Soccer Aid
British annual charity football event / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Soccer Aid is a British annual charity event that has raised over £38 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is a exhibition-style football match between two teams, England and the Soccer Aid World XI (formerly Rest of the World (ROW) until 2018), composed of celebrities and former professional players representing their countries. It is the only mixed-sex match officially sanctioned by The Football Association.[1]
Soccer Aid | |
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Genre | Charity event |
Created by | Robbie Williams Jonathan Wilkes |
Presented by | Ant & Dec (2006–08) Dermot O'Leary (2010–present) Kirsty Gallacher (2010–2020) Alex Scott (2021–present) Backstage: Cat Deeley (2012–14) Regular Pundit: Maya Jama (2020–2022) Extra Time: Jermaine Jenas (2023) Joelah Noble (2023) |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 11 |
No. of episodes | 16 |
Production | |
Production locations | Old Trafford, Greater Manchester (2006, 2010–18, 2020, 2023) Wembley Stadium, London (2008) Stamford Bridge, Fulham, London (2019, 2024) Etihad Stadium, Manchester (2021) London Stadium (2022) |
Running time | 210–220 minutes (inc. adverts) |
Production company | Initial |
Original release | |
Network | ITV Virgin Media Sport |
Release | 22 May 2006 (2006-05-22) – present |
Soccer Aid was initiated in 2006 by Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes. It initially took place every two years, but since the 2018 edition it is now held annually. The television broadcast is produced by Initial and distributed by Endemol Shine Sport, a Dutch company that distributes Dutch Eredivisie coverage.[2] Television coverage began on ITV on 22 May 2006 in a show presented by Ant & Dec. Dermot O'Leary took over as main presenter in 2010.
Founded | 2006 |
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Number of teams | 2 |
Current champions | World XI (7th title) |
Most successful club(s) | World XI |
Television broadcasters | ITV Virgin Media Sport Ireland |
The ROW/World XI team is currently winning the head-to-head, with 7 wins to the England team's 5.
On 16 June 2019, the fixture was the first to include female players as part of the squads. In 2020, the match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Edition | Year | Winners | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2006 | England | 2–1 | Rest of The World | Old Trafford, Manchester | 71,960 |
2 | 2008 | England (2) | 4–3 | Rest of The World | Wembley Stadium, London | 45,000 |
3 | 2010 | Rest of The World | 2–2 (7–6 p) |
England | Old Trafford, Manchester | 65,493 |
4 | 2012 | England (3) | 3–1 | Rest of The World | 67,346 | |
5 | 2014 | Rest of The World (2) | 4–2 | England | 65,574 | |
6 | 2016 | England (4) | 3–2 | Rest of The World | 70,000 | |
7 | 2018 | England (5) | 3–3 (4–3 p) |
World XI | 71,965 | |
8 | 2019 | World XI (3) | 2–2 (3–1 p) |
England | Stamford Bridge, London | 39,836 |
9 | 2020 | World XI (4) | 1–1 (4–3 p) |
England | Old Trafford, Manchester | 0[lower-alpha 1] |
10 | 2021 | World XI (5) | 3–0 | England | Etihad Stadium, Manchester | 51,674 |
11 | 2022 | World XI (6) | 2–2 (4–1 p) |
England | London Stadium, London | 54,410 |
12 | 2023 | World XI (7) | 4–2 | England | Old Trafford, Manchester | TBA |
13 | 2024 | TBA | TBA | TBA | Stamford Bridge, London | TBA |
Tournament details | |
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Host country | England |
Dates | 22 May – 27 May |
Venue(s) | 2 |
Final positions | |
Champions | England (1st title) |
Runners-up | Rest of the World |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 4 |
Goals scored | 14 (3.5 per match) |
Attendance | 71,960 (17,990 per match) |
2008 → |
ITV, 22–27 May 2006
Event schedule
- 22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out
- 23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends (Craven Cottage, London)
- 24 May 2006 – Practice match: Rest of the World 3–7 Scotland Legends (Craven Cottage, London)
- 25 May 2006 – Rest of the World defeats England in a Football Quiz
- 26 May 2006 – Coaches name starting line-ups for the match
- 27 May 2006 – Soccer Aid Match: England 2–1 Rest of the World (Old Trafford, Manchester), attendance 71,960
The practice matches were played over 60 minutes, with the Soccer Aid match played over 90 minutes.
The competition was organised on behalf of UNICEF UK with profits from the matches, along with donations and sponsorship, donated to UNICEF programs in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
England beat the Rest Of The World 2–1. Goals from Les Ferdinand and Jonathan Wilkes put England into a two-goal lead but a handball inside the area from David Gray resulted in a penalty, converted by Diego Maradona. Wilkes won the Man of the Match award.
England squad
The England squad was managed by former England national football team manager Terry Venables, assisted by David Geddis and Ted Buxton. The original squad comprised 16 players, with Bryan Robson added later. A handful of the players, notably Angus Deayton, had previous celebrity international experience from the previous month's England v Germany: The Legends match in Reading, which Germany won 4–2. The England squad went into the match with no major injury worries. Their victory over a squad of ex-England internationals from the 1960s to 1990s on Tuesday morning was tempered with defeats to the Rest of the World in a penalty shootout and football quiz.
Celebrities
- Robbie Williams (captain)
- David Gray
- Jamie Theakston
- Bradley Walsh
- Jonathan Wilkes
- Ben Shephard
- Ronnie O'Sullivan
- Damian Lewis
- Angus Deayton
- Dean Lennox Kelly
Legends
Rest of the World squad
The Rest of the World squad was managed by Ruud Gullit, with Gus Poyet as his assistant. Captain Gordon Ramsay injured his leg in the early training sessions and was considered doubtful for the match. The original squad of 16 players, which later saw 2 changes, was supplemented by the addition of Diego Maradona during the build-up to the competition. Lothar Matthäus had appeared in the England v Germany: The Legends match the previous month.
The Rest of the World squad was wracked by injuries and withdrawals, and suffered from a lack of players. Desailly, Matthäus, Schmeichel and Ginola all arrived with only 2 or 3 days to spare before the match; Ginola arrived during half time of their warm-up defeat to the Scotland Legends on Wednesday afternoon, and Diego Maradona only joined the squad on the day before the match.
Also, Craig Doyle and Brian McFadden went into the match carrying knocks, which led to management members Ruud Gullit and Gus Poyet coming on as substitutes on Wednesday and in the match itself.
Celebrities
- Gordon Ramsay (captain)
- David Campese
- Patrick Kielty
- Eddie Irvine (withdrew and was replaced by Gareth Thomas)
- Gareth Thomas (replacement for Eddie Irvine)
- Ben Johnson
- Sergei Fedorov
- Brian McFadden
- Alastair Campbell
- Craig Doyle
- Alessandro Nivola
- Michael Greco
Legends
- Gianfranco Zola
- Marcel Desailly
- David Ginola
- Dunga
- Lothar Matthäus
- Peter Schmeichel
- Diego Maradona
- Ruud Gullit (Player/Manager)
- Gus Poyet (Player/Assistant Manager)
Other notable participants
The match was refereed by Pierluigi Collina, the Italian referee considered by many fans as the best referee of all time.[3]
The match
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