Marriner to take charge of Shield

Chelsea v Manchester United
The FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald's
3pm, Sunday 8 August 2010
Wembley Stadium

Andre Marriner will referee this season's FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald's, as Premier League Champions and FA Cup winners Chelsea take on Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 8 August.

It will be the first time the Birmingham FA official, who was first appointed to the Select Group Referees list in 2005, has taken charge of an FA showpiece fixture.

Marriner, who was the Fourth Official at both the 2010 FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth and the 2008 FA Community Shield, is delighted to be taking to the Wembley pitch again for what is the curtain-raiser to the new season in English football.

“When I got the call to say I was being appointed, I was absolutely delighted to tell you the truth,” said Marriner.

“It’s a fantastic honour for me. I was lucky enough to end the season refereeing the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley and now I am really looking forward to starting this coming season with a trip to Wembley again.

“I’ve been Fourth Official a couple of times for FA showpiece matches over the last few years so to be appointed to take charge of one for the first time means a great deal to me.”

This season’s Assistant Referees are Jake Collin (Liverpool FA) and Adam Watts (Worcestershire FA), while the Fourth Official will be Mike Jones (Cheshire FA) and the Reserve Official, Simon Long (Suffolk FA).

Almost 86,000 fans attended last year’s Community Shield with The FA distributing all proceeds to nominated community and charitable projects across the country.

Ticket prices for the game haven’t changed since 2006 and are priced at £40, £30, £20 and £15.