By Paul Nicholson
June 12 – BT will kick off its live football coverage on its new sports channel, BT Sport, with excusive Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard’s testimonial game, Liverpool vs Olympiacos, August 3.
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We are thrilled to be kicking off our live football coverage on BT Sport with this testimonial for the England captain, who is one of the greatest current players in the game. BT Sport is also delighted that we are able to support Steven in his charitable aims and make a contribution to his foundation, which does valuable work in the community.
“This testimonial should act as a perfect curtain raiser for the coming season and a first opportunity for football fans to experience what BT Sport will have to offer over the coming years.”
All money raised from Gerrard’s testimonial year events, including the testimonial match, will be donated to the Steven Gerrard Foundation, which supports children’s charities in Merseyside and beyond. BT Sport’s payment for exclusive live rights to the match will also be paid directly to the foundation.
BT Sport will show 38 exclusively live football matches from the Barclays Premier League, including 18 of the ‘top picks’ from August 2013 for three seasons. The channels will also show live FA Cup, Europa League and Scottish Premier League matches, as well as top tier live football from Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Australia and the USA.
BT Sport will also be the destination for fans of women’s football, having broadcast rights to the new FA Women’s Super League.
BT vowed to “give football back to the nation” when it announced that Premier League games would be offered free to its broadband customers next season.
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