ITV To Show New Women’s Competition
Commercial broadcaster ITV has acquired rights to a new women’s national team football tournament that will feature England, Canada, Germany and Spain.
The inaugural Arnold Clark Cup will take place from 17th-23rd February, with ITV to broadcast all six matches live. Coverage will be shown across ITV, ITV4 and the ITV Hub.
All matches will be played in England, which is also hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 this summer. Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium will stage two matches on 17th February, before Norwich City FC’s Carrow Road and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC’s Molineux host double-headers on 20th February and 23rd February, respectively.
Rights deals have also been agreed in Canada (TSN), Spain (RTVE), Germany (ARD/ZDF), USA (CBS), Central and South America (ESPN) and Israel (Charlton). More deals are expected to be confirmed in the coming days and weeks.
International broadcast rights for the tournament were sold by sports marketing agency Pitch International, which created the concept and will deliver the event.
Cat Watson, Director of Women’s Sport at Pitch International, said, “The level of interest from broadcasters across the globe has been incredibly encouraging and shows that it’s not just fans from the participating nations who are eager to watch the action.
“A lot of that appeal comes from the quality of the teams and individual talent that will be on display. Having four of the world’s top 10 FIFA-ranked teams and the Ballon d’Or winner (Spain’s Alexia Putellas) competing will attract football fans from across the globe.”
ITV also holds exclusive rights to live coverage of England’s men’s and women’s football teams. Its rights portfolio also includes the FA Cup, Six Nations, Rugby World Cup, Premiership Rugby, horse racing and the Tour de France.
Image credit: Shutterstock
