manchester Storm prepared to face off against The Nottingham Panthers, the game had to be postponed.
Fans were already inside the legendary venue when a ‘technical issue with the ice’ became apparent and the game was called off.
Manchester Storm and the AO Arena said they ‘sincerely apologise’ to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption.
The game has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 14 October, with tickets valid for the new fixture.
The full statement read: “Unfortunately today’s Manchester Storm game vs The Nottingham Panthers has been suspended due to a technical issue with the ice.
“We sincerely apologise to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption and would like to thank everyone in attendance for their patience.
Emily Sergeant -
31st May 2023 
