Royal Mail today announced the launch of a set of 10 stamps to mark the 150th anniversary of the Emirates FA Cup’s very first edition - featuring the Sky Blues!
Royal Mail collaborated closely with The FA, choosing images that celebrate the heritage and tradition of the longest-running and most famous domestic football competition in the world.
The main set of six stamps celebrate some of the themes which make the competition so prestigious, and a mixture of colour and black and white photographs relive some of the most famous moments in its 150-year history.
Stamps in the main set show:
- Lifting the Cup - Arsenal players Charlie George and Frank McLintock parading the trophy in 1971
- Wembley Stadium - Crowds on the pitch at the 1923 Final – the first to be held at the original stadium in Wembley
- A Big Day Out - West Bromwich Albion supporters cheering their team in the 1968 Final
- Classic Finals - Keith Houchen equalising for Coventry City against Tottenham Hotspur in the 1987 Final
- FA Cup Upsets - Lincoln City beat Burnley 1-0 in 2017 to become the first non-league side in 103 years to reach the Quarter Finals
- Royal Patronage - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth presenting the trophy to Sunderland captain Raich Carter in 1937
A further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, feature a selection of the competition’s artefacts from the National Football Museum, photographed specially for the stamp issue.
For 150 years, few other sporting events have produced as much joy and heartbreak or as many moments of raw emotion. It is a competition in which amateurs and
semi-professionals can play in the finest stadia in the land, and the world’s best players run out in grounds holding only a few thousand people.
Just 12 teams took part in the inaugural 1871/72 edition, and while they might not have much else in common with the 729 modern day sides taking part in 2021/22, they shared the same dream: glory.
The Emirates FA Cup has always been a unique competition. For many fans it is about memories and moments on a football pitch that they associate with a time in their lives. Like the game itself, aspects of it have changed over the course of those years. But when fans of all ages think about the competition, they think of names, places, matches, moments. One thing is guaranteed - the Emirates FA Cup will keep creating memories for generations to come.
Natasha Ayivor, Royal Mail, said: “The Emirates FA Cup has given the world some of the greatest displays of competition football and these stamps celebrate the magic of those moments. We feel there is no more fitting tribute to its 150th anniversary than this collection of Special Stamps.”
The FA’s Director of Pro Game Relations, Andy Ambler, said: “The Emirates FA Cup continues to capture the imaginations of both football fans and the wider public in its 150th anniversary season. Its historic moments from the non-league to the very elite create lasting memories, and we’re delighted that a selection of iconic moments are being celebrated by these Special Stamps.”
The stamps and a range of collectible products can be pre-ordered from today (1 March) at www.royalmail.com/facup150 and by phone on +44 (0)3457 641 641.
The stamps go on general sale from 8 March.
