Playing the Semi-Finals at Wembley is part of the stadium's business plan which allowed The FA to build a 90,000 seater national stadium, but with the significantly greater number of tickets available this will allow more fans to attend each of the showpiece fixtures.

As with any game, preparation is the key to a successful event. In previous years, a decision could not be made on a neutral and favourable Semi-Final venue until the competing teams had been decided. Obviously, elements such as the safety and security issues, transport issues, policing, supporter awareness of the venues and television schedules cannot be decided until a venue is decided. With the Semi-Final venue established well in advance we can therefore prepare for all these issues with a great deal more confidence.