GUINNESS® INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP ANNOUNCED; WILL BRING WORLD CLASS SOCCER MATCHES TO VENUES ACROSS THE WORLD
FOX Soccer To Air Matches, Guinness To Be Lead Sponsor
First of its Kind Preseason Tournament will Culminate in Miami August 6-7
Over 160 of the World’s Best Players, Including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon, Javier Zanetti, Sergio Ramos and Landon Donovan to Descend on Sun Life Stadium
MIAMI GARDENS, FL (April 17, 2013) – Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, and FOX Sports Media Group, today unveiled plans for the 2013 Guinness International Champions Cup, a brand new eight team bracketed soccer tournament taking place this summer in the United States. The announcement of the multi-year agreement was made by Relevent Sports CEO Charlie Stillitano, Matt Higgins, President and CEO of RSE Ventures, David Nathanson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, FOX Soccer and Doug Campbell, Guinness Brand Manager.
Eight teams are participating in the one-of-a-kind tournament including club teams from Spain, Italy and the United States. Following is a list of four participating teams; four additional marquee international clubs will be announced on May 7.
● Inter Milan
● Juventus
● LA Galaxy
● Real Madrid
“The United States has never seen a club soccer tournament of this scope and caliber,” said Charlie Stillitano, Relevent Sports CEO. “The Guinness International Champions Cup will bring a new level of excitement and enthusiasm to the burgeoning sport of soccer across America. The teams are world-class, the fans are passionate and we could not be happier to facilitate such a landmark event. I want to personally thank Stephen Ross for the vision and support in turning this tournament into reality.”
The tournament will open in Europe on July 27 in a city to be determined and be contested over seven days at six marquee venues across the United States, with semi-finals in New York and Los Angeles on Aug. 3-4. Below is a complete list of United States host cities:
● Phoenix
● San Francisco
● Indianapolis
● Los Angeles
● New York
● Miami
The tournament will be seen in 151 countries across the world and culminate on August 6-7 as all eight teams descend upon Miami’s Sun Life Stadium for a pair of exciting doubleheaders including the championship match on August 7. FOX Soccer will televise 11 of the prestigious tournament’s 12 matches live, including the championship on Aug. 7 at 9:00 PM ET. FOX Sports will also add to the coverage and broadcast a live match Saturday Aug, 3 at 8:00PM ET. In future years the tournament will be televised by FOX Sports 1, FSMG’s newly minted national multi-sport cable channel launching in August.
“FOX Soccer is excited to work with Relevent Sports and Guinness to be the primary television home for the Guinness International Champions Cup this summer,” said David Nathanson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, FOX Soccer. “The tournament brings great teams from around the world together in the U.S. and gives American soccer fans a chance to see the sport and at its highest level of play.”
Each participating team has a long-standing soccer tradition not only in their respective leagues, but on an international scale. Every team in the tournament has won their home country’s league title in multiple seasons, countless European championships and have over 100 combined domestic league championships. The United States has not seen a tournament of this caliber since they hosted the 1994 World Cup and the fast growing soccer market continues to express the desire for additional games. The inclusion of these international championship clubs into one tournament in the U.S. will be unforgettable for both host cities and fans alike.
“This tournament will set the gold standard for club soccer in the United States,” said Matt Higgins, CEO of RSE Ventures, the sports, entertainment and technology company co-founded by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.
“A year ago, Stephen Ross had the vision to create a meaningful preseason tournament that would bring the world’s best teams and top talent to venues all across the United States, culminating in an unprecedented celebration of the sport at Sun Life Stadium. The Guinness International Champions Cup is more than a soccer tournament; it will make it possible for Americans across the country to experience competitive international soccer first hand.”
Miami’s Sun Life Stadium will host all eight teams for the championship and consolation rounds on August 6 and 7. The four games over two days will not only highlight the world-class level of the sport, the continued growth and passion for soccer in the United States but also Miami’s thriving food, arts and music scene with a two-day fan festival. Tickets for the doubleheader matches at Sun Life will be available at www.internationalchampionscup.
“Guinness & Co. is a well-known supporter and champion for sports around the world and we are very excited to be involved with such a groundbreaking international soccer event here in the United States,” said Doug Campbell, GUINNESS Brand Director. “To so many, soccer is more than a game and we have always celebrated Guinness beer as being more than a beer. We are excited to bring the brand’s refreshing tasting Guinness Black Lager to thousands of passionate adult sports fans to enjoy, responsibly, this summer during the Guinness International Champions Cup.”
All teams will play at least three matches in the bracketed tournament, including one match at Sun Life. Fans can look forward to learning more about the four additional teams, venues and tournament bracket on May 7. Further details about the Guinness International Champions Cup can be found at www.internationalchampionscup.
About Relevent Sports
Relevent Sports brings the excitement and intensity of international soccer to the United States by showcasing the best clubs in the world through premier tournaments and events. Going beyond the game, Relevent provides an innovative approach to building international soccer presence by utilizing brand development, grassroots planning, corporate sponsors, international touring and philanthropic initiatives for the soccer organizations.
About RSE Ventures
Founded in 2012 by Stephen M. Ross and Matt Higgins, RSE Ventures operates in four interrelated verticals: Sports, Entertainment, Digital, and New Ventures. The company’s growing roster of companies, venues and events includes the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, Relevent Sports and Insignia Sports & Entertainment
About FOX Soccer
FOX Soccer, part of the FOX Sports Media Group, offers the most comprehensive multi-media coverage of worldclass soccer available in the United States. Encompassing FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus, FOXSoccer.com and FOX Soccer 2Go, the network serves as the primary television, online, and mobile smart phone and tablet destination in the U.S. for elite competitions including England’s Barclays Premier League and FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, the Scottish Premier League, and the Australian Hyundai A-League in addition to such prestigious tournaments as the CONCACAF Champions League and CONCACAF Gold Cup, as well as the future home of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. FOX Soccer is Nielsen-rated and available to service providers in High-Definition, reaching over 50 million cable and satellite households nationwide. Premium broadband service FOX Soccer 2Go provides fans with live match coverage on-the-go online and via mobile and tablet applications. For more information – as well as news, features, analysis stats and more – visit one of America’s most-visited online soccer destinations at FOXSoccer.com, and the network’s Facebook page and Twitter feed (@FOXSoccer).
About GUINNESS®
The GUINNESS® brand enjoys a global reputation as a beer of uncompromising quality and the best-selling stout in the world. Famous for its dark color, velvety smooth texture and unique surge and settle, this distinctive beer has been brewed at the St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, Ireland since 1759. Over 10 million glasses of GUINNESS beer are enjoyed every single day around the world, and 1.8 billion pints are sold every year. GUINNESS beer is available in well over 100 countries worldwide and is brewed in almost 50. Also from the makers of GUINNESS, SMITHWICK’S, Ireland’s oldest and best selling ale and HARP Lager, whose name pays tribute to the GUINNESS logo and the national symbol of Ireland. Additional information about the GUINNESS brand can be found at www.guinness.com.
As always, whether enjoying GUINNESS® Black Lager at a soccer match or at home in front of the game, GUINNESS encourages all consumers to drink responsibly.
About Diageo
Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines. Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
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