English Football Association began its 150th year with a grand celebration being hosted at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London on Wednesday. The whole event is going to be telecasted live on various channels worldwide, but Sky Sports is their official media partner in England. The historic celebration took place at the same place where English FA was found back in 1863 and more importantly soccer’s first 13 rules were written on this place. The official event was attended by more than 400 official guests of English FA; moreover, year long celebrations are to be witnessed by more than 400000 volunteers. The celebrations of this historic year will be celebrated via around 15 main events starting by FA England Awards on Sunday 3 February at St. George’s Park and will be ended with the 150th anniversary first match between Civil Service FC and FA XI on Thursday 19 December.
In inauguration ceremony, a recorded message of FA president Prince William was played where he said, “Over 150 years, football has become part of the very fabric of our society and I hope the year ahead will allow us to celebrate every aspect of this great game…The Olympics and Paralympics highlighted the spirit of the British people to volunteer, but I know it is something that has always been part of our great game.
“I am delighted that The FA will be honouring this army of volunteers through a special 150 Grassroots Heroes initiative. They deserve our full praise and unstinting thanks.”
Besides, many eminent personalities of English soccer were presented, including Roy Hodgson; manager of England national soccer team, previous manager Fabio Capello, and some of the all-time great English players, like Michael Owen, David Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton among others.
During the event FA chairman David Bernstein reiterated that the organization would remain to be the heart of soccer despite some failures of recent times. He also said, “150 years ago a group of people met on this site and they changed the world by producing the first laws of the game. Throughout that extraordinary journey the FA continued to sit at its heart.
“Despite occasional frustrations we have always and will continue to our play our full part in influencing the development of football in Uefa and Fifa.
“Even after 150 years there remains a simple beauty to the universality of football – from Wembley to parks football a single unbreakable thread runs through.”