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Wayne Rooney Manchester United Technology

Wayne Rooney testimonial set for Facebook Live kickoff to become the first live streamed fixture between Premier League teams

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

August 3, 2016 | 2 min read

Facebook is to set a sports streaming landmark by becoming the first company to stream a match between two English Premier League teams.

Manchester United Rooney testimonial

Manchester United Rooney testimonial

England forward Wayne Rooney will tonight (3 August) face off his old team Everton in a testimonial match available to all Facebook users across the globe.

The match, which commences at 8pm, will pay tribute to the Manchester United stalwart with the proceeds to be distributed via the Wayne Rooney Foundation to the NSPCC, Claire House Hospice, Alder Hey Childrens Hospital and the Manchester United Foundation.

It will all be shown on the Facebook pages of both Rooney and Manchester United.

Rooney said: “I am delighted that through this agreement with Facebook my testimonial game will be streamed globally on both the Wayne Rooney and Manchester United Facebook pages. It will be the first time this will have happened and will hopefully raise awareness of the Foundation and increase donations.”

Dan Reed, Facebook’s head of global sports partnerships, said: “We're very excited to work with Wayne Rooney and Manchester United to bring the big match to our global audience via Facebook Live. Facebook is the world's largest community of football fans, and we know these fans will enjoy helping Wayne celebrate his twelve years with Manchester United while competing against his boyhood team. It should be a great night for football fans and a unique opportunity to help raise money for Wayne's important charitable work."

The streaming agreement will be a blow to Twitter, with that company particularly focused on snapping up live streaming rights as of late.

Wayne Rooney Manchester United Technology

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