FA Cup fever sweeps Britain

The FA Cup is the most famous domestic football competition in the world. This Great British sporting institution has been held every year since the 1871-72 season.

A recent poll to find out how intently the British public follows the FA Cup suggests the country is hooked. Staggeringly, only 1% of respondents said they don't watch any FA Cup matches, and 35% try to watch every single match.

Women come out as less die-hard fans than their male counterparts. Only 30% of them (compared with 38%) attempt to see every match, and a higher proportion (25% compared with 16% of men) will watch it only if it happens to be on TV. 10% of all respondents just watch the matches as the Cup final approaches and things get more heated.

In the online poll, held just before the semis, respondents were asked whether they expected Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Chelsea or Everton to win the cup. Chelsea got the highest number of votes (29%) and Tottenham Hotspur had the second highest amount of support, being the favourite of 26% of respondents. Take women out of the equation, and support for the two teams was even closer: in the male vote, Chelsea got 31% and Spurs, 30%. Spurs were the favourite for just 19% of women so this time at least, female intuition got it right: Tottenham, whose form had been questionable of late, were thrashed 5-1 in a humiliating defeat.

The poll showed that the third most popular bet to win the FA Cup was Liverpool, which got 26% of the female vote and just 20% of the male vote. Poor Everton were favoured by a mere 9% of respondents, although in the clash between the two Merseyside teams, they only lost by one goal as Andy Carroll secured Liverpool's place in the final.

The much-anticipated FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Liverpool will be held on 5th May at the new Wembley stadium, where it's been played since its reopening in 2007. The two teams have met in no less than 43 FA Cup semi-finals in the past, but this is the first time they will have met at Wembley.

There's a lot at stake: as well as the glory of winning, the victorious club will receive £1,800,000 from the FA prize fund; still, the £900,000 won by the runners up is not to be sniffed at.

The market research survey shows Chelsea has significantly more support than Liverpool, although the Anfield Giants may be on a role, having already secured the League Cup against Cardiff City earlier this year. The Reds have won 7 FA Cups in the past, most recently against West Ham United in 2006. Chelsea has won the FA cup 6 times, three of which have been at the new Wembley Stadium in 2007, 2009 and 2010, and the Stamford Bridge side will certainly give Liverpool a run for its money.

Sean Burke - About Author:
Sean Burke writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/sports-articles/fa-cup-fever-sweeps-britain.htm

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