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The 2012 FA Community Shield is a football match expected to be played on 12 August 2012 between the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions.
The 2012 Community Shield will not be played at its usual venue, London's Wembley Stadium, as the stadium is due to host the final of the 2012 Olympic football tournament on the same weekend as the proposed date for the Community Shield.[1] Instead it will be played at Aston Villa's home ground Villa Park, in Birmingham.
In order to avoid clashing with the Olympics, The Football Association (FA) agreed that the Community Shield would not be played in London, igniting speculation that the Community Shield would follow suit with the Supercoppa Italiana and be played overseas. Despite the financial incentive, the FA announced that Community Shield would be held in England.
In previous years when Wembley has been unavailable, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was used to host major events; however, its use was not seen as viable due to its hosting of other Olympic football matches in the days leading up to the Shield. The venue that had been seen as most likely to host the event was the 75,811-capacity Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, which hosts its final match at the 2012 Olympics on 7 August, although St James' Park in Newcastle, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, the City of Manchester Stadium, Anfield in Liverpool and Villa Park in Birmingham were also suggested, particularly in the event that Manchester United qualify for the match.[2] However, on 1 August 2011, it was announced that Villa Park would host the Shield, as the other, larger venues would "still be in Olympic mode".[3]
The 2012 Community Shield will not be played at its usual venue, London's Wembley Stadium, as the stadium is due to host the final of the 2012 Olympic football tournament on the same weekend as the proposed date for the Community Shield.[1] Instead it will be played at Aston Villa's home ground Villa Park, in Birmingham.
In order to avoid clashing with the Olympics, The Football Association (FA) agreed that the Community Shield would not be played in London, igniting speculation that the Community Shield would follow suit with the Supercoppa Italiana and be played overseas. Despite the financial incentive, the FA announced that Community Shield would be held in England.
In previous years when Wembley has been unavailable, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was used to host major events; however, its use was not seen as viable due to its hosting of other Olympic football matches in the days leading up to the Shield. The venue that had been seen as most likely to host the event was the 75,811-capacity Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, which hosts its final match at the 2012 Olympics on 7 August, although St James' Park in Newcastle, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, the City of Manchester Stadium, Anfield in Liverpool and Villa Park in Birmingham were also suggested, particularly in the event that Manchester United qualify for the match.[2] However, on 1 August 2011, it was announced that Villa Park would host the Shield, as the other, larger venues would "still be in Olympic mode".[3]
