Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has congratulated Consett AFC as they played the final of the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium.
Last year, Consett made it to the final of the FA Vase, held at Wembley, a stadium which has capacity for 90,000 fans. Richard has been fighting for fans to be able to attend the final, speaking to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the FA, the Deputy Chief Whip and other MPs about the issue, and has also raised the issue in the House of Commons. You can read more about this here.
However, in light of the pandemic and the coronavirus restrictions, the decision was made to not allow fans to travel to or attend the match.
The final has now taken place, with Consett AFC playing Hebburn Town. Although Consett twice took the lead, they were defeated 3-2. Terry Mitchell, the manager of Consett AFC, has spoken about the match here, and Frank Bell, the Chairman of Consett AFC, has paid tribute to the team, and thanked officials and volunteers who helped the club prepare for the day – you can read more about this here.
Commenting, Richard said:
“I am so proud of Consett AFC – that they made it to the final of the FA Vase and played at Wembley Stadium is an absolutely huge achievement and they played brilliantly throughout an incredibly tense match. It was really amazing to see them play on the national stage.
“I, like so many others, was incredibly saddened and disappointed that fans were not able to attend. The club – especially Frank Bell – worked really hard to get fans there, as did other MPs and myself. We worked really hard to try and ensure that at least some spectators would be able to attend – I spoke to the Secretary of State, Sports Ministers, the Deputy Chief Whip, the Chairman and CEO of the FA and raised the issue on multiple occasions in the House of Commons, but covid regulations meant that the really difficult decision to have no fans at all was taken.
“I am really proud of Consett AFC and want to congratulate them on what was an incredibly tense and exciting final. I am really looking forward to restrictions lifting and being able to attend matches in person with all the fans and, with the club we are lucky enough to have, I have no doubt that we will be at Wembley again before too long.”
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