Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Daniel Murphy

Why Wolves vs Manchester United and Man City vs Port Vale kick-off at 5:31pm in the FA Cup

Manchester United and Man City are in FA Cup action on Saturday but both of their games will kick-off at the unusual time of 5:31pm.

This is because every third round tie over the weekend, excluding any potential replays, will kick-off one minute later than usual as part of mental health awareness campaign Heads Up.

Holders City will get their defence of the FA Cup underway with a home clash against League Two side Port Vale whereas United will travel to Wolves, who knocked them out of the competition at the quarter-final stage last season.

The Football Association announced that the one minute delay initiative is in order to urge fans to 'take a minute' to think about their mental health.

All games will kick-off one minute later than their traditionally scheduled broadcast and non-broadcast time slots and it is hoped the initiative will raise awareness of the importance of looking after mental health.

“Whilst delaying kick-off times by 60 seconds is a simple idea, it provides a powerful platform for us and our Heads Up charity partners to deliver a really important message on mental health," Mark Bullingham the FA's chief executive said.

"We know that men in particular can be reluctant to talk about the subject, so it is important that we use football as a vehicle to stress the importance of mental fitness.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.