Disney Xd Brings Beach Soccer Roadshow To Portsmouth This Summer
Published 27th Jul 2009 by Mark Collins

Press Release


DISNEY XD BRINGS BEACH SOCCER ROADSHOW TO PORTSMOUTH THIS SUMMER


Catch all the action at Portsmouth, Southsea Common – Saturday 1 August

Disney XD, the new kids TV channel launching later this year, and England Beach Soccer, the official governing body of the sport, will be bringing its beach soccer road show to Southsea Common on Saturday 1 August.

As well as competitive matches for kids aged 8-14, each event will include skills and drills, coaching sessions with members of the England national beach soccer squad, exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming Disney XD shows, along with music and demonstrations from a freestyle display team.

As popularity for the sport in the UK gathers momentum, the hunt is now on for officials to seek out the next generation of talented youngsters to nurture and help rise up through the ranks. Teams are chosen on a first come first serve basis, and with the demand for places expected to be high, players are encouraged to register their team by emailing james@englandbeachsoccer.com or calling 0208 232 7184.

Disney XD is building two brand new beaches - in London and Stockport - with additional events happening on other sand surfaces; such as Nottingham, where council officials recently announced they have already started work on creating an urban beach for the public to use. In Stockport, the TV channel will leave the pitch for the local community to enjoy for the entire summer.

Portsmouth is the first stop-off for the Disney XD roadshow that runs throughout August and culminates with a large-scale event at London’s Oxford Street venue ‘Parklife’ on August Bank Holiday. The finale will see part of the unique 4,000sqm ‘blank canvas’ venue transformed into a beach soccer pitch.

Boel Ferguson, General Manager for Disney Channels UK & Ireland said: “With sport being an integral part of Disney XD, we feel the Beach Soccer Road show is a wonderful way to introduce kids to our new channel as well as bringing them closer to an incredibly exciting form of the nation’s favourite sport.”

John Hawkins, Chief Executive of England Beach Soccer, added: “We are delighted to be supporting this wonderful event which brings the excitement and passion of our sport to a new and younger generation. I am looking forward to meeting the stars of the future over the next six weeks.”

Events Details

Schedule of Day:

10:00 – 11:30 – Under 8’s
11:30 – 13:00 – Under 10’s
13:30 – 15:00 – Under 12’s
15:00 – 16:30 – Under 14’s

Each session will consist of 30 minutes of coaching, teaching of basic rules getting the kids ready for a fun competition format – each age group from each location will produce one champion team.

(EBS might from time to time add or remove an age group category dependant on demand.)


Ends

For further information please contact Mark Collins, Disney XD Press Office on 0208 636 2227
or Mark.X.Collins.-ND@disney.com

Notes to Editors:

About Disney XD
Disney XD is a brand new TV channel and multi-platform brand that showcases a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for kids aged 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humour. Disney XD content spans television, online and VOD platforms. The programming line-up includes series, movies and short-form shows.

About the Disney XD Beach Soccer Tour

Who can enter and how?
Teams will be entered on a first come first served basis, only teams with a minimum number of 5 children (open to both sexes, but all children must be within the same age category). FA regional registered football clubs, schools and local community groups will be given priority. All enquiries to: james@englandbeachsoccer.com / England Beach Soccer – 0208 232 7184

About Beach Soccer
Beach soccer is all about fair play, respect, amazing skills and most importantly having fun, so children of all ages and abilities are going to love this form of the game. Beach Soccer was originally inspired by the acrobatic football played on the beaches of Brazil, with the official rules created in 1992. There are 30 playing nations in Europe, but Brazil is the top-ranked team in the world. In fact, they have won the world cup a staggering 13 times! In Europe, Spain are the current European champions with England ranked 14th. Eric Cantona is the French beach soccer team manager – and France is one of only three countries to have won the world cup (along with Brazil and Portugal). There are over 3,500 registered players of English Beach Soccer, spread across 10 active regions in England; with the Isle of White having the largest beach soccer scene.

The Rules of Beach Soccer
• Beach soccer is played on a soft sand pitch, roughly a quarter the size of a grass pitch
• Teams are 5-a-side
• Each Team has 10 people (2 goalkeepers)
• Unlimited substitutions are allowed
• Each game has three 12-minute periods
• EBS is geared towards goals (all free kicks direct + no walls)
• Three cards are used in beach soccer - yellow, then a blue and finally a red card
• If a player is fouled, they must take the free-kick themselves
• No footwear is allowed, but goalkeepers may wear gloves

About England Beach Soccer
England Beach Soccer has been established for 15 years and is recognised by BSWW, FIFA and the FA as the only approved promoter of beach soccer in England. EBS is the sole licensee of Beach Soccer within the UK with responsibility for both professional and amateur participation. The first Pro Beach Soccer Tour included a total of 60 games in two years across South America, Europe, Asia and the USA. By 2004, 17 nations had entered teams into the England Beach Soccer League, and by 2005 this had risen to 20, leading to more than seventy countries looking to stage events.


Mark Collins
Freelance Publicist
Walt Disney Television EMEA
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