Why the FA Cup final is not being played on the final weekend of the season

The FA Cup final was traditionally the climax to the English domestic football season - and the biggest game of the campaign. But this year against is squeezed in between fixtures on Friday and Sunday on the penultimate weekend of the season.

And get used to it because this is the first season of a six-year deal between the FA and Premier League agreed in April last year. There have been no replays this season - and the fifth round returned to a weekend after being played in midweek for the last five seasons.

But as part of the £133m per-season deal to support grassroots football, this year’s final will played the week before the end of the season until at least 2030.

There will be no Premier League games on Saturday. But the agreement not to stage top-flight league games on the Friday night before has been ripped up to move the v men’s fixture to avoid it clashing with Sunday’s FA Cup final. And this has seen the other finalists getting their game against shifted to the same slot.

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Cup final used to have a traditional 3pm kickoff time preceded by hours of build-up for one of the few games then shown on terrestrial television. Now it is at 4.30pm - and the start is only earlier to not clash with ’s coverage of the Eurovision contest.

Despite the attraction of the Premier League and extended European competitions, the all Manchester final last season still had 8m viewers in the UK alone.

And speaking at the announcement of the new deal in April last year, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham insisted his organisation were protecting “the magic of the Cup”.

He said: "The Emirates FA Cup is our biggest asset and generates over 60 per cent of our revenue to invest into the game, so it is critical to secure a strong format for the future.

"This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the Emirates FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.

"The new schedule ensures the magic of the Cup is protected and enhanced, while working for the whole of the English game. The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season.

"We have also agreed new funding for the grassroots game, disability football and the women’s and girls’ game. All football begins at the grassroots, and this is recognised by the Premier League with very welcome additional financial support."

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