The contents of this press pack are strictly embargoed until 00:01 Tuesday 1 June
SOCCER AID 2010
SUNDAY 6 JUNE ITV1
Please quote ticket details in all copy
Tickets now on sale for Soccer Aid 2010, call 0844 576 2010 or visit itv.com/socceraid
CONTENTS:
PRESS RELEASE
TEAM LINE UP
ENGLAND TEAM INTERVIEWS
REST OF THE WORLD TEAM INTERVIEWS
UNICEF INFORMATION
THE BIGGEST CELEBRITY FOOTBALL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Sunday 6 June, ITV1
Soccer Aid is back! The epic sporting event kicks off on Sunday 6th June at Manchester's legendary Old Trafford stadium and will be broadcast live on ITV1. Two star-studded squads of footballing legends and celebrities from England and the Rest of the World will take on one another in an electrifying football match all in aid of UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation.
The brainchild of Robbie Williams, Jonathan Wilkes and UNICEF UK, this year’s event will be hosted by Dermot O’Leary, with Dave Berry getting all the reaction from the game on Soccer Aid: Extra Time on ITV4 after the match. Kirsty Gallacher will be pitchside, reporting all the action as it happens.
Dermot says: “I’ve never worked with UNICEF before and it’s a charity I feel privileged to be working with for the day. They do such fantastic work around the world so I hope Soccer Aid helps raise lots of cash.”
Harry Redknapp will be managing the England team, with comic genius James Corden assistant managing. Coached by Bryan Robson, the impressive team sheet includes:
Captain Robbie Williams, GMTV presenter Ben Shephard, actor and TV presenter Bradley Walsh, presenter and DJ Jamie Theakston, comedian Paddy McGuiness, actors Rupert Penry-Jones, Damian Lewis, and Jonathan Wilkes, boxing hero Ricky Hatton and footballing heroes Alan Shearer, David Seaman, Teddy Sheringham, Martin Keown, Nicky Butt and Jamie Redknapp.
The Rest of the World team will be managed by legendary Scot Kenny Dalglish, with Ian Rush once again assistant managing. Former Manchester United youth coach Eric Harrision will coach the squad which includes:
Captain Michael Sheen (The Queen, Twilight: New Moon), Hollywood superstars Mike Myers and Woody Harrelson, TV presenter Gethin Jones, Westlife members Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne, world famous chef Gordon Ramsay, The Mentalist actor Simon Baker, comedian Patrick Kielty, cricket legend Brian Lara, undefeated boxing champion Joe Calzaghe and actor James Kyson-Lee, who plays Ando in Heroes. Football legends Zinedine Zidane, Jens Lehmann, Henrik Larsson, Luis Figo, Paolo Maldini and Ryan Giggs will complete the squad.
World famous referee Pierluigi Collina will oversee the Soccer Aid match.
Broadcasting live from Old Trafford, the ITV show will feature a host of studio guests including UNICEF Ambassadors Orlando Bloom and Robbie Williams, plus Gary Barlow, Kelly Brook
and Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce. English tenor Russell Watson will be performing 'Nessun Dorma' on the pitch.
England captain and UNICEF Ambassador Robbie Williams recently returned from a visit to Haiti with UNICEF, where he witnessed first hand the devastation caused by the recent earthquake and learnt how some of the money raised from this year’s Soccer Aid will help the children of Haiti to rebuild their lives after the quake.
Robbie’s films from Haiti will be shown during Soccer Aid, along with short films from fellow UNICEF Ambassadors Cat Deeley, James Nesbitt and Ewan McGregor who have all visited UNICEF projects that will be helped by Soccer Aid to show viewers exactly where their money will go and introduce some of the children who will be helped by viewers’ donations.
Money raised through profits from ticket sales and donations made by viewers during the match will go to UNICEF’s invaluable work helping children around the world. This will be the third Soccer Aid event, with the previous matches, held at Old Trafford in 2006 and Wembley in 2008, raising almost £4 million in total for UNICEF’s work.
Soccer Aid 2010 has been commissioned for ITV1 by Layla Smith, ITV Controller of Entertainment. The Executive Producers for Initial, an Endemol company are David Staite and Nic McNeilis.
