Some people say football is just a ball and up to 22 males or females kicking it into a goal. However football is more then that, its a way of life for some people. Its a way of bringing communities together through the means of sport. An Example of this could be the McDonalds “host your community football day.” This is where McDonalds delivers community football days in partnership with UK Associations and grassroots football clubs. (McDonalds, 2017).
A little bit of history about the FA Cup. It started in 1871 and back then it only had 13 fixtures. It also led to the creation of the football league which is imperative to modern english football with 72 teams currently playing in it. Lincoln City has now joined the football league due to their recent promotion, this again just goes to show how important the FA cup is to Lincoln.
“Lincoln City have brought the magic back to the FA cup, claimed manager Danny Cowley, after becoming the first non-league team to reach the quarter-finals in 103 years with victory at Premier League Burnley”. (Hunter, A 2017) also states “This is a brilliant cup competition and anyone who says the FA Cup is dead hasn’t lived in Lincoln for the past six to eight weeks”. This suggests to us as consumers and readers that the Lincolnshire FA cup run has had a positive impact on the city of Lincoln.
This picture shows fans supporting Lincoln FC during the FA Cup run they went on.
It would of brought tourism to the county, people may have come to the city and visited things such as the FA cup itself which was on parade around Lincolnshire, one place in particular was the university itself where there is a lot of international students which may not of been aware of Lincoln’s football club. With the growing trend of football in china, (Gibson, O 2017) states that “Revitalising soccer is a must to build China into a sports powerhouse as part of the Chinese dream”. Also it may bring more UK students to the city which is only a bonus for a up and coming city like Lincoln.
The following YouTube clip shows the attention and hype around the FA Cup coming towards the university with students being able to see the prestigious cup up close and personal for perhaps the only time in their lifetime.
“The FA Cup visited the University of Lincoln ahead of Lincoln City’s historical clash against Arsenal in the quarter-finals this weekend”. (Khan, D, 2017) This would of given students from all around the country and even international students a chance to experience this event and this wonderful football competition. As quoted from Murray, s (2017) ” The FA cup final is the nearest thing English sport has to the Super Bowl.” The super bowl is a mega event which attracted the highest number of consumers watching a televised event ever. Stelter, F. (2017) stated that “167 million viewers watched all or part (at least six minutes) of the game on Sunday. Making Super Bowl 50 the most watched broadcast in TV history on an all or part basis”.
To be compared to such an event can only been seen as a positive thing for events and tourism in Lincoln, it will attract more people to come to the city, perhaps watch the football but not only that also spend the day here in Lincoln, visit the cathedral, spend their disposable income in shops around the town and bring money into Lincoln to keep improving the city for everyone who currently lives there. It has given Lincolnshire more exposure around the country and this is only again another benefit for events and tourism.
The financial benefit from the FA cup which Lincoln has received is not only a massive boost for the football club but also for the city. The money received from the FA cup has led to talks about a new improved stadium which is a positive for tourism and events as well as the community. Whiley, M. (2017) confirms this by stating the chairman of the club announced that “in the long-term, the money could also help improve training facilities and go towards the Imps’ new stadium”. With a new stadium and larger capacity this would allow more people of Lincoln to go and visit Lincoln city’s new ground and therefore create a better tourist and events destination. The total amount of money received from just Lincoln’s FA cup run is mentioned by Whiley, M (2017) who states “the Imps’ historic quarter final against arsenal on the 11th of march will take their winnings from this season’s competition to at least £2.5million”.
This is a huge sum of money for a small club such as Lincoln and this just goes to how magical the FA cup can be to small clubs such as Lincoln. This has transformed the club and perhaps the city depending on how they decide to spend the money just from the FA cup.
Reference list
Gibson, O. (2017). China’s focus on football could tilt the global game on its axis | Owen Gibson. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/08/china-focus-football-global-game [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017].
Hunter, A. (2017). Lincoln are bringing the magic of the FA Cup back, says manager Danny Cowley. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/18/lincoln-city-sean-raggett-fa-cup-upset [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017
Khan, D. (2017). FA Cup visits the University of Lincoln ahead of Arsenal clash. [online] The Linc. Available at: http://thelinc.co.uk/2017/03/fa-cup-visits-the-university-of-lincoln-ahead-of-arsenal-clash/ [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017].
McDonalds, (2017). Community Football Days :: McDonalds.co.uk. [online] What makes McDonald’s. Available at: http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/Sport/Football/LetsPlay/community-football-days.html#close [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017].
Murray, S. (2017). A brief history of … the rise and fall of the FA Cup, England’s Super Bowl. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/29/a-brief-history-of-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-fa-cup-englands-super-bowl [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017].
Stelter, F. (2017). Super Bowl 50 audience is third largest in TV history. [online] CNNMoney. Available at: http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/08/media/super-bowl-50-ratings/ [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017].
Whiley, M. (2017). Lincoln City beginning to feel benefits of FA Cup cash. [online] Lincolnshire Live. Available at: http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/lincoln-city-beginning-to-feel-benefits-of-fa-cup-cash/story-30173019-detail/story.html [Accessed 26 Apr. 2017].