Category: Carling Nations Cup

The Carling Nations Cup which kicks of in February 2011, will become the first International tournament to be shown in its entirety in 3D, after the Football Association of Ireland announced a deal with Sky Sports to show all six games live.

The agreement will also include simultaneous live broadcast of the Welsh matches in the Welsh language on S4C.

The opening matches of the Carling Nations Cup will take place in Aviva Stadium on February 8 (Republic of Ireland v Wales) and February 9 (Northern Ireland v Scotland). The final dates of the May matches of the Carling Nations Cup have also been revised  under a new schedule agreed between the four competing Associations and the broadcast partners as follows:

Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland                   Tue, May 24 2011             Aviva Stadium KO 7.45pm

Scotland v Wales                                                              Wed, May 25 2011           Aviva Stadium KO 7.45pm

Wales v Northern Ireland                                             Fri, May 27 2011                Aviva Stadium KO 7.45pm

Republic of Ireland v Scotland                                    Sun, May 29 2011             Aviva Stadium KO 6.30pm

The Carling Nations Cup which kicks off in Dublin in February 2011, has unveiled the fixture list and schedule for the upcoming tournament along with the competitions new logo.

The logo incorporates the colours of the four participating nations, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and highlights Carling’s long association with football throughout the UK and Ireland.

Managers of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland attended today’s event where it was announced that The Carling Nations Cup will kick off on Tuesday February 8 with a match between Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland and Wales.

The full list of fixtures are:

Tuesday February 8                            Republic of Ireland        v          Wales
Wednesday February 9                       Northern Ireland           v          Scotland
Monday May 23                                    Republic of Ireland        v          Northern Ireland
Tuesday May 24                                                 Wales                      v          Scotland
Thursday May 26                                               Wales                      v          Northern Ireland
Friday May 27                                       Republic of Ireland        v          Scotland

The Carling Nations Cup will be the first senior international tournament hosted in Ireland and will be played in a league format with six matches between the four neighbouring teams. Tickets will go on sale in November.

Craig Levein, Scotland National Team Manager said: “Now that the schedule has been announced we are really looking forward to our visit to Dublin next year. This exciting new competition brings together four groups of passionate fans and also allows me to test my squad, in a competitive environment, in the middle of our UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.”

Nigel Worthington, Northern Ireland manager said: “I am really looking forward to the Carling Nations Cup, as competitive games against our neighbouring countries don’t come around too often. There are bragging rights at stake here, not only for the fans but also for the players as no-one will want to lose against their closest rivals. Northern Ireland is more than capable of winning this tournament and we hope to get off to a good start against Scotland in February.”

Giovanni Trapattoni, Republic of Ireland manager said: “The Carling Nations Cup is a tournament that we would very much like to win, particularly playing at home in Dublin, but speaking to my colleagues from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland,  I know we are not alone in wanting to claim the trophy.  The matches will provide us with a good opportunity to see our players in games with a real competitive edge at an important time in our bid to qualify for 2012.”

Jonathan Ford, Chief Executive, Football Association of Wales (FAW) said “It will be fantastic to see these games taking place.  We can all remember great matches in the past in the Home Internationals, Championship qualifiers and friendlies.  I am sure they will be a huge success and we look forward to generating competitive matches but maintaining the friendly rivalry that exists between our respective countries.”

The famous beer brand and regular football partner Carling has been announced as sponsor for the inaugural Carling Nations Cup – A sort of home international tournament that will take place at the new state of the art Aviva Stadium in Ireland.

The competition will be the first senior international football tournament to be hosted in Ireland and the event will kick off on February 8th 2011.

The Republic of Ireland will take on Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the tournament which will be played in a league format with six matches between the four neighbouring teams, the first two taking place at the Aviva Stadium on February 8 and 9 and the remaining four taking place week commencing Monday May 23.

Carling has been a major sponsor of football for many years, and today’s announcement builds upon its range of other sponsorships which include the Carling Cup in England and Wales, the Carling Premiership in Northern Ireland and most recently its sponsorship of the Scottish national team and Scottish Cup.

FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said; “We are delighted to have secured Carling as the title sponsor for the Carling Nations Cup.  We will be working closely with Carling to make it an exciting festival of football for fans, tapping into the many friendships and local rivalries that exist between the four participating countries. The Carling Nations Cup will be a significant boost for local tourism and businesses in the Dublin area and we look forward to welcoming thousands of fans from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to our new Aviva Stadium in February and May 2011.”

Former Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner, who earned 80 caps and is famously remembered for his penalty save against Romania at the 1990 World Cup, was on hand to lend his support, alongside former internationals Pat Jennings of Northern Ireland, Craig Burley of Scotland and Ian Walsh of Wales.

Speaking at the launch, Packie Bonner said:  “The Carling Nations Cup is going to be a fantastic new tournament for fans of Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and also gives our international teams a chance to compete against each other in a wonderful new stadium. There is always a special atmosphere when international teams from Ireland and Britain play against each other and now we don’t have to rely on being drawn together in World Cup or European Championship qualifying groups.  It’s all very exciting.”

“It’s great to see a brand like Carling, which is a huge supporter of football, lend its support to this tournament.  To use a goalkeeping term, the tournament is in safe hands,” concluded Packie.

The only shame for me is that England are not involved, but have to say that may not be a bad thing.