History of the FA Cup Cup Finals. Since 1902, referees can only officiate one Cup Final, though they are allowed to have prior Final experience as an assistant referee. In 1914, George V became the first monarch to watch the FA Cup Final between Burnley and Liverpool in the last cup final played at Crystal Palace. The 'Matthews Final' of 1953 was the first football match attended by The Queen, in her Coronation year. It is commonly held that previous winners of the FA Cup are traditionally the only clubs allowed to use triangular corner flags in English football. However, this tradition is not affirmed
2011 FA Cup Final Stoke City were making their first appearance in the final. Their previous best was participation in the semi-finals, which had occurred three times. The 2011 final faced scheduling problems and the match clashed with top flight League fixtures for the first time since 1934, which disappointed football traditionalists. The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final was being hosted at Wembley on 28 May 2011 and UEFA rules stipulate that the host stadium for the final must not have a fixture played two weeks prior to the final. Therefore, the FA Cup final had to be moved forward, and for the first