As the lockdown gradually eases in the United Kingdom, the Premier League will be back on the field again. As the matches will once again begin, Prince William sees it as "a much-needed relief" that the nation needs today.
In line with Prince William and Kate Middleton's initiatives, the FA Cup final will be named after the Cambriges' mental health cause. Hence, the Duke of Cambridge held a talk with the stars of the Arsenal football club to discuss their return and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health.
According to Mirror Online, the future king talked to the head coach Mikel Arteta, who was diagnosed with coronavirus, along with his first-team players, Hector Bellerin and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. This year, the Emirates FA Cup Final will be renamed to Heads Up FA Cup Final in honor of the mental health campaign the prince leads.
The second-in-line to the throne has been worrying about the psychological challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brings. Fox Sports noted that it has already killed over 40,000 people In Britain, while a lot of people are still in isolation for several months now.
As the President of the FA and a keen amateur player himself, Prince William said he was really pleased that the group was coming back to football. As they were eveidently desperate to get back on the game, the viewers were excited to see them, too. He knew that their return would give the nation the much "needed relief and boost" for their mental health, seeing the football back again.
He added that they were going to take advantage of the game's final to "promote good, positive mental health for everyone." Kate Middleton's husband continued that the game's return came timely as they were still all going through a pandemic right now.
He believed that the coronavirus outbreak would bring a lot of repercussions in society and people's mental health. But, he was certain that the FA Cup could be a bit of "pivot that people could rally around."
The FA Cup final was supposed to take place in May but got suspended after it was shut down in March to avoid the spread of COVID-19. When the Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, contracted the disease, it resulted in the cancellation of the Premiere League.
This year, the season will return on Wednesday, June 17, 100 days after the games stopped. Arsenal will travel to Manchester City. It is set to face Sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter-final round on Sunday, June 27.
