News of Note for the United States Women’s National Team: 2013 Algarve Cup matches may be available online… Nashville to host the USA and Scotland on February 13th.
2013 Algarve Cup matches may be available online:
A new company, “Al Bann Media Limited,” has apparently procured the tape-delay on-demand rights to stream the USWNT’s matches at next year’s Algarve Cup, in March 2013. The matches will be behind a paywall: Viewers can pay to see individual matches or buy a subscription for all four matches, which are said to not “cost any more than ordering a take-out pizza” (Facebook). Commentary for the matches will be provided by two retired Australian internationals, Alicia Ferguson, who was part of ESPN’s coverage of the 2011 Women’s World Cup, and the just-retired Sarah Walsh. Al Bann Media does not apparently have live broadcasting rights (Twitter), so a TV network, for example, may be able to swoop in and provide a live broadcast on television and/or online. The company has a website (www.albannmedia.com), an active Twitter account (@AlBannMedia), and a Facebook page.
About Al Bann Media: The company is a new United Kingdom private limited company registered in Northern Ireland. The company’s original filing date is October 25, 2012 (source: wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk, enter company number NI615169), which is also the date when its primary domain address was registered and when its Facebook page was originally created. “Bann” is the surname of the company’s founders.
Although, this appears to be a positive development for followers of the USWNT, many details and questions remain unsettled, so ‘cautious’ should be the watchword.
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Nashville to host the USA and Scotland on February 13th:
On Thursday, U.S. Soccer confirmed that Nashville’s LP Field will host the second match of the USWNT’s and Scotland’s two-game series on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. The kick-off time is not yet available. (Quick note: February 13th is a men’s Champions League match date, so FOX Soccer is more than likely out as a TV broadcasting option.) The other match against Scotland is on Saturday, February 9, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. in Jacksonville, Florida. That schedule will allow for three full days between the two matches.
Women's Soccer Express 