TWO football fans have been chosen to walk out at Wembley as Emirates FA Cup mascots.
Koby Thomas and best friend, Owen Jordan were surprised by club icons at their home ground.
Working with The FA and non-league clubs, Emirates has travelled up and down the country to surprise unsuspecting fans including 10-year-old Alvechurch F.C. supporter, Koby Thomas.
Koby from Alvechurch was diagnosed with leukaemia during the team’s pre-season.
He is making strong progress and is continuing his unwavering support of the club by attending a handful of training sessions with his team.
A spokesperson for Emirates said: “It’s due to this incredible show of strength that the club and Emirates wished to give something back and nominated Koby to be an official Emirates FA Cup mascot at the Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday June 3.”
Alvechurch FC reached the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Proper for the first time in decades after an incredible performance against Cheltenham Town.
They were then later knocked out in a gutting loss against Forest Green in the same round.
Koby is a long-standing supporter of the grassroots team and has attended many Emirates FA Cup games alongside his best friend, Owen Jordan.
The pair have forged an incredible friendship that stems from their shared passion for football and have both played for the club’s youth teams since the under 7s.
Koby will get to experience this special moment with Owen where they both will walk out at Wembley Stadium as mascots in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Emirates FA Cup Final.
To announce the news, Koby and Owen were invited down to the Alvechurch F.C. ground where they were met by presenter and host, Michael Timbs for a sit-down to chat about their experiences and affiliation with the club.
Alvechurch’s sporting director, Mark Fogarty, youth manager, Bryan Allcott as well as club captain and Koby’s favourite player, Ashley Carter were also part of the action and let the boys know that they had been personally selected by the club to become an Emirates FA Cup Final mascot for the ultimate surprise.
As part of the day, Emirates Cabin Crew presented Koby and Owen with the official Emirates FA Cup trophy where the boys were able to hold it as if winning it themselves.
