David Beckham’s First Match in Major League Soccer
Live on ESPN Saturday, July 21

David Beckham: New Beginnings Documentary at 7:30 p.m.; Additional Coverage on ESPNSoccernet.com; ESPN360.com; SportsCenter and ESPNEWS

          ESPN will use its multimedia assets to present unprecedented live coverage of David Beckham’s Major League Soccer (MLS) debut Saturday, July 21 at 9 p.m. ET, as the Los Angeles Galaxy host Chelsea F.C. of the English Premier League in an international club contest at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The planned coverage of Beckham’s arrival, which includes exclusive and access-driven programming content, represents ESPN’s most expansive initiative ever for a single U.S. domestic soccer event.

          Game day coverage will begin with pre-match reports on SportsCenter at 6 p.m. The network’s flagship news and information program will also offer an expanded 30-minute edition at 7 p.m. with interviews, updates and pre-match festivities from The Home Depot Center.

          “Beckham’s move to Major League Soccer is a landmark moment for the league and for soccer in America,” said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN’s vice president of programming and acquisitions. “Our coverage will appear across several ESPN platforms and will chronicle this historic moment well beyond the game telecast with the depth and context it deserves.”

          ESPN and ABC’s lead soccer play-by-play commentator Dave O’Brien, analysts Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smyth, and sideline reporter Allen Hopkins will call the match. Rob Stone will host a 30-minute pre-match show with analyst Julie Foudy from The Home Depot Center, followed by the match at 9 p.m. Planned highlights of the match telecast:

     •        19 cameras, including Skycam, super slo-mo cameras and robotic goal cams;
     •        Beckham Cam: A player-isolation camera focusing on Beckham’s every move throughout the match.               “Beckham Cam” will be featured extensively on ESPN360.com;
     •        Celebrity Cam: An on-field and in-the-stands wireless steady-cam identifying celebrity fans and                  getting their reactions to Beckham’s play;
     •        Reggie Bush appearance: The New Orleans Saints’ all-purpose back – featured with Beckham in                 adidas’ new “Futbol vs. Football” campaign – will join O’Brien, Wynalda and Smyth in the booth to                 discuss the campaign;
     •        Hopkins will conduct in-match interviews with players and coaches.

Ancillary Programming on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and ESPN360.com

     •        SPORTSCENTER (6 – 7:30 p.m.) – On match-day, the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter will                                         feature extensive coverage of David Beckham’s move to Major League Soccer. The last 30 minutes of                the expanded edition will focus on Beckham-related news, interviews and analysis and live reports                     from The Home Depot Center;
     •        ESPNEWS: Throughout the week leading up to Beckham’s debut, the nation’s only 24-hour sports                news television network, will present news, interviews, opinion and analysis surrounding                                       Beckham’s move to MLS;
     •        ESPN360.com: ESPN’s broadband coverage will feature a unique view of the Chelsea-Galaxy match                  via “Beckham Cam,” which will track his play on the field, provide look-ins to his family in the stands               and offer a continuous stream of Beckham career stats, facts, bio info, as well as "live" in-game stats                 from the match;
     •        ESPN.com and ESPNSoccernet.com: A multimedia E-Ticket package will blend online video, photos                 and feature reporting to profile Beckham and examine his move to MLS and the potential impact he will               have on soccer in the United States.

             Beckham is joining the Los Angeles Galaxy after four years with Real Madrid – one of the most successful and prestigious soccer clubs in the world. He helped the Madrid side win the 2006-07 Spanish League title before leaving the club last month. He played for England’s national team in the last three FIFA World Cup tournaments and served as captain from 2000–06. Though initially left off national team call-ups, Beckham was recalled on May 26, and he assisted on three of the four England goals in the two matches he played.

David Beckham: New Beginnings, ESPN at 7:30 p.m., July 21

             Leading into the match, ESPN will feature David Beckham: New Beginnings, a one-hour documentary chronicling the soccer megastar’s journey from ending his European club career to starting his new career across the Atlantic in Los Angeles in Major League Soccer. The documentary will include unprecedented access to Beckham as he and his family prepare for their new life in America. It will also feature Beckham’s recent comebacks – his recall to England’s national team and the improbable role he played Real Madrid’s 2007 La Liga title campaign. Click here for excerpts from Beckham's exclusive interview. Other highlights:

     •      A look at Beckham’s ambitious, lucrative and brave new adventure in America;
     •     Beckham speaks: Insights from the man himself about rejoining England’s national team, how his                 teammates reacted, reflections on playing for the national team for the first time at the new Wembley             Stadium, and his thoughts on the future of his international career and Euro 2008 while playing for the             Galaxy;
     •     Behind the scenes footage of the adidas “Futbol vs. Football” campaign spot with Beckham and New               Orleans Saints all-purpose running back Reggie Bush
     •     Highlights of Beckham’s first week in Los Angeles – training with the Galaxy, his official introduction to              fans at The Home Depot Center (July 13) and his trip to the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game                    (July 19)
     •     Comments from some of the LA Galaxy’s celebrity fans on Beckham’s arrival.

CONSUMER MARKETING CAMPAIGN
           The ESPN marketing team behind the critically acclaimed 2006 FIFA World Cup “One Game Changes Everything” campaign will launch a new soccer-specific image campaign tied to David Beckham’s Major League Soccer debut. The multimedia campaign, entitled “Hello, Goodbye,” will debut Monday, July 9, during ESPN's telecast of the 2007 State Farm Home Run Derby Monday at 8 p.m. – traditionally the network's highest-rated and most-watched summer program. The campaign will run through Saturday, July 21.

           The primary television spot captures the excitement – and sadness overseas – surrounding Beckham’s arrival in the U.S. Set to the Beatles’ hit song, “Hello, Goodbye,” the spot offers the juxtaposition of contrasting images and emotions – pensive European fans devastated by the loss of Beckham and American fans reveling in his arrival.

            “Hello, Goodbye” will be featured across ESPN media platforms – ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN The Magazine, et al. Beyond exposures on ESPN, the campaign will include a print component in a national newspaper.

ESPN Zone
ESPN Zone Anaheim, the Southern California location of the sports-themed national restaurant chain, will host an all-day viewing party to commemorate Beckham’s first match in a Major League Soccer uniform Saturday, July 21.

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