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Wembley Cup to become annual event

Andy Greeves

Sports and media group IMG have expressed their desire for their new pre-season tournament, the Wembley Cup, to become a regular fixture on the summer football calendar.

The inaugural Wembley Cup (24th & 26th July) sees Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Celtic and Egyptian club Al-Ahly take part in a competition which Shiva Misra, Vice-President of IMG Football, is billing as a "carnival of football."

Similar pre-season events such as Arsenal's 'Emirates Cup' and Ajax's 'Amsterdam Tournament' have become regular fixtures on the summer football calendar. It is hoped the Wembley Cup will become another mainstay on the pre-season schedule, should this year's tournament be successful. With the likes of Luka Modric, Robbie Keane, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Aiden McGeady on show, the Wembley Cup should certainly prove to be an exciting curtain-raiser to the new football season.

"We are delighted with the clubs we have attracted to play in this cup," says Misra. "Of course, Wembley's draw for football teams is extremely strong, so that made the task of recruiting teams easier. Venues are synonymous with a certain sport, such as tennis at Wimbledon, the Grand Prix in Monaco and horse-racing at places like Aintree, Epsom and Cheltenham. Wembley is commonly referred to as 'the home of football' and that's exactly how we see it."

"Could this tournament become an annual competition? Absolutely. The future of the Wembley Cup will all depend on this year's event, so everyone at IMG is determined to make it as successful as possible."

IMG have an excellent relationship with football, specialising in the acquisition and sales of broadcasting rights, sponsorship, player management and stadium services. The organisation also has a contract with Wembley Stadium Ltd to sell corporate hospitalities and suites at the new national stadium.

"The Wembley Cup came about through IMG's ambition to stage an event using the broad skills we (IMG) have and to expand the relationship we have with Wembley Stadium," said Misra."We sell all the corporate hospitality lounges and suites at Wembley so we have a strong relationship them. We also have a good relationship with all the teams we have invited to this tournament."

"For example, we have a relationship with Barcelona, having sold the global TV rights to Barca TV outside of Spain. We approached them with regards to playing in a tournament in London and they were very keen. Barcelona obviously have a strong historical tie with Wembley having won the European Cup there in 1992. The club also has a good link with UK having been here on many pre-seasons. This summer, they will come to England a week before the Wembley Cup to embark on pre-season training, which is something we are also organising."

IMG will consider selling the naming rights to the Wembley Cup, should they be able to find a suitable backer. Shiva Misra admits IMG are"in discussions" with one or more organisations with regards to this. The current focus however remains on delivering an excellent tournament and catering to the demands of football fans who attend.

"This tournament gives London-based fans of Celtic, Barcelona and Al Ahly a rare opportunity to see their heroes in the flesh," continued Misra.

"It goes without saying supporters from Scotland, Spain and Egypt will be making the trip to London to watch their sides too. With ticket prices starting at £29 (£20 concessions), the tournament has been designed to attract as many supporters as possible to Wembley. We are aware of the current economic situation and the impact it is having on football fans. A £29 ticket allows a fan to see two great games on one day, which we think is a factor that makes this tournament hugely appealing."

"Commercially, it was important to have a big London team involved with competition and we are delighted to have Spurs on board. Tottenham Hotspur is a renowned name in world football and we (IMG) earmarked Spurs for this competition very early on in the planning stages. This is a great tournament for their fans as it provides another welcome opportunity for them to see their team at Wembley. It also gives a chance for supporters not lucky enough to get tickets for the Carling Cup finals in 2008 and 2009 to get to see their side at Wembley this time around."

More details on the tournament can be found at www.thewembleycup.com, which includes a link to buy tickets. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster on 0844 847 2540 or See Tickets on 0871 230 7154.

Ticket prices

One-Day Tickets
Concession £20 £30 £40 £50
Adult £29 £39 £49 £59

Two-Day Tickets
Concession £35 £50 £65 £85
Adult £50 £65 £80 £100

Tournament line-up

Friday 24th July 2009
Celtic vs. Al Ahly - kick off: 5.15pm
Tottenham Hotspur vs. FC Barcelona - kick off: 8.00pm

Sunday 26th July 2009
FC Barcelona vs. Al Ahly - kick off: 1.15pm
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Celtic - kick off: 4.00pm

Andy Greeves

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