SKY To Show Nationwide!!

Sky
By Scott Cooper
July 5 2002

Sky Sports have won the right to screen Nationwide games next year after they completed a £95 Million deal after the collapse of ITV digital.

This will come as good news to many clubs who would have lost out after the ITV shambles.

SKY Sports have won the rights to screen LIVE -

Nationwide Football League - 60 matches exclusively live each season. Games will be shown from across the three divisions with 50 live matches each year from Division One.

· Nationwide Football League play-offs - Up to nine live matches from the end-of-season promotion play-offs including all three Play-Off Finals exclusively live.

· Worthington Cup - Up to two live ties from each full round of The Football League`s knockout competition plus Semi-Finals and the Final, for the first major cup of the season, exclusively live.

Football League Chief Executive David Burns, said: "This is great news for The Football League and its clubs and we are absolutely delighted to be returning to Sky Sports. This agreement will help to provide financial stability to clubs at a very important time, as well as top class coverage of our games."

Vic Wakeling, Managing Director of Sky Sports said: "Sky are delighted to be involved with The Football League. We hope that the clubs can now plan for the future and we will soon schedule the first live matches, with the League and the clubs, so that fans can plan their opening weeks of the season."

"We also look forward to the Playoff Finals - which produce some of the most exciting games of the season - and the Worthington Cup Final - which grants the first European place. This season Sky Sports will offer viewers over 300 live matches. Viewers will know where to find live football and can enjoy competitive games from across the League alongside exclusively live matches from the Premiership."