UEFA today announced a major publishing deal with Haymarket Customer Publishing (HCP) to produce the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League.

The new magazine, titled ‘Champions’, will be a key element in the development of the UEFA Champions League for 2003-2006, which involves a changed competition format, new branding, renewed partner and sponsor relationships and a fresh set of television deals. ‘Champions’ magazine will aim to reflect the excitement and quality of the UEFA Champions League through top class writing and pictures and will bring a new element to followers of the competition.

‘Champions’ will be published in three separate language editions – French, German and English, as the three official UEFA languages – will be sold on the newstrade across Europe and distributed at match venues to clubs and sponsors for their guests. ‘Champions’ will cost £3.95 in the UK and around the 6.00 Euro mark in the Euro zone, with six issues being distributed per year. The target distribution will be in excess of 150,000 copies per issue to the international newstrade.

The magazine will be officially launched in Monaco on August 28, 2003 at the draw for the group stage of the tournament and the first issue will be available from September 10, ahead of the start of the 2003/2004 UEFA Champions League season.

Commenting on the new approach, UEFA’s Director of Communications, Mike Lee said:

‘The magazine is a significant part of our improved communication package for the UEFA Champions League in the coming season. It will give football fans greater access to the tournament, the star players and life behind-the-scenes in a new and exciting form. We have recruited Haymarket to work on the project because of their range of skills and experience. We expect them to inject the passion, the quality and magazine craft that will engage football fans throughout Europe.’

Paul Simpson, who was founding editor of Haymarket’s FourFourTwo, now the UK’s market leading football magazine title, will be editing the magazine and a range of top class contributors from across Europe have been signed up.

For further information please contact:

Uefa Media Services
Tel: +41 22 99 44 55 9