Two Girls From Eastbourne Picked As Fa Cup Final Mascots

The title sponsor of The FA’s flagship knockout competition has revealed the names behind this year’s Emirates FA Cup Final mascots - and they're two girls from Eastbourne!

Working with The FA and non-league clubs, Emirates has travelled up and down the country to surprise unsuspecting fans including Eastbourne Borough F.C. supporters, Sophia, aged 10 and Amelie Paviour, aged 12 from Eastbourne.

The time spent at the Emirates FA Cup games was a great source of comfort for the family as their mother, Sarah Paviour battles terminal cancer.  Sophia and Amelia have since worked with the club to help raise money for both St Wilfrid’s Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support.

It’s due to this incredible show of strength that the club and Emirates wished to give something back and nominated them to be official Emirates FA Cup mascots at the Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 3rd June.

From the grounds of Eastbourne to Wembley Stadium

With a sturdy season behind them, Eastbourne Borough F.C., part of the National League South, reached the fourth qualifying round where they were later knocked out in a gutting loss against Maidenhead United. 

The sister’s journey with the team began when the club released free tickets to matches over the summer school holidays to give something back to the local community. They continued to support the team, becoming big fans in the process, and were made mascots for the Emirates FA Cup 2nd qualifying round. This came after their father, Andrew Paviour sent a letter to the club thanking them for the tickets, as it provided a light relief from the difficult time, they were all experiencing at home.

As a result, the team have continued to support the family and the sisters will get to experience this special moment together where they both will walk out at Wembley Stadium as mascots in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Emirates FA Cup Final.

A mascot surprise

To announce the news, Sophia and Amelie were invited down to the Eastbourne Borough F.C. ground where they were met by presenter, Josh Denzel for a sit-down to chat about their experiences and affiliation with the club.

Eastbourne Borough’s goalkeeper and the sisters’ favourite player, Lee Worgan and Team Manager, Danny Bloor were also part of the action and let the sisters know that they had been personally selected by the club to become an Emirates FA Cup Final mascots for the ultimate surprise.

As part of the day, Emirates cabin crew presented Sophia and Amelie with the official trophy where the sisters were able to hold it as if winning it themselves.

About the Emirates FA Cup mascots

Along with Eastbourne Borough F.C., Emirates and The FA have worked with three other clubs who have had incredible FA Cup journeys this year including Boreham Wood F.C., Alvechurch F.C. and Wrexham A.F.C. Each club nominated their own young fans who have gone above and beyond in their support for their local team where they too will also get to walk out as mascots during the Emirates FA Cup Final this June.