The
FA Cup final will be preceded by a 60-second "#SoundofSupport" moment to
raise awareness of mental health.
Saturday's final between Arsenal and Chelsea will be the first time the
match has been played behind closed doors, with fans still unable to access
sports events in person due to coronavirus-related restrictions.
As a result, the theme this weekend will be the #SoundOfSupport initiative,
with fans will be urged to show the 'sound of support' - and to make sure
it's heard by those who need it.
Ahead of kick-off, unique artificial crowd noise will be played in the
stadium, created from a soundscape of real mental health conversations with
fans and players.
The crowd noise will be introduced to the players and fans by a rallying
spoken word piece from poet and mental health champion Hussain Manawer.
Heads Up branding will be prominent around the stadium, including the
trophy's ribbons and a banner across the south side of the stadium urging
fans to 'fill the silence with the #SoundOfSupport'. Both clubs and match
officials will show their support with the campaign's logo on their match
kit.
The FA Cup's historic anthem Abide with Me will be performed by
award-winning artist Emeli Sandé from the roof of Wembley Stadium in a
performance pre-recorded and played within the stadium bowl and to the
global television audience ahead of kick-off.
The performance will be the first in history from the roof of Wembley
Stadium. Emeli was keen to collaborate with The FA in order to include her
voice in the deconstruction of racism in British communities and football,
and to support mental health, which can be negatively impacted by
experiences of racism.
More news and content from the Heads Up campaign can be found here.
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