For the first time in football history fans are helping to plan a showpiece cup final following a "Carling Cabinet" meeting with organisers.The Carling Cabinet meeting follows Carling's announcement of its intention to hand over its entire contractual ticket allocation of Carling Cup Final tickets to fans, repeating its initiative launched at the 2006 Final.
More than 400 Chelsea fans and 400 Arsenal fans will receive the tickets and, in a further step away from the traditional approach to hospitality, 200 of both sets of fans will be able to enjoy the game in sponsor's suites at the Millennium Stadium.
The main findings of the Carling Cabinet meeting include:
LED Boards:Fans told us that for a big showpiece final they don't want to see flashing LED and rotating perimeter boards as they feel they may distract players and detract from the game. With this in mind, Carling has decided to use traditional static perimeter boards for this year's final.
Matchday Programme:Fans wanted more of a voice on Carling Cup Final day - to wish their players all the best and generally get things off their chest. As a result Carling has devoted a page in the programme to the fans.
Crowd Celebration:
Fans told us they wanted to be more involved in the trophy celebration. Carling has some definite plans for this but they are under wraps until nearer the final.
For those fans that can't make it to Cardiff:
The Carling Cabinet wanted to make sure that those fans who couldn't get a ticket or travel to Cardiff are able to enjoy the game back in London. Sky Sports is broadcasting the Final in HD for the first time, and Carling is currently talking to them about a number of special HD screenings in pubs in the capital.
Pub Atmosphere:Fans love watching football games in pubs with a great atmosphere. As a result, Carling is thinking of ways to bring a flavour of the local pub to the Millennium Stadium on Cup Final day.
Carling Cup Sponsorship Manager Richard Smith said: "After giving our allocation of tickets back to the fans last year we wanted to take it a stage further this year by inviting fans to help us plan the final.
"The meeting went well, and appropriately the Carling Cabinet members adjourned to the pub afterwards.
"We will now work with The Football League and Millennium Stadium to see how we can put the findings of the Carling Cabinet into place."