Dublin Super Cup Signs Endemol Deal

Endemol Sport and Sky Sports have announced a three-year deal for the Dublin Super Cup, the major new pre-season tournament debuting this July with the first team squads of Manchester City, Inter Milan, Celtic and a League of Ireland XI competing at the Aviva Stadium.

The partnership - announced in may - sees Sky Sports become the exclusive home of the Dublin Super Cup in the UK and Ireland from the inaugural 2011 tournament through to 2013.

The deal each year guarantees the participation of a leading English Barclays Premier League team, a top Spanish or Italian club and another prominent European club competing alongside the Airtricity League XI, a team selected from the best players from Ireland's top domestic League.

Sky Sports will be leveraging its production resources to deliver first class HD domestic coverage and a World Feed for viewers to enjoy internationally.

Endemol Sport is also finalising agreements with broadcasters around the world, which will see live coverage of the 2011 Dublin Super Cup in over 100 territories across Asia, Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Further announcements will be made in due course.

The inaugural Dublin Super Cup is being staged at the Aviva Stadium on 30th-31st July Bank Holiday weekend. Fans watching on Sky Sports will get the chance to see some of the biggest names in world football in action, with the likes of World Cup Winner David Silva, England internationals Adam Johnson and James Milner, Ireland's Shay Given, Africa's most decorated player of all time, Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o, Holland's Wesley Sneijder, Italy's Mario Balotelli, Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure and Scotland's Scott Brown set to appear.

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: "The Dublin Super Cup will be part of our summer of live football on Sky Sports. We look forward to showing three of the best-known teams in Europe and the finest Irish talent in four live matches."

Gregg Oldfield, Managing Director of Endemol Sport commented: "This multi-year partnership will see the Dublin Super Cup become a landmark in Sky Sports' live summer football output. We are extremely proud to be joining forces with Sky and bringing a brand new, world class football tournament to one of the world's leading sports broadcasters."

The launch of the annual Dublin Super Cup tournament follows a ten-year deal struck in 2010 between Endemol Sport and The Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

Endemol Sport is working with sports agency Iconic to manage, operate and produce the tournament as well as managing all commercial rights including media across all platforms internationally.

The Dublin Super Cup is set to be a weekend packed with entertainment including live music and a variety of activities in and around the stadium.

(BMcC/GK)