Wembley Stadium stands to be renamed for the first time ever ahead of play-off final

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Wembley Stadium is set for a first ahead of the Championship play-off final.Hull City will face Middlesbrough in Saturday’s showpiece in the capital, live on talkSPORT, after Southampton were expelled from the play-offs having been found guilty of spying on Boro ahead of their semi-final clash.Hull and Middlesbrough will contest the Championship play-off final this weekendGettySaints appealed the ‘Spygate’ decision, which could cost Tonda Eckert his job, but the appeal was denied with Boro now set to battle the Tigers with a spot in the Premier League up for grabs.And the four stands at the home of English football will be renamed for the first time ahead of the Championship clash.The North, East, South and West Stands will all be temporarily changed to honour four football fans with stories connected to cardiac arrest and CPR.The decision is part of the Sky Bet and British Heart Foundation Every Minute Matters campaign.The North Stand will be renamed The Callum Lawson Stand in honour of a Sunderland fan who survived a cardiac arrest during last year’s play-off final.The East Stand, meanwhile, will be changed to The Pippa Sharman Stand, to recognise the Reading fan’s efforts to save the life of an opposition supporter after they collapsed behind the wheel of their car.The South Stand will be called The Ed McCann Stand who was saved by a fellow supporter who performed CPR on the Bradford fan.And finally, The West Stand will be renamed The Andy Wall Stand after the Norwich supporter suffered a cardiac arrest while watching the Canaries in action.Since launching in 2024, the Every Minute Matters campaign has encouraged over 500,000 people to start learning CPR.Last season, the EFL play-off finals were rescheduled to one minute past the hour to highlight how every minute does matter when it comes to saving a life.Tom Lockyer is an Every Minute Matters ambassadorShutterstock“Wembley will always hold huge meaning for me, so to see fans being celebrated who have been through similar experiences to myself is incredibly emotional and special,” Every Minute Matters ambassador Tom Lockyer, who collapsed on the pitch during Luton’s 2023 Championship play-off win over Coventry, said.“After experiencing a cardiac arrest, I know first-hand how important immediate CPR and quick action can be. The four people having stands named after them are truly incredible.“Whether they survived a cardiac arrest themselves or stepped forward to help save somebody else’s life, they’ve shown extraordinary courage and strength.“Football has an unbelievable power to bring people together and over the last two years we’ve seen clubs, players and fans unite behind a cause that genuinely saves lives.“These stories are proof that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference when every minute matters. The fact that 520,000 people have now started learning CPR through Every Minute Matters is something everyone involved in the campaign should be proud of.”The Championship play-off final will now kick off at 3:30pm on Saturday, 23 May.