Buckingham Palace transformed for a day
-- When it comes to soccer's most hallowed
grounds, London's Wembley and Rio's Maracana are
two that spring to mind. They are steeped in history,
having staged World Cup finals.
Other revered stadiums include Barcelona's Nou Camp,
Real Madrid's Bernabeu, Manchester United's Old
Trafford and the San Siro, shared by AC Milan and Inter
Milan.
But a venue that has never housed a game could trump
those arenas, if only for a day: Buckingham Palace.
Yes, Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth's London residence will host its first
and perhaps last official soccer match Monday as part
of the English Football Association's 150th anniversary
celebrations when amateur clubs Civil Service FC and
Polytechnic meet.
None other than Howard Webb, who refereed the 2010
World Cup final, will be the official in charge.
Prince William arranged the game, and on
the day 150 grassroots soccer volunteers
will also be given medals by the Queen's
grandson, who happens to be president of
the FA and an Aston Villa supporter.
The Southern Amateur League sides found
out last month they'd be lining up at
Buckingham Palace and the buzz quickly
grew.
"We all agreed that this was much better
than playing at Wembley and is something
we will be able to tell our grandchildren,"
Polytechnic manager Geoff Brown told
CNN.
Civil Service's standout midfielder Ryan
Cameron used to play professionally for
East Fife in Scotland and even had the
chance to take on his preferred team,
Rangers.
But the 38-year-old knows this is a "once
in a lifetime" opportunity.
That said, Cameron initially forgot to tell his wife about
the game.
"It slipped my mind," Cameron, employed in the IT
sector in the English capital, told CNN.
She only learned of Civil Service's involvement by
watching the news while working out.
"I think there was an understanding that the game
would be played in London," Cameron said. "Most of
the lads just automatically assumed it would be at one
of the Premier League pitches because there's already a
pitch there.
"To find out that it was going to be at the Palace
and that they were going to put a pitch in the
gardens, it was something that took us by surprise."
Cameron won't be star struck when he meets the
Prince, having run into him at a bar when he
returned to St. Andrews -- the Prince graduated
from the university in 2005 -- to play in an alumni
game.
The Queen isn't expected to be in attendance, the
Buckingham Palace press office said. Guests from
both teams will be there but members of the
general public won't be allowed in.
How were the teams chosen?
Civil Service is the sole surviving club from 11 "that
met to create the FA in 1863," the FA said on its
website, and as such is celebrating its 150th
anniversary, too.
In its heyday in the early 1900s, Civil Service would
regularly beat the likes of Real Madrid and
Barcelona on European tours, said team vice-
president Neil Ward.
Polytechnic was formed in 1875 and is Civil
Service's arch-rival, with the clubs separated by
about a mile in west London.
"I believe we first played Civil Service in 1893,"
Polytechnic chairman Barry Madigan told CNN.
"We're very near neighbors."
But just as important, Civil Service was due to face
Polytechnic in the round of games taking place this
weekend, said Ward.
Officials then asked Civil Service if they could move
the game from a Saturday to a Monday to
accommodate the Palace.
It didn't take long to say 'Yes.'
"The only thing is that all the lads have to take time
off," said Ward, a 60-year-old Everton fan. "At that
stage I couldn't tell them why we were moving the
game.
"Suddenly the players and officials have a chance to
make their own history and join their
predecessors."
Wembley groundsman Tony Stones will combine
with the Palace's gardeners to get the pitch ready,
the FA said.
It won't be the first time a sporting event has been
played at the British institution and tourist hotspot
-- a charity tennis event featuring John McEnroe
and Bjorn Borg was held in 2000.
With a day to go before the game, don't be
surprised if several of the players expected to
participate take it easy in training to avoid getting
hurt and missing what could be classified as their
biggest Cup final.
"The potential inevitability might be not wanting to
get injured, and there are players on the periphery
definitely wanting to try to force their way into the
team," said Cameron. "But I think that can only be
good for the squad.
"We realize it's a special fixture but we can't get
carried away and that's why we have to train hard,
take it like any other game. I'm sounding like a
Premier League manager but it's absolutely true."
It won't be like any other game, though.
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