MLS New York Red Bulls

Trophée des Champions to be Played in United States for First Time

Published on April 23, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


HARRISON, NJ (April 23, 2012) - The 2012 Trophée des Champions, the French soccer Super Cup, is coming to the United States for the first time ever, pitting the French League 1 winner against the French Cup Champion at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, July 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, April 25 at 10 a.m. exclusively through TDC-NYC.com .

The match is the annual kickoff to the French soccer season, and the fourth consecutive year that the match will be contested outside of France, but the first time the match will be played in a country that is not French speaking.

New York Red Bulls Season Ticket Holders will get an exclusive pre-sale window to secure their seats which will include a 25% discount on tickets.

The match is organized each year by the French Soccer League, the LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel), who runs the 2 top divisions in France, Ligue 1 and 2. Ligue 1 has 79 broadcasters in the world, and covers more than 150 countries. Among the clubs of Ligue 1 the most famous are Olympique de Marseille, Paris Saint Germain, Olympique Lyonnais and LOSC (Lille).

"We are very proud to organize the 2012 Trophée des Champions in USA, especially here in New-York", said LFP President Frédéric Thiriez. "Soccer becomes bigger and bigger in North America and we expect to promote our championship in USA. I remember last season's game in the city of Tangiers, Morocco. Olympique Marseille has won Trophée des Champions 5-4 against LOSC after a tremendous game. In 2012, I am sure that both clubs will do their best to offer a magic moment in the beautiful Red Bull Arena because Trophée des Champions is not a friendly game : it's the first official match of the season and one of the 4 trophies a club can win in France. Aside the game, we are very proud and confident to have such a great partner as ComCast-Spectator, that will allow us the best promotion and implementation we could dream of".

Comcast-Spectacor, the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm, today announced through a partnership with its subsidiary Front Row Marketing Services, that the company is bringing the 2012 Trophée des Champions to the United States for the first time ever.

"We are very excited to partner with the LFP to bring one of the world's elite professional club championships to the United States for the first time, in a metropolitan area that is one of the most eclectic and sports savvy anywhere," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "This event will be a great next step as we continue our worldwide expansion in marketing some of the most unique events in sport."

Comcast-Spectacor is a total entertainment provider, offering facility management through its subsidiary Global Spectrum, specializing in food and beverage and catering services through its subsidiary Ovations Food Services, and selling tickets through Paciolan, a ticketing software company, and New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing division. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League.

Front Row Marketing Services will manage and market all the logistics of the event, from ticketing and sponsorship sales to digital and television distribution. There will be a number of special events on the east coast in advance of the event, as well as other fan-friendly marketing activation platforms in and around the stadium, all promoting the partnership and celebrating the first-time event on American soil for an international mix of soccer fans. Television and brand partnerships for the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

"This match by any definition is a prestigious signature event in the European Football season and it displays the opportunity that Front Row Marketing Services and Front Row Analytics can have in the global sports community - We have been building tremendous momentum across many fronts and the LFP's trust in our organization is further evidence of the synergy that we can offer when we integrate the entire Comcast-Spectacor family of companies and talented executives. Finally, the game is also very fortunate to have the tremendous staff and venue of Red Bull Arena" said Front Row Marketing Services President Chris Lencheski.

"It was a logical move for me to introduce Ligue 1 to Comcast Spectacor. Front Row Marketing's capabilities will certainly deliver the results the French League is expecting as they introduce their brand in the United States. This partnership will be a great fit moving forward," said match consultant Joe Fraga.

"We are very excited to host the 2012 Trophée des Champions - a prestigious match with an illustrious history of fantastic soccer," said New York Red Bulls President, Business Operations Chris Heck. "Red Bull Arena is the top soccer stadium in North America and we are proud to welcome two fantastic French teams to the United States for the first time in the competition's history."

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The match between the champion of Ligue 1, France' soccer top division, and the winner of the French Cup was played in Morocco last year, in Tunisia in 2010 and in Montreal in 2009.

Olympique Lyonnais has won six times in a row the Champions Trophy, the most of any club; Girondins de Bordeaux won consecutive titles in 2008 and 2009, as did Olympique de Marseille in 2010 and 2011. PSG is a double winner of the but its last title was in 1998.

PSG and Montpellier are currently fighting on top of Ligue 1. Olympique Lyonnais is the favorite to win the French Cup.

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