'Soccer Aces' The First International Soccer Reality TV Show Will Hold Castings in Houston on April 10th

HOUSTON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA Compass will be the lead sponsor of "Soccer Aces" in the U.S., which will conduct a casting in Houston of talented soccer players for the first ever international reality show dedicated to the most popular sport in the world. Soccer legends, Zinedine Zidane and Enzo Francescolli, are actively demonstrating their support for the "Soccer Aces" program – encouraging players from around the world to take a shot at the big leagues. The new reality TV program is an initiative that seeks to discover young talented players from around the world who dream of becoming future soccer stars. The show also provides a second chance to older, more experienced players who have not been able to break into the professional arena.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100325/DA77143)

The casting for the show will take place April 10 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at Houston Baptist University (HBU). Applicants, who are selected on the first day, will participate in a second casting, where a panel of judges will individually review their soccer skills. After this second round, the panel will issue a report on behalf of "Soccer Aces" with the names of the pre-selected players from the U.S. casting. The castings are being promoted through GolTV, the nation's only bilingual channel delivering the most sought-after international soccer coverage, and Terra.com, the leading digital original content producer for the U.S. Hispanic market.

"Soccer Aces" in Spain will then review this report and determine who will be offered the opportunity to travel to Europe for a final casting. Selected final contestants will become members of La Academia – the "Soccer Aces" training program – located in Spain. The winner of La Academia will be awarded the opportunity to try out for a professional European team in The BBVA League in Spain. The reality show will be telecast in the U.S. by GolTV in May.

While attending La Academia, finalists will live and train together as if they were actual members of a professional soccer team. Focused on a player's dedication, effort, and ability to overcome obstacles, this innovative program promotes both soccer values and principles of good sportsmanship. In other words, this is a quest to find new soccer talent who is able to combine quality technical skills with leadership qualities and a spirit for teamwork.

Contestants will be supported by an international, professional staff made up of a coach, psychologists, nutritionists, and trainers from across the world of soccer. This team of professional staff will supervise, monitor and evaluate the performance and development of all players.

To participate, players must be at least 18 years old and register at www.socceracestv.com

ABOUT BBVA COMPASS

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 724 branches including 387 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 22 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is the 15th largest U.S. commercial bank based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Texas (4th), Alabama (3rd) and Arizona (5th). Additional information concerning BBVA Compass can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.

BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a financial services group with more than $785 billion in total assets, 48 million clients, 7,600 branches and approximately 104,000 employees in more than 30 countries. BBVA ranks among the top 20 largest financial institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 20th in Global Finance magazine's list of the "World's 50 Safest Banks" for 2009. BBVA provides its customers around the world with a full range of financial services, including commercial and wholesale banking, retail banking services, consumer loans, mortgages, credit cards, securities brokerage, wealth management, pension plan management and insurance. The BBVA Group maintains a leadership position in Spain, Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States as well as operations in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Editor's Note:

BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank and a trademark of Compass Bancshares, Inc.

SOURCE BBVA Compass

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