Paul Brennan, Sky News reporter
The FA Cup Final kicks off at Wembley this afternoon, with Chelsea facing Everton for the famous trophy
But with the television audience dwindling rapidly in recent years, has this once-great occasion lost its national appeal?
When I was growing up, the streets would be deserted during the game on Cup Final day.
The only noise would be the cheers from the open windows of the corner pub where the game was being televised, or the sound of families and friends gathered in their living rooms to watch the TV.
For 15 minutes at half-time, I would join the rest of the neighbourhood kids in the street, kicking a ball around and replaying the crucial moments from the first half before racing back inside when the second half began.
Today's referee, Howard Webb, was also football-mad as a boy. I spoke to him on the eve of today's match.
"I remember watching the Tottenham against Manchester City final in 1981," says the Rotherham fan.
"And I just remember a really good game of football. And straight after the game I went out and played on the local field on my own.
"But as I walked onto the field I imagined I was going to be captaining one of the teams out into the FA Cup Final."
That was the thing: it didn't matter whether your team was actually playing - everyone watched the game simply because it was the FA Cup Final.
But it seems those days are over.
According to official Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) viewing figures, in 1997, more than 11 million people tuned in to see Chelsea beat Middlesbrough at Wembley.
But by the time Arsenal met Chelsea in 2002 that had nearly halved, to just 6.3 million viewers.
And just 5.6 million were interested enough to sit through last year's final between Portsmouth and Cardiff.
Why is that? The FA Cup still has the romance of the lower-league teams beating Premier League opposition.
The history of the cup is second to none.
Today's grandparents may still vividly recall the 1953 "Matthews Final".
In 1923, newsreel footage of the extraordinary pitch invasion means that final will always be known as the "White Horse Final".
More modern classics include the 2006 epic between Liverpool and West Ham, perhaps the best FA Cup Final ever.
Some say the Cup was tarnished by holders Manchester United's non-appearance in 2000, when they competed in the FIFA Club World Championship instead.
Others say that, for all the romance of the minnows getting through, last year's Portsmouth-Cardiff final was evidence that two relative minnows in one final makes for a lame affair.
And the glitz and glamour of the Champions League means the FA Cup can be shown up as the domestic cup competition that it is.
Important if you're competing for it, but sadly irrelevant if you're not.
The FA Cup Final kicks off at Wembley this afternoon, with Chelsea facing Everton for the famous trophy
But with the television audience dwindling rapidly in recent years, has this once-great occasion lost its national appeal?
When I was growing up, the streets would be deserted during the game on Cup Final day.
The only noise would be the cheers from the open windows of the corner pub where the game was being televised, or the sound of families and friends gathered in their living rooms to watch the TV.
For 15 minutes at half-time, I would join the rest of the neighbourhood kids in the street, kicking a ball around and replaying the crucial moments from the first half before racing back inside when the second half began.
Today's referee, Howard Webb, was also football-mad as a boy. I spoke to him on the eve of today's match.
"I remember watching the Tottenham against Manchester City final in 1981," says the Rotherham fan.
"And I just remember a really good game of football. And straight after the game I went out and played on the local field on my own.
"But as I walked onto the field I imagined I was going to be captaining one of the teams out into the FA Cup Final."
That was the thing: it didn't matter whether your team was actually playing - everyone watched the game simply because it was the FA Cup Final.
But it seems those days are over.
According to official Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) viewing figures, in 1997, more than 11 million people tuned in to see Chelsea beat Middlesbrough at Wembley.
But by the time Arsenal met Chelsea in 2002 that had nearly halved, to just 6.3 million viewers.
And just 5.6 million were interested enough to sit through last year's final between Portsmouth and Cardiff.
Why is that? The FA Cup still has the romance of the lower-league teams beating Premier League opposition.
The history of the cup is second to none.
Today's grandparents may still vividly recall the 1953 "Matthews Final".
In 1923, newsreel footage of the extraordinary pitch invasion means that final will always be known as the "White Horse Final".
More modern classics include the 2006 epic between Liverpool and West Ham, perhaps the best FA Cup Final ever.
Some say the Cup was tarnished by holders Manchester United's non-appearance in 2000, when they competed in the FIFA Club World Championship instead.
Others say that, for all the romance of the minnows getting through, last year's Portsmouth-Cardiff final was evidence that two relative minnows in one final makes for a lame affair.
And the glitz and glamour of the Champions League means the FA Cup can be shown up as the domestic cup competition that it is.
Important if you're competing for it, but sadly irrelevant if you're not.
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