Non-league sides Ascot United and Wembley FC will create a small slice of footballing history on Friday when their FA Cup preliminary round tie is screened live on Facebook, it was confirmed on Wednesday.
For the first time in history, Facebook is “televising” an entire match from the world’s oldest knockout competition live via the social networking site. The groundbreaking web stream is being organised by Budweiser, the FA Cup’s new title sponsors.
“As a long-standing supporter of football globally, Budweiser is committed to bringing the world’s most prestigious knockout competition closer to the fans,” Budweiser marketing director Ian Newell said. “What better way to demonstrate this than by broadcasting the first kick to a global audience via Facebook.
This is the first time a FA Cup tournament fixture has been broadcast live on the social network, which is great news for football fans and clubs alike.
The clubs, who play in suburban leagues at the lower end of the English football pyramid, will both be paid nominal broadcast fees for the match at the ground situated within the boundaries of the Ascot Racecourse and has a capacity of around 1,500.
An FA spokesman said other matches in the qualifying competition could also be shown on Facebook, but added: “There are no plans to do so yet, but it could happen up until the first round stage when the broadcasting contract between the FA, ITV and ESPN comes into operation.”
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