Hollywood United and Setanta Join Forces

Stars from the Hollywood United soccer team recite a Kipling poem for Setanta Sports.

From Rudyard Kipling's "If"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Less Than One Month Unitl The Premier League

It's crazy to think that the Premier League will kick off in less than one month. With the Summer of Soccer and all the transfer talk, I haven't even missed it. Here's a little something from Setanta (yeah, they're still around) to get you pumped for the new season.

ESPN to own PL rights.

Disney-owned ESPN has won the two packages of games shown on Saturday teatimes and Monday evenings. It says both will be sold through BSkyB.

It has also won the 23 games per season Setanta was due to show from 2010-13.

The league took the broadcasting rights back from Setanta on Friday after it missed a payment deadline.

The Premier League had set a deadline of Monday for other broadcasters to submit offers for the games.

ESPN said in a statement it had "reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers".

'British commitment'

It is the first time that ESPN will broadcast live Premier League football in the UK.

The broadcaster already has two channels in the UK, one covering American sports and another showing archived action.

Russell Wolff, managing director of ESPN International, said: "This move demonstrates our commitment to British sports fans and our ongoing commitment to delivering football to fans around the world across a variety of media."

"ESPN have a formidable worldwide reputation and experience in sports and I am sure we will enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with them," said Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.

"I would like to thank ESPN, as well as all the other broadcasters who submitted bids, for their professionalism and effort in engaging in our sales process at such short notice."

Let's just hope ESPN doesn't show 20min of a BPL game, because baseball takes priority.