The FA Chief Executive can probably expect to get a ticket for the Final in May, but his passion for the historic tournament also took him to tiny Ware on Saturday for an Extra Qualifying Round fixture against Sporting Bengal.

Barwick is delighted that his role gives him the chance to watch as much as the action as possible to see for himself how The FA Cup affects all the clubs involved along the way - and is set to give FA historian and superfan David Barber a run for his money in the attendance stakes.

"I think it is absolutely fundamental that I attend matches like this as well as the Cup Final in May. We are The Football Association with 37,000 clubs and half a million players to represent," he explained.

"Last week probably perfectly illustrated my job as last Wednesday I was in Copenhagen watching the England national team and then three days later I am at Ware with 300 other people watching the first game of The FA Cup.

"That isn't just the duty of my job, but also the beauty of it.

"The FA Cup is not only about The Final in May and this match shows it doesn't just start in January when the big teams enter, but right back now in August.

"My ambition is to go to as many rounds as possible. My seat for The Final is probably already assured, but I want to go to the early rounds as well and get a true feel for the competition."

At Ware, Barwick was on hand to see Sporting Bengal flying the flag for ethnic football as one of the first all-Asian sides to play in The FA Cup - unfortunately with a 2-0 defeat.

But the Chief Executive was delighted to discover for himself how the romance of the cup was helping the development of football in the Asian community.

"I think this game was a huge step forward in terms of the prominence of Asian football in this country," Barwick explained.

"I spoke to the Sporting Bengal directors and their ambition is to be in the competition again and get through a round of The FA Cup.

"They felt it was a significant moment in their brief history and they loved being a part of it - and I felt they gave a good account of themselves. Unfortunately it is the nature of cup football that one team has to lose."

If Barwick makes it to every round this season he will take in 14 games, but as a football fanatic he already has plenty of fond memories of the famous old competition.

"I remember watching my first FA Cup Final in 1962 which was Burnley against Tottenham and I have not missed a Final since," he explains.

"And two of my fondest memories of the competition have been when I was editor on BBC's Match of the Day programme.

"In 1989, on a hunch, I selected Sutton United against Coventry as one of the matches to cover. To have a non-League side beat a top flight team who had won The Cup 18 months earlier was a thrilling occasion.

"The second was in 1990 when we showed the FA Cup semi-finals back-to-back for the first time on a Sunday and they produced an amazing 13 goals after Crystal Palace beat Liverpool 4-3 and Manchester United drew 3-3 with Oldham."