NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Setanta Sports, a leading broadcaster of Barclays Premier League soccer in the US and Official Sports Channel of the Field House at Chelsea Piers, announced today that it will be hosting the first annual "Setanta Cup" to celebrate its roll-out into the New York area. This all-day soccer festival will feature tournaments for youth (U-10 to U-14) and adult teams, with proceeds from team registration fees, merchandise sales and raffles going to the nonprofit organization, Hollywood Unites for Haiti and the Chelsea Piers Scholarship Fund. The tournament coincides with the recent launch of Setanta on WorldDirect, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-verse and RCN in the tri-state area, complementing the availability of the channel via DIRECTV and DISH.
On April 11th, this inaugural indoor soccer tournament is open to all spectators and will bring together some of the region's top clubs at the Field House at Chelsea Piers in NYC. Games will run 15 minutes and the "Setanta Cup" and individual prizes will be awarded to the winning team in each division. In addition, there will be complimentary youth soccer clinics throughout the day, and JetBlue Airways will sponsor special exhibition matches in the afternoon featuring the Hollywood United Football Club, a star-studded, world famous soccer club.
Hollywood United's lineup* as of today includes Anthony LaPaglia ("Without a Trace"), Brandon Routh ("Superman"), Jimmy Jean-Louis ("Heroes"), Steve Jones ("Sex Pistols"), Youri Djorkaeff and Frank LeBoeuf (Former French Players and 1998 FIFA World Cup Winners), Gilles Marini ("Sex and the City"), Ethan Zohn (Co-founder Grassroot Soccer and "Survivor Africa" Winner), Costas Mandylor ("Saw"), Donal Logue ("Life"), Richard Gough (Glasgow Rangers, Scottish International), and Marc Consuelos (World Renown Actor), plus many more yet to be announced.
During the day, prizes will be raffled and commemorative merchandise will be for sale, with proceeds going to Hollywood Unites For Haiti (HUFH). HUFH, www.hufh.org, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote sports and cultural activities for the underprivileged youth of Haiti.
HUFH founder Jimmy Jean-Louis remarked, "Haiti has suffered many setbacks in its rich history and yet the Haitian people have never lost the character to face adversity with creativity, resilience, and community. Events like the Setanta Cup raise money that will help brighten the hearts and minds of kids and encourage them to build confidence, competence, and community."
Additionally, a portion of team entrance fees will be donated to the Chelsea Piers Scholarship Fund (CPSF). CPSF is a 501(c)(3) charity committed to providing New York City children in need with the opportunity to experience the enormous benefits and enjoyment of participation in athletics. Monies raised through CPSF are used to provide partial and full scholarships to sports activities at Chelsea Piers and throughout NYC. Since 1996, CPSF has provided sports opportunities for over 1,000 children and has given out close to $1 million in athletic grants.
Setanta is available in more places than ever before, with recent launches on RCN, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-verse, and WorldDirect. Weekend passengers on JetBlue Airways even get access to Setanta, so travelers won't have to miss a minute of their favorite sporting events. Visit www.jetblue.com for details and for a full list of how to subscribe to Setanta, visit www.setanta.com/us/How-To-Subscribe.
Setanta would like to thank the participating Setanta Cup sponsors: Chipotle, Colour of Sports, DIRECTV, Grassroot Soccer, JetBlue, POWERADE, RCN and VisitBritain.
For more information visit www.setanta.com/us/SC
About Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports operates the only dedicated international sports channel in America. In 2008, the 24-hour TV network aired more than 1,000 live events, including European and international soccer, such as the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, World Cup Qualifiers and the Carling Cup plus world-class rugby and other sports programming designed to meet the growing demands of international sports fans. Setanta Sports is owned by Dublin-based Setanta Sports Holdings, a leading international pay television broadcaster in the UK, providing top sports leagues and events to more than 100 million digital television homes globally and to commercial venues in six countries. www.setanta.com/us
About Chelsea Piers
The Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex is a 28-acre sports village built on four historic Hudson River piers. Chelsea Piers features two indoor ice rinks, a state-of-the-art golf driving range, a world-class gymnastics center, indoor soccer playing fields and basketball courts, a 40-lane bowling center, the world's most comprehensive sports and fitness center, restaurants, sports pro shops, Manhattan's largest film and television production center, the most extensive marina in the city, dozens of nationally-acclaimed teachers and coaches, 1-mile public esplanade, and a landscaped waterside park.
*Hollywood United participants are subject to change. Visit www.setanta.com/us/SC for the most up-to-date player line-up.
