England’s FA should be congratulated on getting just about the best sponsor that any self respecting soccer fan could hope for. Budweiser’s sponsorship of soccer’s oldest domestic cup competition means that both cups are sponsored by equally average beers (Carling being the sponsor of the League Cup). The FA have sat up and taken notice of their fan base it seems. Any self-respecting administrator must know that over half of soccer fans are male and there aren’t many that don’t attest to having a beer or ten whilst watching the game.
Upon announcing the deal, FA General Secretary Alex Horne, said that it will take the cup “to the next level,” and that “we will see the FA Cup promoted around the world like never before, which is great for the fans!”
To be fair, beer is great for the fans!
Part of the funding will also be dedicated to helping the FA develop “a bespoke programme promoting responsible drinking to football fans”. I mean, if anyone’s got experience in dealing with drink then it’s going to be Budweiser.
We can’t help but think that the FA should have looked for a partner that was a specialist in real ale. The London Pride FA Cup has quite the ring to it, our favorite would have to be the Hobgoblin Cup. Imagine the fun you could have with the logo. Instead it’s going to be known as “the FA Cup with Budweiser” for the next three years. Whether that will mean that the best players in each round will take part in a beer bong contest involving the trophy is not known. Would sure as hell inject some of that much sought after magic back into the age-old competition!
