Barclays Asia Trophy 2009 the way to market Premier League in Asia

Posted on July 26, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Barclays Premier League's fixture calendar, Bolton, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hong Kong, Hull, Kuala Lumpur, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Premier League, Scudmore says Chinas soccer league could rival Premier League Bangkok, Sunderland, Tottenham, Uncategorized, Westham | Tags: Barclays Premier League, Workers' Stadium |

Barclays Asia Trophy 2009

The four team knock-out tournament will be held over two match days on 29th July and 31st July in Beijing, with a final to determine the winner and a play-off to decide third place.

All matches will take place in the Workers Stadium and 49,000 tickets will be on sale for each match day. The tournament will be officiated by Barclays Premier League and Beijing Football Association match officials, and staged in accordance with Barclays Premier League Rules.

The Barclays Asia Trophy is one of the headline events at the inaugural 2009 Beijing Football International Festival.

In 2007, the last time the tournament took place, the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong featured Liverpool, Fulham, Portsmouth and South China FC.

Portsmouth beat Liverpool 4-2 on penalties to lift the trophy after a goalless draw in normal time, with Portsmouth goalkeeper David James saving penalties from Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres.

• Wednesday 29th July
o West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur. Kick-off 6pm (11am BST).
o Hull City v Beijing Guoan. Kick-off 8.30pm (1.30pm BST).

• Friday 31st July
o 3rd and 4th play-off. Kick-off 6pm (11am BST).
o Final. Kick-off 8.30pm (1.30pm BST).

Final kick-off times to be confirmed. All matches will be broadcast locally in China, in the UK by Sky Sports and around the world.

Now an established part of the Premier League’s fixture calendar, the Barclays Asia Trophy has been hosted in some of Asia’s major cities – Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong – and the Premier League is excited about the tremendous opportunity to bring the tournament to Beijing.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: “All of us involved in the Barclays Asia Trophy are looking forward immensely to playing a successful part in the 2009 Beijing Football International Festival, as well as getting to know Chinese football and its fans much better.

“We know that there is a great appreciation for Barclays Premier League football in China and we are anticipating passionate home support in the Workers Stadium.”

The Premier League not only hopes to give fans in Beijing the chance to see what a match between its clubs is like first hand, with all the passion, pace and skill involved, but to pass on some of its knowledge and expertise in running a successful competition that has grown to be internationally renowned.

The Premier League has also committed to a full programme of ‘Creating Chances’ activities, including coaching initiatives, refereeing schemes and community schemes to run alongside the Barclays Asia Trophy 2009.

The Premier League will run one of its innovative Premier Skills coaching courses as well as a Barclays Asia Trophy Creating Chances Community Programme for 10-13 year-old children. The Premier League is working in close partnership with the BFA on both initiatives.

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