SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard is just one of the star names pulling on their national jerseys again as part of the inaugural Star Sixes tournament in London, backed by Betsafe.
Betsafe has been confirmed as the official Principal Partner of the six-a-side football tournament, which will be shown live on Sky Sports from the O2 Arena (13-16 July).
The Betsson Group subsidiary has digital rights across the Star Sixes website, which includes prominent branding, banner inventory and a betting tab linking to the Betsafe website.
The company will also be able to publish official Star Sixes footage and stills to promote its association with the tournament, including an exclusive right to transmit a live broadcast feed of the action.
Organised by Pitch International (London), in partnership with sports management agency Football Champions Tour, Star Sixes will see a collection of star names across 12 nations compete in the international six-a-side tournament for the Star Sixes trophy.
England, Brazil, Germany, Spain and France will be in action, represented by the likes of Gerrard, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Roberto Carlos, Michael Ballack, Carles Puyol and Robert Pires. Deco and Jay-Jay Okocha will also be playing for Portugal and Nigeria respectively.
Neil Bailey, CEO of Star Sixes, said: “We’re delighted to welcome such an established global gaming brand as Betsafe on board as our official Principal Partner.
“Star Sixes is best described as a world cup for legends, so it’s only fitting we’re teaming up with a company that is a world leader in its industry.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with Betsafe as we build up to what should be a gripping tournament for football fans across the globe.”
Nicola Fitton, Managing Director for Betsafe, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be the official Principal Partner for Star Sixes. With such a stellar line-up of football legends from around the world, this tournament will be the hottest ticket in town this summer.”
Every Star Sixes player is a fully-capped former international, with each country selecting a ten-man squad. The competition will feature a group phase followed by knockout stages, including penalty shootouts, culminating in the Star Sixes Final with the trophy at stake.
