As I had the pleasure of working on this I should state that all views are my own (cover all bases, increasing bandwidth by the second). Exciting to work on for sure, though the football boy inside me was just as excited as the PR man.
The initiative has certainly had its fair share of column inches and kicked off thousands of conversations online this week. The big question as we approached D Day of course, would it live up to its billing?
As it was Ascot's first time in the FA Cup, you may have expected an uplift in attendance - it averages about 90 supporters for league games. Last night 1,149 crammed through the gate, a would-be decent level for any Conference side. While those in the crowd picked up a free burger and had the chance to take a penalty on Dave Beasant or be photographed with Old Big Ears himself (The FA Cup, not Gary Lineker), even more impressive was the 27,000 who tuned in to watch it live on Budweiser's UK Facebook page.
The coverage certainly didn't disappoint. Production levels were slick (I had five monitors in front of me to be sure) and the commentary was brilliant; well researched and showing a real reverence and understanding of the FA Cup. The game itself had everything; goals, drama, a penalty, hope and a late winner (Wembley FC eventually going through).
The reaction has been quite incredible - one look at the Budweiser Facebook page will tell you that. Thousands of tweets praising the idea, FA Cup trending and a real sense that the magic may be back.
Ascot United may have lost the tie but in reality there were no losers, only winners. Ascot United take in record gate receipts. Both clubs take a hefty punch of the broadcast fee. The FA has seen coverage of the Extra Preliminary Round skyrocket, column inches that would be unheard of for this stage of the competition any other year (or even for later rounds at that). Budweiser has clearly enhanced its reputation in seven days, especially over the past 24 hours and gone some way in dispelling any scepticism over a US partner to The FA Cup.
Facebook too will be analysing the data closely - last night proved there is a willing audience for football on Facebook and the largest social network in the world has the ability to provide an alternate and viable broadcasting platform for sporting events. Indeed with its 700m user base, it makes a very attractive proposition for sports bodies.
A busy week culminating in a moment of sporting and broadcasting history, serving as a timely reminder of the magic of the world's oldest knockout competition. Keep your boots by the door, the magic of The FA Cup lives on...
