24 Nov 2014 07:00
24 November 2014
TLA Worldwide plc
("TLA" or "the Group")
Real Madrid to play elite ICC football tournament in Melbourne
The International Champions Cup is being launched in Asia Pacific from next year and is part of the AIM-listed sports marketing group's developing events business
TLA Worldwide plc (AIM: TLA), a leading athlete representation and sports marketing group, is pleased to announce Real Madrid as the first of the world's top football teams to be playing in the elite International Champions Cup (ICC) tournament to be held in Australia next year.
Two further premier European clubs will be unveiled for the 2015 fixture in the coming weeks.
In addition, Australia's sporting mecca, Melbourne, was today named as the host city for the tournament with the Government of Victoria, through Victoria Major Events Corporation, providing strong support as a premier partner.
As announced on 18 June 2014, TLA has partnered with Nine Live and Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, to organise, promote and deliver for the first time the annual ICC to the Asia Pacific region from 2015 to 2018 in Australia.
The three teams will play all their matches in the 2015 fixture at the prestigious 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground between 18 - 24 July 2015. The event will run in parallel with the already-established tournament held in the United States and will be broadcast live in 150 countries.
Bart Campbell, Chairman of TLA Worldwide, commented: "Introducing the ICC tournament to Australia and the Asia Pacific region is a key part of TLA's strategy to diversify the sports and regions in which we do business. With the signing of Real Madrid, to be joined by a further two teams soon, this tournament is set to make a flying start to our business in the region from next year and will help drive our growth.
"We are delighted to team up with the Victorian Government, Victorian Major Events Company and Nine Live to bring such elite clubs and iconic brands to millions of football fans in one of the world's most dynamic sporting markets."
About the ICC:
The ICC, currently hosted only in the US, transforms the traditional European club pre-season tour into an annual competitive global tournament. The first ICC was held in 2013 and broadcast in 150 countries, featuring top clubs from across the world. This year's edition featured Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, A.C. Milan, AS Roma, Inter Milan and Olympiacos in matches across 12 North American cities. In addition to the tournament final held on 4 August in Miami, which was won by Manchester United over Liverpool (3-1), the marquee match-up between Manchester United and Real Madrid marked an American attendance record for soccer with over 109,000 fans attending this match at the "Big House" at Michigan University.
Enquiries:
TLA Worldwide | |
Bart Campbell, Chairman Michael Principe, Chief Executive Officer | +1 212 645 2141 |
Numis Securities | |
Nick Westlake (Nomad) | +44 20 7260 1000 |
David Poutney (Broker) | |
Luther Pendragon | |
Neil Thapar, Alexis Gore, Amelia Bullock-Muir | +44 20 7618 9100 |
About TLA Worldwide
TLA Worldwide is a leading athlete representation and sports marketing group quoted on London's AIM. The Group derives revenues from long term agency relationships with many prominent US and international sports stars, broadcasters and media personalities associated with major sports including American Football, baseball, basketball and golf. In addition, it also provides a range of services in respect of media consultancy, sports sponsorship and event production to many sportspeople and corporate clients. A significant proportion of TLA Worldwide's business emanates from baseball where it is a recognised leader, having negotiated over $3bn of contracts over the past 10 years. With over 55 full-time personnel, TLA Worldwide serves its clients through three operating subsidiaries from 10 locations worldwide including its principal offices in London, UK; New York and Newport Beach, USA; and Melbourne, Australia. For more information, please visit www.tlaww-plc.com.
About International Champions Cup
In the summer of 2013, Relevent Sports revolutionized the international soccer landscape by organizing the inaugural Guinness International Champions Cup, an innovative transformation of the traditional European club preseason tours into a competitive tournament.
The inaugural edition featured eight top clubs - Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, A.C. Milan, Valencia, Everton and the L.A. Galaxy - and culminated with a spectacular final in Miami won by Real Madrid over Chelsea (3-1) in front of nearly 70,000 fans.
While the inaugural edition was played in six U.S. cities and one European city, 2014 was played in a total of 12 cities and 13 stadiums across the United States and Canada.
This year's format consisted of two groups of four in a round-robin format. Each team played a total of three matches in group play and the two group leaders faced off on 4 August in the final at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.