FA Cup final opens to flypast and nostalgic parade

LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) The FA Cup final returned home to Wembley Stadium today with a nostalgic opening ceremony, complete with flypast, marching band and royalty to inaugurate the new 90,000-seat stadium.

Dance troupes, balloons and banners greeted Chelsea and Manchester United fans as they arrived at the new stadium topped by a 133-metre arch that has become a familiar sight to Londoners during the five-year building project.

Gone are the twin towers of the 1923 ground but fans now have an unobscured view of the pitch and can stay dry in the largest stadium in the world with every seat under cover.

Chelsea were the last team to win the final at Wembley in 2000.

Manchester United won it a record nine times at the old ground.

Their fans ensured a colourful and noisy blue and red reception greeted players when they warmed up on the pristine pitch.

School children dressed in the colours of the 42 FA Cup winning teams paraded round the ground. Their procession was followed by an appeal for the safe return of a British child Madeleine McCann abducted in Portugal earlier this month.

Former FA Cup players from 1957 to 2000 then took to the pitch including for Chelsea Ron Harris and Dennis Wise, captains in 1970 and in 1997 and 2000.

Manchester United's great and good included Dennis Law, opening goalscorer in 1963, Gary Pallister and Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel who won three times for United.

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes, the only man to win the FA Cup four times at Wembley, three times for United and once for Chelsea also took part alongside 1996 World Cup hat-trick scorer Geoff Hurst, who scored in West Ham United's 1964 victory over Preston North End.

The new stadium continued the FA Cup tradition of singing the hymn Abide With Me accompanying Leslie Garrett and Sarah Brightman.

Prince William declared the stadium officially open and was due to present the trophy to the winning team.

A flypast by the RAF's Red Arrows display team flying at 400mph, 1,000 feet above the stadium completed the formalities.

Some 500 million television viewers around the world were expected to watch the game between the top two teams in the Premier League both aiming for a double -- Manchester United for the championship and FA Cup and Chelsea for the League Cup and FA Cup.

REUTERS TB KN1947