FA Kick-off 150th Anniversary Celebrations

The Football Association (FA) launched a year of celebrations to mark its 150^th anniversary today with a ceremony at the Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, where the Laws of the Game were first drafted in 1863.

Every living former England manager was invited to the event, whilst leading football figures from around the world, including Lothar Matthäus, Alan Shearer and Patrick Vieira, were in attendance. A special mosaic logo, made up of iconic images from throughout the FA’s history, has also been unveiled to commemorate the occasion.

David Bernstein, FA Chairman, said: “The coming year will be a terrific opportunity for us to showcase our work to the whole country and the wider world. It is a wonderful achievement for any organisation and I certainly hope it will capture the imagination in the way it has mine. From humble beginnings to today’s global spectacle, we can be proud of this country’s contribution to football.”

The FA will be celebrating the landmark throughout 2013 and scheduled events include: England friendly matches against Brazil, Scotland and Republic of Ireland, Hosting the 2013 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium and National Football Day on 10 August.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter paid tribute to the organisation ahead of today’s ceremony, he said: “It is a great honour and pleasure to congratulate the FA in this special year 2013 when they are in the festive mood for their 150th anniversary of its foundation.

“If you look back on the 26 October 1863 in the Freemasons Tavern in Great Queen Street, they were the pioneers. They called it the Football Association of England, but now it is called the FA, because it is the number one in FIFA.”

UEFA President Michel Platini also spoke of his admiration for the FA.  “It is a milestone that is worthy of celebration by the entire worldwide football family. Also, UEFA has only existed for a fraction of this time. We were honoured to play our part in celebrating the anniversary of the oldest football association in the world,” he said.

“To my mind, it is logical that this season’s UEFA Champions League final will be played at the new Wembley – the new home of the Football Association. We thank the Football Association for its contribution to creating, fostering and building our sport and on behalf of UEFA and its member associations, we wish you another 150 years of success in helping to further strengthen and develop football worldwide.”

The FA governs football in England from the lowest amateur leagues to the upper echelons of the Barclays Premier League. Their work at the grass roots level allows people all over the country to enjoy participating in the game.

Former Finance Director and Acting CEO of The FA, Michael Cunnah, told iSportconnect: “Football is still the most popular sport and provides more opportunities for sporting participation and keeping fit than anything else. This doesn’t happen by accident. In the last 15 years the FA has overseen an impressive increase in the number of coaches and manages to maintain enough referees to keep the game in good health at grass roots level.”

“In creating and then funding the Football Foundation, The FA has made massive contributions through new playing facilities to so many communities up and down the land. The Football Foundation has funded more than £600m of new facilities – a magnificent achievement.”