ESPN in the UK

Fixtures feature Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle and Rangers

LONDON - ESPN kicks off its countdown to the start of the Barclays Premier League and Clydesdale Bank Premier League seasons with 11 key pre-season football friendlies featuring Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle and Rangers.

Jeroen Oerlemans, Vice-President TV Channels, ESPN EMEA, said: “ESPN is delighted to acquire this package of quality pre-season football friendlies featuring some of the top English and Scottish football teams. We will continue to build our football line-up as we build a network that delivers a great variety of top live sports in the UK.”

ESPN’s pre-season begins with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City’s high-profile tours of the US. ESPN will broadcast five Manchester City friendlies as the club prepares for a season it hopes will mark its entry into the so-called ‘Big Four’ and coveted Champions League places. Beginning with the New York Football Challenge in New York between 22 July and 25 July, ESPN will broadcast four matches featuring Spurs, Man City, Red Bull NY and Sporting Lisbon. Man City then take on Club America, Borussia Dortmund and Valencia in the space of 10 days. Also on its tour, Man City take on Champions League winners Inter Milan in what should prove an early season test of City’s aspirations to join Europe’s football elite.

Tottenham Hotspur fans can follow their team’s build-up to a key season, featuring Champions League football for the first time. In addition to its games in the New York Football Challenge in New York, ESPN will broadcast matches against San Jose Earthquakes on the US West Coast on 17 July, and, a clash against Benfica in Lisbon on 3 August.

As the pre-season concludes, and, just one week before the start of the Barclays Premier League and Clydesdale Bank Premier League seasons, ESPN will broadcast the clash between Rangers and Newcastle at Glasgow’s Ibrox Stadium. Both teams will be looking for a win in a match pits two of the biggest clubs in British football.

In addition to live and exclusive TV coverage, fans can catch coverage of these matches and more at ESPNsoccernet.com. One of the world’s leading football websites, ESPNsoccernet’s content includes news, match coverage and features. The site also includes in-depth statistics and opinion from around the world, covering British, European and other football leagues.

These pre-season football friendlies add to ESPN’s established offering of top domestic and international football from around the world, including Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga and the UEFA Europa League. Next season, ESPN will further expand its line-up of top-quality, exclusive British sports, broadcasting 43 live and exclusive games from the Premiership Rugby and airing 25 FA Cup fixtures live and exclusively throughout the 2010/11 season.