FA Cup Final day traditions: Why they make the Final special

Features

15 May 2025

Crystal Palace’s third-ever FA Cup Final is now just days away (Saturday, 17th May, 16:30 BST) – but what makes the big day what it is?

The FA Cup Final remains one of the biggest days in the English football calendar.

In previous eras, the day's impact was seismic. The country stopped to watch one of the few live televised games across the season. The broadcast pre-match build-up started after breakfast and went on until kick-off.

Although the expansion of European football and the introduction of the Premier League mean that it is no longer the only show in town, the Cup final retains a unique place in the fabric of English football.

Last year's final between Manchester City and Manchester United was watched by over eight million in the UK alone.

But why for so many fans is it still ‘the game'? Pomp, ceremony, heritage... here are our favourite FA Cup traditions.

The Suits

Paul Gascoigne put it best after his stunning free-kick sent Tottenham into the Cup Final back in 1991, declaring: “I’m away to get me suit MEASURED!”

A day of tradition and formality, watching the players kitted out in cup final suits is always an interesting part of the build-up – as fans assess who is making the biggest fashion statement or faux pas.

Sometimes the suits are memorable for the wrong reasons. Famously in 1996, before playing Manchester United, Liverpool were kitted out in cream white suits as they perused the Wembley pitch.

Had they won, they would have looked suave. In the end they went down to an Eric Cantona goal, and the Spice Boys’ suits were infamous.

It’s all part of teams representing their club and respecting the big occasion. Keep your eyes peeled for the Palace squad looking sharp – courtesy of official Club Tailor Apsley.

The pennants

The team pennant is a vital part of the FA Cup Final pageantry, carried out by the captain to signify the pride of the club.

Palace's players will line up for a team photo beforehand holding a pennant voted on by Socios fan token holders, capturing the spirit of a Final where the fans are sure to shape the occasion from start to finish.

FA Cup Final Anthems

Of course, your day has to be soundtracked by the finalists’ FA Cup final songs. Back in 1990, the Palace squad memorably recorded their own version of Glad All Over.

Television performances followed, featuring some fetching, but definitely of the time, red and blue shell suits. It even reached a respectable number 49 on the UK Singles Chart.

Throughout the 1970s, '80s and well into the '90s, the FA Cup team song was a staple of the cup final build-up. Did it make any difference to performance? No. Was it a lot of fun that added to the overall spectacle? Absolutely.

Although players and teams recording official anthems appears to be a thing of the past in 2025, you can still get in the mood with your musical choices, thanks to Palace for Life patron Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc Brown.

He has released a new song entitled ‘One More Game,’ specifically for the Final this year – having also produced ‘Glad All Over Again’ for the 2016 Final.

The song – produced by Tony Bones The Producer and performed by Bailey Smith – can be streamed on Spotify, YouTube here – and you can read more about it from the man himself here.

The bus journey to Wembley

A key part of the extended television coverage that the broadcasters used to provide included keeping up to date with the progress of the team coach.

Not only could you keep tabs on the players (sometimes slow) progress to Wembley from a plush hotel in rural Greater London, but you would also be given genuine pre-match insight.

A roving reporter would be installed alongside the players, often disrupting a card game for the ultimate pre-match interview.

By the time the team arrived at Wembley, you felt the pre-match nerves beginning to set in yourself, even if watching from the relative comfort of your living room.

The walk down Wembley Way

For those lucky enough to attend the final in person, there is one particular moment of the day that everyone remembers.

Those heading up to Wembley on the tube will inevitably come out of the station and see that first glimpse of the stadium, complete with Wembley Way, leading up to the famous Arch in all its glory.

It’s a photo opportunity too good to pass up. Something that football fans from all over the world want to savour.

Walking the 10 minutes or so up to the stadium is when the whole day starts to feel real. The realisation for thousands this Saturday, that they are about to watch Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final.

01 / 05

Abide with Me

As well as the national anthem, perhaps the most stirring moment before the match is the performance of Abide with Me.

A traditional hymn first written back in 1847, it is one of the staples a day that has remained a key ritual of the day, going back decades.

But why was it first performed? For that, you have to go back to 1923, the famous Black Horse final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United, where record-breaking crowds spilled onto the Wembley pitch delaying kick-off.

Reportedly, while the pitch was being cleared of spectators, the event choir, St Luke's, sang Abide with Me. Four years later it was performed before the game for the first time, at the request of the attending King George V.

The roar from both sets of supporters following this is one of the biggest on cup final day.

Climbing the famous steps

What do you want to do after two hours of playing football? Climb 107 steps to receive your medal of course.

Obviously for the winners, sheer elation will mean they can virtually float to the royal box. For the losers, it feels like climbing Mount Everest.

It is one of the few traditions that outlasts even Wembley itself. The concept of going up to a VIP area to collect the trophy actually came about when the Final was held at the original Crystal Palace, from 1895 to 1914.

When Burnley won in 1914, their captain Tommy Boyle became the first player to be presented with the trophy by a reigning monarch, King George V.

Fingers crossed, Palace will be the second team to climb the steps post-game on Saturday – and lift famous old trophy.

FA Cup Final day will always be a special occasion.

For it to be topped off with red and blue ribbons around the trophy would be nothing short of magical.