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Return to Wembley for Steve Bennett and the FA Cup
Wembley Stadium tomorrow hosts the FA Cup final for the first time in seven years, with referee Steve Bennett returning to the stadium following his address to the SkillsActive convention on 1 May.
Steve Bennett the centre of attention at the SkillsActive Convention
Andrew Brown, SkillsActive - 18/05/2007
No stranger to Wembley and the FA Cup, having been a linesman for the 1995 final, Steve recently spoke to over 350 delegates at the SkillsActive convention of the importance of professionalism for sports officials and of his experience as a professional referee over the past seven years.
The pressures that match officials face from an audience both on and off the pitch, and the need for concentration throughout the match, all while covering over 13km during the course of the match were discussed by Steve. He spoke of the professionalism that referees at premiership level now benefit from, with continual professional development to cope with these physical and mental challenges. With access to daily mental and physical training, coaching, mentoring and analysis, Steve will be well prepared for this visit to Wembley. His performance this time however will be to a somewhat larger audience of 90,000, critiquing his ever decision during the match.
Having spoken last year of his aim to referee an FA Cup Final, Steve will now be leading out Manchester United and Chelsea for what is only the third time in the history of the competition that the top two clubs in the league have faced each other in this end of season showpiece. Chelsea were the last club to win the FA Cup at Wembley and will be looking to triumph over the premiership champions but it was Manchester United who won the last FA Cup final meeting between the pair thirteen years ago.
Whatever happens, we wish Steve luck and are sure that his preparation will stand him in good stead for the biggest match of his 23 year refereeing career.
