Sony's Twilight Football competition proved victorious for the Australian team, who convincingly defeated Latin America in one of a series of seven football matches played around the globe. The match formed part of Sony’s global Twilight Football campaign, which kicked off as the hour of twilight moved across the globe on September 22.

A series of seven games of football were played in seven of the world's most breathtaking locations, including Australia's own limestone landscape in the Nambung National Park. The games were played in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Argentina and in Australia, with the Twilight Football finale taking place in South Africa, home of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Australian football team was flown to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, UK, captained by ex-Socceroo Robbie Slater, to compete against a team from Latin America. The match was played amongst the ancient Camelot castle ruins with expansive views of the surrounding countryside and sea crashing against the cliffs below. The Australian team emerged victorious from its clash against Latin America, with a 10 – 6 score leading them to success.

Each of the seven locations were chosen for their unique scenery and challenging terrain, providing the perfect backdrop and photographic canvas to showcase all the action from the 'beautiful game'. The locations were Tintagel in the UK; Antequera bullring in Spain; Iguazu Falls in Argentina; Venice in Italy; Zermatt in the Swiss Alps; The Pinnacles Desert in Australia and the Aquila game reserve in South Africa.

The Twilight Football campaign from Sony celebrates the beauty and passion of football and showcases the capability of the Exmor CMOS sensor. This technology enables the latest Cybershot digital cameras, α DSLR cameras and Handycam camcorders to capture incredibly detailed and realistic images and videos, even in the most challenging low light settings.

The players and photographers
Players for each game, and photographers to capture the action, were selected through competitions on global media and social media websites.

The winning football teams were chosen from thousands of entries for playing styles that the judges felt best reflected the individual personality of each location; taking in aesthetic style, competitiveness, pace, tenacity and drama. The selections ensured each game of Twilight Football had its own character, and provided a visual spectacle that lived-up to its breathtaking backdrop.

The games ended in the Twilight Football grand final in South Africa, which saw the official Twilight Football team play against a side from 'streetfootballworld'. streetfootballworld is a global network of organisations that use football to address social issues like education, health and women's rights, demonstrating the power of football as a tool to improve the lives of disadvantaged individuals and communities. The streetfootballworld team was made up of three groups that work with young people in the townships around Cape Town, and the two teams got the opportunity to showcase their predatory instinct in front of a goal watched by some of the safari trail’s biggest names.

"Incredible moments happen in football," says Ruben Lawrence, Strategic Partnerships and Events Manager, Sony Australia. "It's not only a visually stunning game, but one that inspires an emotional reaction in fans all over the world. We wanted to do something to celebrate the unifying aspects of football, giving football and photography fans the once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience firsthand some of the most stunning locations in the modern world.

"Twilight Football is one of the most ambitious projects Sony has ever undertaken, and its success can be seen through the results of some truly astonishing imagery and footage. This is an event to show people the benefits of Exmor R CMOS technology and an opportunity to show them what they have been missing when shooting images in the most picturesque light that nature has to offer!"

The Technology
Twilight Football photographers were able to try out Sony's new range of digital imaging products featuring its Exmor R CMOS sensor at all seven events. These models excel in capturing exceptional detail in low light, with two separate new shooting modes that reduce image noise when you’re shooting in challenging conditions. Anti-Motion Blur mode showed its worth at the Twilight Football events, superimposing six frames to produce crisp, composite images with less subject blur. The aptly-named Handheld Twilight mode also grabs a high-speed burst of six frames, combining them to create a single optimised image with dramatically reduced noise levels. Sony's (Alpha) DSLR range of cameras packs powerful specifications into an entry-level DSLR, perfect for people taking their photography to the next level.

Join Sony’s Twilight Football Australia Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=94194213038

Follow Twilight Football’s Flickr community here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/sonytwilightfootball/