14 DAY TRIAL // Football fans around the world, get ready for what is the most expected football tournament of the year: Euro 2008, the competition that gathers the most important countries when it comes to this sport. Although it is based in Mountain View, California, and they simply call it "soccer" there, Google is trying to make the most of this event and has consequently prepared several goodies for all Euro 2008 fans out there.
First of all, there's the Google Fan Map, a Google Maps mash-up that allows you to view all the locations of the matches, as well as the scores, the group tables and the upcoming fixtures. "Explore all the locations for the European Championship and view the latest news and information about your team. Find your favorite spot to watch, play or celebrate football, then share it with the world!" Google describes the Google Fan Map.
Secondly, there's a brand new YouTube channel that hosts only Euro 2008 related videos, including here moves and tricks, goals, fans' clips and other types of Euro 2008 footage. "YouTube's '23 Days' channel [is] an opportunity to share your football skills, passion and knowledge with the world over the course of the 2008 European Football Championships," YouTube commented on the new channel.
Beside these two Euro 2008 goodies, Google has also prepared a brand new iGoogle gadget which provides you with fresh and hot information concerning the tournament, straight on your personalized homepage. All you need to do is to add the gadget to your iGoogle page and get the latest results, the upcoming fixtures, the teams statuses and other information with a single click.
All the above releases are part of Google 23 Days, a special program initiated by the Mountain View-based company and that will last until the end of the football tournament. "The 2008 European Championship lasts for 23 days this year, which means 23 days of thrills, hopes, tears and cheers," Google said by means of explanation for the name of the program.
