Loyal football fans from Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Gateshead will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sing on the pitch at Wembley before the FA Cup final.
The BBC’s Song’s of Praise has teamed up with the FA to offer fans the opportunity to join a choir singing the hymn Abide With Me before 90,000 people on May 30.
It will be made up of one fan from each of the 64 teams who reached this year’s third round.
Thousands of supporters from all over the North East have applied, with supporters from Newcastle United, Blyth Spartans, Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough all eligible for a place.
For his application, exiled ’Boro fan Zachary Sewell, 23, penned a poem to show his dedication to his team and his passion for the FA Cup Final.
Zachary, of Bath, had just returned from a few months travelling in South America - where he made a pilgrimage to the World Cup in Brazil - when he spotted the competition.
He said: “Having just come back from the World Cup, I thought, ‘What can I do next’? I saw the advert for the choir on TV and thought, ‘Why not?’
“To be in the middle of Wembley Stadium and singing Abide With Me, on Cup Final day, especially if Middlesbrough made it through, would be amazing.
“I’m just praying that no other Middlesbrough fan has thought to do a poem for their application.”
Gateshead fan Stephen Farnfield also applied to be in the choir, spurred on by an enduring love for his club.
Stephen, from Felling, said reaching the third round for the first time in 60 years was a brilliant end to a difficult year.
He said: “My wife spent much of last year in and out of hospital. She had open heart surgery in March and was in hospital a lot after that.
“Going to the football had to take a back seat because she was so ill.
“So for Gateshead to get to the third round, having followed them for over 25 years, was fantastic.”
Stephen, 55, who works as an estimator for a facade engineering company, said it would mean the world to him to be a part of the choir.
He said: “I’ve constantly watched Songs of Praise, ever since I was a youngster and I’d love to represent my club and sing at Wembley.”
Sunderland fan Muriel Greenwood said the hymn Abide With Me had become her football-mad family’s favourite hymn over the years.
She said: “Football has probably been the most important thing in our family and Abide With Me is the family hymn.
“Being in the choir would combine both of these things for me.
“My memories of Sunderland winning the cup are some of the most precious memories I have.”
Muriel, 63, who now lives in Hertfordshire, said she would be thrilled to make it to Wembley.
She said: “The thought of being there in the midst of it all is so exciting.
“If I were able to complete the circle by representing Sunderland, the North East and my family by joining the choir for this great hymn it would be a dream.”
The competition closes on March 7, when a panel of judges from the worlds of football, music and journalism will read the best five stories representing each club and pick a winner.
Winners will be notified in April and will have a singing lesson and participate in a rehearsal before the big day.
Full entry details and terms and conditions can be found at http://bbc.in/1FayRQZ
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