Former Everton star Tim Cahill has made the move into motorsport.
Cahill, who notched 278 appearances and 68 goals in all competitions during his eight-year stint at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2012, is part of a group that will enter the first ever Asia-Pacific team into Extreme E, the electric off-road motor racing series.
The ex-Australian international, 42, who also represented Millwall, New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua, Hangzhou Greentown, Melbourne City and Indian Super League side Jamshedpur before retiring in 2019 following a professional career spanning more than two decades, is part of XE Sports Group, a subsidiary of EVDirect.com, a firm that is the distributor of BYD electric vehicles, a Chinese automotive firm backed by US billionaire Warren Buffett, around Australia and New Zealand.
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The entry into Extreme E will present the chance to showcase the latest BYD range and widen their scope into new regions.
Cahill, a two-time FA Cup runner-up with Millwall in 2004 and Everton in 2008, is seeking to try and connect football fans with Extreme E with his involvement in his new venture.
He said: "I’m really excited to be a part of this team. The combination of thrilling, competitive racing and leaving a lasting, positive impact makes the sport totally unique. We look to bringing a significant new audience to Extreme E from within the millions of football fans across the world."
Extreme E had its inaugural season in 2021 and began with nine teams competing across five locations, with teams backed by Formula One icons Jenson Button, Sir Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg among those contesting the competition. XE Sports Group will be entering their team in time for the third season of the competition next year.
The competition takes place now in seven locations in areas already damaged by climate change in a bid to raise awareness. Greenland, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Sardinia, Senegal and Bovington Camp in Dorset were the locations for the 2022 series.
Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: "We extend a huge, warm welcome to Luke and the XE Group to Extreme E, and we can’t wait to see how the team performs in its racing debut. Not only that but it is a great to see the goals of the team so closely reflecting our own in terms of climate and community impact, and we are very excited about the possibilities we have together in these shared purposes."