Please quote ticket details in all copy
Tickets now on sale for Soccer Aid 2010, call 0844 576 2010 or visit itv.com/socceraid
-ends-
For further information:
Laura Wootton, ITV Press Office, 0207-157 3029,
Nick Dear, ndear pr, 07753 811 918,
Katie Morrison, UNICEF UK Press Office, 0207 336 8922,
Rae Langford, Endemol Press Office, 0208 222 4176,
Michele Marsland, Endemol Press Office, 0208 222 4322,
PRESENTERS
Dermot O’Leary – Soccer Aid 2010 (ITV 1)
This year Dermot will be presenting Soccer Aid for the very first time. The much-loved TV and radio presenter currently hosts reality juggernaut The X Factor on ITV1 as well as his own Saturday afternoon radio show on BBC Radio 2. His early career saw him establish the hugely successful youth show T4 and host Big Brother’s Little Brother on Channel 4/E4 for 6 years.
Dave Berry – Soccer Aid 2010: Extra Time (ITV4)
TV and radio presenter Dave Berry currently presents the breakfast show on XFM and the iTunes Festival for ITV2. He can regularly be seen on ITV1’s This Morning and hosts a number of shows on T4 and 4 Music.
Kirsty Gallacher – Soccer Aid 2010 Touchline Reporter
Scottish-born TV presenter and model Kirsty Gallacher will be pitchside getting all the Soccer Aid 2010 action as it happens. She is best known for co-presenting Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and for hosting Gladiators, The Games and Only Fools on Horses.
ENGLAND TEAM
Harry Redknapp (Manager)
One of England’s best known managers, Harry Redknapp is currently working with Tottenham Hotspur, recently leading them to Champions League qualification for the first time in the club’s history. He has previously managed Bournemouth, West Ham United, Southampton and Portsmouth who he managed to an FA Cup victory in 2008.
James Corden (Assistant Manager)
BAFTA award winning James Corden is co-creator and star of the much loved TV series Gavin and Stacey. James is acting as Harry Redknapp’s assistant in this year’s Soccer Aid and will also be seen on ITV throughout the World Cup in James Corden’s World Cup Live.
Bryan Robson (Coach)
England and Manchester United legend Bryan Robson was the longest serving captain in United’s history. He represented England on 90 occasions and captained his country 65 times. In September 2009, Robson was appointed manager of the Thailand national team.
Robbie Williams (Captain)
UNICEF Ambassador Robbie Williams has sold over 55 million albums worldwide and has won more BRIT Awards than any other artist to date. Soccer Aid is Robbie’s brainchild and he recently returned from a visit to Haiti with UNICEF to see how money raised by Soccer Aid will help children who survived the devastating earthquake to rebuild their lives.
Jamie Theakston
Radio and TV presenter Jamie Theakston currently hosts Heart 106.2’s Breakfast Show with Harriet Scott. His presenting career spans over two decades and he is best known for presenting Live and Kicking, Top of the Pops and The Priory. This will be the third time that Jamie has played in the England squad for Soccer Aid.
Jonathan Wilkes
TV presenter Jonathan Wilkes came up with the idea for Soccer Aid with Robbie Williams and has played in both previous matches. As a teenager, Jonathan was part of the Everton youth team but then was released and subsequently had trials for Chester and Crewe.
Ben Shephard
GMTV, The Krypton Factor and Dancing on Ice Friday presenter Ben played in Soccer Aid in both 2006 and 2008. His previous presenting credits include MTV, The Bigger Breakfast, T4 and The Xtra Factor.
Bradley Walsh
Actor and comedian Bradley Walsh starred in Coronation Street as Danny Baldwin, and now plays the role of DS Ronnie Brooks in Law and Order UK on ITV1. He will be seen later this year on new ITV game show Odd One In.
Rupert Penry- Jones
Rupert Penry- Jones is a well established actor for British television, film and theatre. He began his career on the stage taking on prestigious characters at the country’s finest theatres; however Rupert is probably best known for his role as Adam Carter in the BAFTA winning BBC drama Spooks.
Damian Lewis
British actor Damian Lewis earned international acclaim as Major Richard Winters in Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers. His roles in the ITV drama The Forsyte Saga and the NBC series Life have secured his reputation as a household name on both sides of the pond.
Ricky Hatton
Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton is one of Britain’s most successful professional boxers. He has held the Welterweight and Light Welterweight titles and won 45 out of 47 matches he fought in. He is currently on a long hiatus from the sport and is making his debut on the Soccer Aid pitch this year.
Paddy McGuiness
Comedian and actor Paddy was first seen on screen in That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights, which spawned a spin-off series, Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere. Paddy completed his first solo stand-up tour in 2005 and has most recently hosted ITV1 dating show Take Me Out.
