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Seven drafts new VFL commentary trio

PRESS RELEASE

Seven has announced a fresh and exciting commentary team to call VFL matches in 2015 and 2016.

Host Jason Bennett and VFL star Nigel Carmody will lead the call, with AFL premiership player Campbell Brown in expert commentary.

Award-winning sports broadcaster Jason Bennett, an AFL commentator from 2002-2006 before embarking on an international posting with ESPN and their popular program Aussies Abroad, is thrilled to be returning to his favourite passion – football.

“I'm now going to be back at the same famous old suburban grounds I visited with such excitement as a young footy fanatic. They will always be special to me – I've always got a thrill even just out of driving past them – and I can't wait for the chance to commentate at some of those great old grounds that were off the AFL fixture by the time I started my broadcast career.

Brown is well known to fans as an AFL premiership star, feisty competitor, fearless with his forthright footy opinions and, above all, entertaining in his delivery.

Carmody brings a wealth of VFL experience and knowledge that is second to none over the last 15 years. He played 160 VFL games with the Casey Scorpions and Collingwood from 2000 to 2008, including a year as captain of the Scorpions in 2007.

Seven Melbourne will broadcast Victorian Football League matches live, free and exclusive in a boon for local football.

Seven has secured the exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights for the 2015 and 2016 Victorian Football League seasons.

Under the new agreement with AFL Victoria, Seven will show the VFL ‘Match of the Round’ live on Channel 7 in Melbourne every week throughout the regular season, as well as VFL finals and the VFL Grand Final.

The agreement adds to Seven’s long and proud association with VFL/AFL football stretching back to the first days of television and augments Seven’s current broadcast agreement with the AFL that sees four AFL matches broadcast each round.

It also builds on Seven’s ongoing support for grassroots football in Victoria, with Seven News Melbourne the official partner of the Western Region Football league.

SEVEN’S VFL COMMENTARY TEAM


JASON BENNETT
Host and Caller
Jason Bennett grew up dreaming of being a footy commentator and after six years living in the US and travelling the world with ESPN, he's now returned home to Melbourne to reconnect with his lifelong passion.
From 2002-06 he covered AFL as a TV host, commentator, producer and writer on pay television, working on around 150 matches.
In recent years Jason has been based in Connecticut in the USA working for ESPN on a range of programs and projects including Aussies Abroad, catching up with Australia’s best athletes plying their craft overseas. Jason has been into the home and lives of Australian superstars Daniel Ricciardo, Tim Cahill, Cadel Evans, Andrew Bogut, Mark Schwarzer, Patty Mills and many more.
Jason’s ESPN work has also seen him host and report on huge international sport events including five Super Bowls, four Hawaiian Ironmans, US Masters and the Indy 500.
However, footy has remained Jason’s great passion and after pulling many all-nighters to watch his beloved game from the other side of the world, he can’t wait to reconnect to the game’s roots at many of the suburban grounds he grew up around.


NIGEL CARMODY
Caller
Nigel brings a wealth of VFL experience and knowledge having played 160 VFL games with the Casey Scorpions and Collingwood from 2000 to 2008, including a year as captain of the Scorpions in 2007.
After stints on VFL commentary while still playing, Nigel has been part of the VFL Radio coverage for four years calling over 100 games including the 2014 VFL Grand Final.
Nigel worked on ABC Grandstand’s AFL coverage last year as a boundary rider, as well as being a regular contributor on SEN, and launching Collingwood VFL radio and Richmond VFL Radio through those clubs’ Smartphone apps


CAMPBELL BROWN
Expert Comments
Campbell Brown is well known to fans as an AFL premiership star, feisty competitor, and fearless in his delivery of forthright footy opinions.
A veteran of 209 AFL games and 105 AFL goals, Brown had his best AFL season in 2007 collecting All Australian honours and runner-up in Hawthorn’s Best & Fairest.
Campbell’s interest in commentary started with a passionate call of Weekend Hussler’s win in the Newmarket Handicap on Seven’s AFL Game Day. He’s since delivered special comments on Triple M’s AFL coverage, called on AFL Live Radio and will now sit in the expert comments chair for Seven’s VFL coverage.
Leadership in Sports
Seven is also the official broadcast partner for an unrivalled portfolio of major sporting events including the Summer and Winter Olympics, AFL, VFL, SANFL, WAFL, all major tennis tournaments in Australia including The Australian Open and The Davis Cup as well as Wimbledon; all major horse racing meetings on the Australian calendar including the Sydney Easter Carnival, the Caulfield Cup Carnival, the WS Cox Plate, Stradbroke Handicap, the Melbourne Cup Carnival and the Magic Millions; all major Australian golf tournaments including the Open and the Masters, as well as the US Masters; the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race; all major iron man and triathlon events, the NFL and Superbowl and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.