Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says it “would make sense” to have swapped the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Manchester City away from Wembley. He spoke after the Football Federation announced that it would provide 100 free buses for the fans who will watch the match. Fans of both clubs and the mayors of the respective cities had called for a change of venue, as no trains run from any city to London that weekend. But the game will continue at Wembley. The match will be broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday 16 April at 15:30 BST. “I think this time, I thought a little more about the fans,” Henderson said. “In many ways it’s their day and not being able to go down to London for different reasons – the cost of it … in my mind it would obviously make sense to change it to [different] neutral headquarters, especially with two groups from the northwest. “This is just my opinion. There are obviously complications in this, I’m sure the FA has to overcome but looking at the fans – which is probably the most important thing to me and something we’ve learned in the past. “Football fans – it ‘s really frustrating to see that it’ s a game and that it has to be expensive for them to get there.” Henderson, who will be hoping to play England in Saturday’s friendly against Switzerland at Wembley (17:30 GMT), also said he believes the semi-finals should always be played away from the national stadium. “I like playing at Wembley – I would like to keep Wembley for the finals anyway,” he said. “I think it was very exciting, good enough and then obviously the Wembley final to make it very special.” The FA said “unnecessary road projects” would also be stopped to help travel on the day of the semifinals. “The FA recognizes the significant challenges facing some Liverpool and Manchester City fans with train services being severely limited,” the FA said in a statement. The FA has also committed to “some free round-trip bus services” for Manchester City fans who will be in the FA Cup semifinals away at West Ham at 12:15pm on Saturday 16 April. Unlike the men’s semifinals, which are held in Wembley every season, the women’s semifinals are not held in a neutral venue. City’s trip to West Ham will be broadcast live on BBC One, while Arsenal’s home game against Chelsea at 12:30 on Sunday 17 April will be broadcast on BBC Two, with both semi-finals available on BBC iPlayer.

The FA resists calls for a change of venue

In a joint letter to the FA, the mayor of the Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and his Liverpool counterpart Steve Rotherham said that keeping the match at Wembley would cause “excessive cost and inconvenience” to the fans. They argued that the lack of railway services, due to mechanical work, would “bill the fans from the game” and would lead to additional trips to highways that are already “expanding in capacity due to the circulation of bank holidays”. However, the FA resisted calls for a change of venue, instead seeking to minimize travel disruption through talks with Network Rail, National Express and National Highways. Free return bus travel “will ensure that up to 5,000 Liverpool and Manchester City fans can travel to Wembley Stadium for free,” she said in a statement. Wembley Stadium has hosted both FA Cup semi-finals – except the final – since 2008 “Hundreds of miles of essential road works will be put on hold to help supporters enjoy the occasion and improve their travel,” the FA added. Seats on the free buses must be reserved with the clubs involved. Both FA Cup semi-finals have been played at Wembley since 2008 – before that, the semi-finals had been played mainly in neutral Premier League stadiums. The other semi-final of the FA Cup is between the clubs of London, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, so there is no problem for the headquarters. This semifinal will take place on Sunday, April 17, with a kick-off at 16:30.

English Cup semi-final television program and start times (all BST)

Men’s Semifinals: Manchester City – Liverpool – Saturday, April 16, 15:30, Wembley Stadium, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer Chelsea – Crystal Palace – Sunday 17 April, 16:30, Wembley Stadium on ITV and BBC Radio 5 Live Women’s Semifinals: West Ham United – Manchester City – Saturday, April 16, 12:15, on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio 5 Live Arsenal – Chelsea – Sunday, 17 April, 12:30 on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio 5 Live