David Seaman
Former England goal keeper David Seaman earned 75 caps for England competing in two World Cups and European Championships. During his time as goal keeper at Arsenal he won three league championships, four FA Cups, the League Cup, and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994.
Martin Keown
Martin joined Arsenal on a schoolboy contract in 1980 and was an integral part of Arsene Wenger’s double winning sides of 1998 and 2002. Having also played for Leicester City and Reading, he retired from the game in 2005 and is now a regular TV and radio pundit.
Alan Shearer
Former Blackburn and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer is the all-time top scorer in the Premier League, having scored 260 goals. He earned 63 England caps, scoring 30 goals and was the top scorer at Euro 1996. He briefly managed Newcastle United in the 2008 – 09 season and now works as a pundit for BBC Sport.
Jamie Redknapp
Son of Soccer Aid England manager Harry Redknapp, Jamie played for Bournemouth, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton and earned 17 England caps. He is now a regular face on TV screens as a football pundit and recently presented Sky One’s Football’s Next Star.
Teddy Sheringham
Soccer Aid 2010 sees the return of the famous England attacking partnership of Sheringham and Alan Shearer. Teddy made his England debut in 1993 and went on to win 51 caps for his country. He won the treble with Manchester United in 1999, and eventually retired from club football in 2008, aged 42.
Nicky Butt
Former Manchester United player Nicky Butt, called Old Trafford his home turf for 12 years while playing for the club. Nicky moved to Newcastle United in 2004, where he still plays. The talented footballer earned 39 caps for England between 1997 and 2004.
REST OF THE WORLD
Kenny Dalglish (Manager)
Former Scottish international football player Dalglish was famous for his successes with Celtic in the 1970s and with the English club Liverpool in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2004, Kenny and his wife Marina founded The Marina Dalglish Appeal to raise money for breast cancer funding.
Ian Rush (Assistant Manager)
One of Liverpool’s finest strikers and former Captain of Wales, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish’s partnership at Liverpool is regarded as being one of the greatest and most successful in the history of English and European football. The partnership was reunited in Soccer Aid 2008 and will be once again this year.
Eric Harrison (Coach)
Eric Harrison is a former footballer and coach. He became the Manchester United youth team manager in 1981 and his youth setup produced players including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
Michael Sheen (Captain)
Welsh actor Michael Sheen is Captain for ROW in this year’s match. He was offered a trial at Arsenal, but chose acting instead of football and is best known for his roles in The Queen, Frost/Nixon, and his portrayal of legendary manager Brian Clough in The Damned United.
Patrick Kielty
Manchester United fan Patrick Kielty is a well loved TV presenter and stand up comedian. Patrick played in both the 2006 and 2008 Soccer Aid matches as Goal Keeper for the Rest of the World.
Nicky Byrne
Nicky is part of the hugely successful Irish band Westlife. Before joining the band, Nicky was a professional football player, joining Leeds United as a goalkeeper in 1995. He was a squad member of the FA Youth Cup winning team of 1997. After two years at Leeds he returned to Ireland and played minor league football.
Joe Calzaghe
Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe was Britain's only undefeated boxing world champion before his retirement in 2009. In 2007 he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the first Welsh winner since 1960.
Gordon Ramsay
Michelin starred, world renowned chef, Ramsay has fronted successful TV programmes including Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word. Ramsay was chosen to play football for Warwickshire at the age of 12. His football career was marked by a number of injuries and due to this turned his attention onto cooking.
Shane Filan
Shane Filan is part of Irish super group Westlife who have sold over 44 million records worldwide and hold the record for most consecutive number one singles in the UK.
James Kyson Lee
The Hollywood actor has a wealth of television credits under his belt, including CSI and The West Wing. It is his role as Ando in the hit cult drama series Heroes that makes him most popular in the UK. James will feature in the forthcoming films White on Rice, Hard Breakers, and How to Make Love to a Woman.
Brian Lara
Brian is a legendary West Indian cricketer, and one of the sport's most renowned players in the modern era. In 1994 he broke the two most coveted batting records in cricket, scoring 375 runs against England (besting Sir Garfield Sobers's 36-year-old record) and 501 runs (not out) for Warwickshire, his English county team.
Gethin Jones
Gethin is a television presenter best known for co-presenting Blue Peter and came third in the 2007 series of Strictly Come Dancing. He will co-host ITV1 show 71 Degrees North later in the year.
Mike Myers
Actor, screenwriter and comedian Mike Myers first came to prominence on American sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. He is best known for his roles in the films Wayne's World and Austin Powers, both of which he also wrote and as the title role in the Shrek films.