Sportsnet announced Thursday that Soccer Central, a new nightly one-hour soccer news show, will debut Friday at 11 p.m. ET on Sportsnet World.
In partnership with FOX Soccer, Soccer Central will bring footy fans the best highlights, news and analysis from the top leagues and events seven days a week. Sportsnet will also produce Fox Soccer News, a separate edition of the one-hour soccer news program that will air nightly at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Soccer in the US.
“The launch of Soccer Central bolsters Sportsnet’s already robust portfolio of soccer programming and solidifies our commitment to delivering viewers premium soccer content,” said Scott Woodgate, Sportsnet’s vice president of news and information programming. “We are thrilled to partner with FOX Soccer as we continue to serve as Canada’s premiere destination for soccer news, opinion and highlights.”
“With the increased resources we are devoting to FOX Soccer News, we look forward to the show reaching new heights as America’s nightly soccer destination,” said FOX Soccer senior vice president and assistant general manager Dermot McQuarrie. “We’ve committed to make this show the one-stop shop for soccer news and highlights from home and around the globe.”
Soccer Central will be hosted by Brendan Dunlop, the former co-host of The Footy Show on The Score and The Hardcore Footy Show on Hardcore Sports Radio on Sirius XM. He will be joined by an all-star lineup of soccer’s top analysts, including former professional player and coach Thomas Rongen, Fox Soccer analyst Bobby McMahon and former Canadian national team players Colin Miller and Kara Lang.
In addition to covering the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and La Liga, Soccer Central will feature a bureau in London led by Paul Burland and Paul Belverstone filing daily reports on England’s most prominent clubs.