Top Soccer Clubs Unveil Details For World Football Challenge

Four of the world's top soccer clubs -- Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Club América -- yesterday in N.Y. announced a six-city, six-game round-robin soccer tournament that will run from July 19-26. The tour, which is being called the World Football Challenge, was organized by CAA Sports and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. CAA Sports is underwriting most of the costs of the tour, and ESPN will pick up production costs. The two will share ad revenue. The average ticket price for the games is $45, but more than half of all tickets will be sold for less than $35. CAA Sports plans to sell six to seven sponsorships in categories ranging from telecom and insurance to travel and consumer package goods. CAA Sports co-Head Michael Levine: "We want the level of advertisers to match the level of the clubs." The games will take place during the final week of the first half of the MLS season. When asked if the tour would create any conflicts with MLS broadcasts or regular-season games, ESPN VP/Programming Scott Guglielmino said having another soccer platform "will give us the chance to cross promote" the sport between the broadcasts of the World Football Challenge and MLS (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal). Below are the match dates and locations:

DATE	TEAMS	VENUE	TIME (ET)	NETWORK
July 19	Club America-Inter Milan	Stanford Stadium	7:00pm	ESPN2
July 21	Chelsea-Inter Milan	Rose Bowl	11:00pm	ESPN2
July 22	AC Milan-Club America	Georgia Dome	7:00pm	ESPN2
July 24	AC Milan-Chelsea	M&T Bank Stadium	8:00pm	ESPN
July 26	AC Milan-Inter Milan	Gillette Stadium	5:00pm	ESPN2
July 26	Chelsea-Club America	Cowboy Stadium	7:00pm	ESPN2

THE BEST OF WHAT'S AROUND: EPL club Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon yesterday said that the team will "bring its full slate of 'stars,'" including MF Frank Lampard. Mexico Primera División team Club America President Michel Bauer said that the tournament format "produces better matches," and the team also "will bring its top players," including MF Pavel Pardo. Bauer: "It's very important and we know we have supporters in the state[s]. It's not like we're coming to make supporters; we know there are a lot of people that came from Mexico that support Club America" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/25). Cowboys Exec VP & COO Stephen Jones said of the Chelsea-Club America game at the Cowboys' new stadium, "Teams like that are a big draw, and especially when you get the Hispanic mix, whether it's Mexico or South America, some of those teams draw very well in our area" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/25). Club America also will play AC Milan at the Georgia Dome, and in Atlanta, Peter Cox reports the growing Latino population in the city was "one attraction" for Club America (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/25).

Kenyon Sees Growing Sophistication In U.S. Soccer Audiences

STUDY ABROAD: Chelsea has played games in the U.S. during five of the past six summers, and Kenyon said that he has "noticed a growing sophistication in U.S. soccer audiences." In Baltimore, Childs Walker reports Chelsea and the Baltimore Bays soccer club today will announce a partnership under which Chelsea coaches will "provide instruction to Bays players and coaches." Bays and NISL Baltimore Blast President Kevin Healey said that the relationship "helped Baltimore to secure the Chelsea-AC Milan game" at M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore SUN, 3/25). The AC Milan-Inter Milan game at Gillette Stadium is just the third time the clubs have ever faced each other outside of Italy, and Inter Milan Technical Dir Marco Branca said, "It's a new experience for us, and it feels strange because we are going to be in another country. This will be a beautiful thing for our fans and supporters, who are dispersed in the world, and it's the first time in 30 or 40 years we are having our preseason away from home" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/25).