Next year’s FA Cup Final is being renamed in recognition of a national mental health drive.
The 2020 showpiece will be known as the ‘Heads Up FA Cup Final’ in agreement with the official sponsor of the competition, Emirates. The final donates the name of the ‘Heads Up’ movement, a mental health project led by the FA and Heads Together.
They said in a statement from the FA: “Today we can announce that the Emirates FA Cup Final for this season will be dedicated to Heads Up, with lead partner Emirates donating their title to the campaign. As a result, the showpiece event will be known as the Heads Up FA Cup Final in the football calendar. The FA Cup Final is scheduled to be held on 1 August, ten weeks later than the original set date of 23 May.”
The competition is currently in the quarter-final stage, despite English Football being suspended in March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The FA added: “Culminating in the Heads Up FA Cup Final, the initiative has sought to raise awareness, stimulate dialogue and signpost support for those in need, stressing to the country that we all have mental wellbeing and it’s just as important as physical health.”
The mental health initiative is being led by FA president and Cambridge duke Prince William. It aims to promote discussion of mental health while at the same time raising consciousness around the nation about its importance.
This is not the first instance this season that the Mental Health program has been present. There have been campaigns and events throughout the campaign, with every third-round FA Cup kickoff delayed by a minute to encourage fans to think about their mental health.
The quarter-finals are expected to take place at the end of this month, over the weekend of 27/28 June. The last eight watch an all-Premier League line-up, only competing with four of the top six.
Norwich host Manchester United plays the next day before the remaining three games on 27 June. Sheffield United will welcome Arsenal at Bramall Lane, Chelsea will travel to Tyneside to Manchester City’s high-flying faces of Leicester and Newcastle.
