NEW YORK, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SiriusXM announced today that legendary soccer star Pele will sit down for an exclusive Q&A with an in-studio audience at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on Wednesday, April 2, as part of SiriusXM's exclusive "Town Hall" series.

"SiriusXM's Town Hall with Pele" will air at 6:00 pm ET on SiriusXM FC, channel 94, and will be moderated by longtime broadcaster Seamus Malin, who called Pele's games with the New York Cosmos.  Pele will be joined in studio by a small audience of SiriusXM subscribers who will have the opportunity to ask him questions about his life and legendary career.  Pele will also discuss his new book, Why Soccer Matters.

After the debut broadcast the special will be available on SiriusXM On Demand for subscribers via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App or online at SiriusXM.com.

"I am looking forward to sharing my life story and discussing my new book, Why Soccer Matters with the SiriusXM community," said Pele.  "It has been nearly 40 years since I last played professionally, and it's very special to know that I still have such a captive audience.  In the process of sharing insights and perspectives throughout my career, I hope it will inspire the youth and today's generation of athletes."

"Pele is one of the greatest sportsmen the world has ever known and he has continued to influence the sport of soccer and its fans long after his playing career ended," said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM's President and Chief Content Officer.  "He is a true global icon and to give our listeners the opportunity to interact with him in this intimate SiriusXM Town Hall setting is very special."

Widely regarded by soccer experts and fans as the greatest player of all time, Pele's name has been synonymous with soccer greatness for nearly six decades.  He won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil, where he is hailed as a national hero for both his play on the field and his dedication to improving social conditions for the poor.  The greatest goal scorer of all-time, he found the net 1283 times in 1366 games during his career, a feat recognized as a Guinness World Record.  When he joined the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in 1975, he significantly increased public awareness and interest in soccer in the United States, and he led the team to the NASL championship in 1977, his third and final season with the club.

In 1999, Pele was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20^th century, was elected "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee, and was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.  In 2014, he received the prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in recognition of his career and achievements as a global soccer icon.  Since his retirement from the soccer pitch he has used his global standing to serve as an active ambassador for humanitarian and environmental causes.

In his latest book, Why Soccer Matters, due out April 1, Pele details his ambitious goals for the future of the sport and, by extension, the world.

The event is part of SiriusXM's "Town Hall" series, which features intimate gatherings with an iconic personality sitting down with a studio audience of SiriusXM listeners.  Previous SiriusXM "Town Hall' specials have featured Katy Perry, Robin Williams, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Roger Goodell, Ringo Starr, Mike Krzyzewski and many others.

SiriusXM FC (channel 94) airs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offers the most comprehensive soccer coverage available in radio with live play-by-play from the Barclays Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Capital One Cup, UEFA Europa League and Major League Soccer.  Complementing the game coverage on the channel is a daily lineup of soccer talk shows hosted by an expert cast of former players, coaches, executives and journalists including John Harkes, Tony Meola, Ray Hudson, Charlie Stillitano, Neil Barnett, Roger Bennett, Michael Davies and entertainer Kevin Flynn.  For more info on SiriusXM FC visit www.SiriusXM.com/FC.  Follow the channel on Twitter @SiriusXMFC. 

About SiriusXM

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the world's largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has 25.6 million subscribers.  SiriusXM creates and broadcasts commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; exclusive talk and entertainment; and the most comprehensive Latin music, sports and talk programming in radio. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company in the U.S. and from retailers nationwide as well as at shop.siriusxm.com. SiriusXM programming is available through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM also provides premium traffic, weather, data and information services for subscribers in cars, trucks, RVs, boats and aircraft through SiriusXM Traffic™, SiriusXM Travel Link, NavTraffic®, NavWeather™, SiriusXM Aviation, SiriusXM Marine™, Sirius Marine Weather, XMWX Aviation™, and XMWX Marine™.  SiriusXM holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has more than 2 million subscribers.

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