World Cup Set For SM City North Mall in Manila

MATCHROOM SPORT can announce that the 2009 PartyCasino.net World Cup of Pool will be taking place at the SM City North EDSA Mall in Metro Manila, Philippines.
 
Taking place from Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th September, the $250,000 event will feature 32 two-player teams from 31 countries competing for pool's most prestigious team prize.
 
The SM City North Mall is Manila's original major mall. Opened in 1985 it lead the way as it changed the face of shopping and leisure in the Philippines.
 
The Mall also plays host to exhibitions and sports events with nearly 4.5 million people visiting the Mall at weekends.
 
Since it was first staged in Newport, Wales in 2006, the World Cup of Pool has taken place in Rotterdam, Holland in 2007 and '08.
 
This year Matchroom Sport has gone into partnership with Solar Sports, the Philippines' leading sports TV network, to bring the event to Manila, following successful stagings of the World Pool Championship in '06 and '07.
 
Commented Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn, ‘This is a fantastic move for the event and everyone, staff, players and crew, are delighted to be returning to the hotbed of world pool.
 
‘The level of interest among fans, media and broadcasters in the Philippines has always been off the scale and we are looking forward to a highly successful event.
 
‘The World Cup features the very best players in the world and the defending champions Team USA, comprised of Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening, will have a big job on their hands to hold onto their title.'
 
As host country, the Philippines will have two representative teams in the tournament and one of them will see a return to the event of the legendary twosome Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante, winner of the inaugural event in 2006.
 
‘The World Cup of Pool is a great venue for the Filipinos to shine once again in the world of sports. We are honored to be hosting this prestigious event in our country and thrilled that Solar Sports will be part of it,' added Peter Chanliong, COO of Solar Sports.
 
Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport: luke.riches@matchroom.com, +44 7785 395688
 
Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world's leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the World Cup of Pool is one of a stable of pool events that include the Mosconi Cup and the World Pool Masters.
 
The 2009 World Cup of Pool is sponsored by PartyCasino.net, the world's leading online casino. Tables are supplied by Brunswick Billiards, cloth by Iwan Simonis, Super Aramith balls by Saluc and the Official Cue is Predator.