FA Cup trophy to make first Singapore stop on Jan 26
The trophy of the oldest and most famous domestic knockout competition - the English FA Cup - will arrive in Singapore for the first time next Thursday.
The famed piece of silverware will be in town as part of a first-ever Asia Pacific tour.
The 61.5cm, 6.3kg sterling silver cup will make four stops, starting with a trip to Sydney on Monday before heading to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, and then Singapore the following day. The tour wraps up next Sunday in Seoul.
A closed-door event, hosted by the Emirates FA Cup in partnership with official broadcaster Singtel, will allow invited guests and fans to get up close to the trophy.
Twenty fans will also be chosen to participate in a virtual meet-and-greet session with a former English footballer and FA Cup winner, although organisers are keeping mum about his identity.
The English Football Association’s commercial director Navin Singh said: “We’re extremely honoured to take the iconic Emirates FA Cup trophy on our first-ever Asia-Pacific Trophy Tour to places like Singapore, where there is strong interest and passion for football.
“This tour is a great opportunity for us to connect with football fans in Singapore and we hope to continue making this sport more accessible to everyone through events like these.”
Marketing executive Ashley Wong, 23, said: “It’s a nice touch for the trophy to be coming to Singapore. There’s a saying the FA Cup is magic because it allows smaller teams to play big names and make breakthroughs and I think this parallels Singapore’s football scene.
“I’ve supported Southampton since 2008 and have been following them throughout this FA Cup as well.”
The 150-year-old FA Cup is currently underway and the fourth round of games slated for next weekend, with match-ups which include a clash between leading Premier League teams Arsenal and Manchester City.
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