Instead of following the lead of a number of Premier League teams and making their way to the USA, Liverpool are expected to head to Southeast Asia this summer in pursuit of the Soccer Champions Tour being set to become a regular fixture in the pre-season calendar.<\/p>\n
Pre-season being primarily the time of preparation for the season\u2019s approaching campaign, this is when managers have the opportunity to get their squad into ship-shape and also welcome new recruits.<\/p>\n
But for the commercial side of football clubs pre-season presents great opportunities to maximise revenue streams and to ensure they deliver for current commercial partners. For the Reds, some of their key partners such, as Standard Chartered and AXA, have significant presence in Asia.<\/p>\n
Klopp is understood to be placing significant focus on this coming summer in order to iron out some of the issues that his squad have encountered in a frustrating campaign. And, with a number of new signings expected, the time to bed in with the rest of the squad is going to be key.<\/p>\n
Klopp values the parts of the club’s pre-season away from the crowds, when he gets to work with the players closely and when squad bonds are helped to be forged. But visiting all key parts of the globe comes with the territory of elite clubs and this summer\u2019s trip, expected to include vital visits in key parts of Asia\u00a0like in the previous year is a vital source of income for the Reds, especially given that for two summers the coronavirus pandemic brought down the shears on any pre-season tour plans.<\/p>\n
The World Cup arrives in the USA in 2026, and with a nation that is finally starting to show signs of a \u2018soccer\u2019 boom, a host of top European sides, many of who, like Liverpool, have American ownership, have targeted the US to expand their brand at a time when interest is rapidly growing.<\/p>\n
The Reds last went to the US in 2019, visiting South Bend, Boston and New York, and are almost certain to head back Stateside at some stage ahead of the World Cup in three years’ time, with a number of key US commercial partners wanting to have brand association with the club on home soil.<\/p>\n
Summer tours are lucrative for football clubs and it is something that is only likely to keep growing, and something that investors have also seen the potential in. This summer sees the Soccer Champions Tour kick off in America, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, Arsenal and Manchester United all set to contest the inaugural competition.<\/p>\n
Packed out crowds, major brand visibility in a rapidly growing market with high consumer spend and strong broadcast deals means that competing in such a competition would be of significant financial benefit to clubs, something that Liverpool will no doubt look to be a part of in coming seasons.<\/p>\n
There will be opportunities to do so, too, with the competition set to become an annual event after US global investment firm Sixth Street Partners, who have investments in both Real Madrid and Barcelona, having launched a new company to host pre-season competitions in America between Europe\u2019s biggest football clubs.<\/p>\n
Legends, part Sixth Street\u2019s portfolio, will serve as the tour\u2019s commercial partner, monetising the games via merchandise, premium hospitality and sponsorship sales.<\/p>\n
The eight-game competition will see matches played across eight different stadiums in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston and Orlando.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to be partnering with the world\u2019s most storied clubs, which have the world\u2019s strongest and most passionate supporters, to provide this rare opportunity for American fans to experience the game at the highest level,\u201d Sixth Street co-founder and CEO Alan Waxman said in a statement.<\/p>\n
With such a tour set to become a regular fixture, the Reds will likely find themselves offered a seat at the table for the next time that they head across the Atlantic as the US market continues to thrive and become increasingly valuable to European football clubs, particularly those in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
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