Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium will host the Derbyshire County FA Senior Challenge Cup Final on Wednesday 24th April (7:45pm kick-off).
The match is between Mickleover Sports FC and Alfreton Town, and the managers of both clubs are looking to revel in the opportunity to play at the Rams’ home ground.
John McGrath, manager of Mickleover Sports FC, said: “The venue makes the occasion all the more special for both players and supporters alike.
“A cup final is always special and we will look to end the season with some silverware.”
Similarly, Billy Heath, manager of Alfreton Town, is eager to lift the trophy on the famous pitch.
He said: “All the players are extremely looking forward to playing on such a fantastic stage and hopefully we can bring the trophy back for the first time in four years.”
Derbyshire County FA hope that the agreement to host the final at Pride Park will help to demonstrate how important the County Cups can be for football clubs in the county.
Jake Lane, Digital Marketing and Communications Officer at the Derbyshire County FA, said: “We are extremely thankful to Derby County FC for working with us to ensure that our Senior Challenge Cup Final is going to be a spectacular event.
“Pride Park is undoubtedly the stand-out stadium in the county, and I think staging our biggest game of the season there sets a perfect example for the direction we as a County FA are looking to go in.
“We want this match to set an example of just how fantastic our County Cups can be – succeeding in these competitions and in particular the Senior Challenge Cup can provide players with once in a lifetime opportunities, like playing at Pride Park.
“We hope that the players, fans, coaches, officials, and everybody else involved are going to make the most of such a fantastic occasion, and we’re certain that we as a County FA are going to produce an evening that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
“Hopefully in future County Cup competitions we can continue to build and grow to make the events bigger and better each time – we think it’s vital that these finals stand out as special when compared to other matches, and I’m sure that we can continue to produce brilliant opportunities for everyone in Derbyshire to get involved with football.”
The Senior Challenge Cup is one of nine County Cups which are ran by the Derbyshire County FA, and the final of the competition will mark the end of the 2018/19 County Cup schedule.