“I have no religion, I have no god. Liverpool FC is my religion – it’s a way of life for me.”
Jack87 news today, Premier League rivals Manchester United chose to visit Thailand and Australia this summer, and they also played Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are headed to South Korea, the home country of their superstar striker Son Heung-min.
From a sports perspective, these trips are meaningless. Long flights across multiple time zones, heat and humidity are not ideal preparations for a new season back in England.
“It’s not my favourite thing to do,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told a news conference in response to questions from the BBC.
“First of all, I’m a coach and it would be better if we could spend two weeks in Austria and train there twice a day.”
“But we know how big our fan base in asianbookie , and it’s great to be close to them.”
In fact, the elite football debate has long since settled. The business debate has finally won out, and executives this summer will feel right about the high levels of demand they see in the region.
New figures reported this year show that for the first time the Premier League will earn more from international broadcasters than its domestic channels in its home UK market. From next quarter to 2025, Asia alone is expected to reach $1.4 billion.
In South Korea, Tottenham’s exhibition match against the local All-Star team sold out in 25 minutes. It also became the most streamed sporting event in the country’s history.
Meanwhile, bk8 promoters in Bangkok are comfortable setting the starting ticket for a friendly between Manchester United and Liverpool at $136. In Singapore, the cheapest fare is $107.
These prices are far higher than what fans would pay for a competitive game in England, but in the end they represent a strong draw for the Premier League’s top clubs.
A Liverpool spokesman told the BBC: “We don’t set these fares, we charge a flat fee and don’t get any share of ticket sales.”
Born in Singapore – nearly 11,000km (6,800 miles) from Liverpool’s Anfield stadium – Wigger has been waiting for his team to visit his hometown since 2011.
He is not the only one. Earlier this month, more than 50,000 fans flocked to Singapore’s National Stadium for the friendly match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
Premier League teams are once again travelling the globe on their pre-season summer tour after a three-year Covid-19 travel ban was imposed.
The economic significance of these trips cannot be overemphasized. When United recorded a loss of nearly $56 million (£46.8 million) in commercial revenue in 2021, the club said it was “mainly due” to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, including the cancellation of first-team pre-season games in India.
Now with bk8 malaysia restrictions eased, many clubs are flocking to their number one overseas market.
“Asia is our largest single region in terms of fan base,” Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan told the BBC.
“Someone once said to me that you can stand at any airport, hop on any plane, there is a reason to go there and find Liverpool fans. But a third of our global support is here and we feel there is a huge opportunity in Asia.”
global appeal
Asian earnings
How much teams earn from these distant friendlies is often closely guarded in the industry, but analysts say the costs alone are unlikely to justify the trips, especially when travel and staff costs are factored in.
Kevin McCullagh, Asia-Pacific editor for trade publication SportBusiness, said: “Teams don’t actually make a ton of money directly from the preseason, maybe a few hundred per game at the top end. Ten thousand U.S. dollars.”
“But a bigger game is on the way. It’s about brand building and the fan engagement market, which will lead to bigger long-term revenue through rights deals and sponsorship deals with Asian brands and companies. That’s the real deal. where the money is.”
While in Singapore, Liverpool signed a new shirt sponsorship deal worth more than $240 million with Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered.
In addition to helping boost the profile of sponsors on the global stage, football clubs can provide them with a ready-made treasure trove of consumer data.
For example, Manchester United estimates that their customer relationship management (CRM) database contains 50 million records. On social media last year, they had 176 million connections.
As a result, in return for sponsorship dollars, brands and their marketing departments often gain valuable insight into the spending behavior of millions of fans who have signed up or interacted with the club at some point in the past.
“The first thing big brands look at is fan data,” Mr. McCullagh said.
