Mufc & Lfc Announce Pre-season Plans
Manchester United and Liverpool FC have both announced initial pre-season plans for 2022 that includes a game in Bangkok between the two Premier League rivals.
Manchester United will travel to Thailand and Melbourne, Australia for its first pre-season matches ahead of the 2022/23 season. The visit will mark the club’s first visit to Bangkok since 2013 and United will take on Liverpool in ‘The Match’ Centenary Cup on July 12th at the Rajamangala stadium in the Thai capital.
The squad will then fly to Australia for United’s to visit Melbourne. Fans will be able to see the Red Devils play at the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground against local A-League team Melbourne Victory on 15th July, and then against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace on 19th July.
Manchester United’s Football Director, John Murtough, said, “Pre-season tours are such an important part of the squad’s preparation for the season ahead, so it’s crucial to have excellent training facilities and high-quality opposition. We’re delighted that we’ll have both these things during our visits to Bangkok and Melbourne this summer, and we’re looking forward to playing in front of our fans in both cities for the first time in a number of years.”
Liverpool will arrive in Thailand for the first time since Brendan Rodgers took the side there in 2015. The club has indicated that this game is the ‘first stop on the Reds’ summer tour’.
Liverpool has also suggested that will also take an active role in key local community projects and cultural activities, during its trip to Thailand. The time abroad will also be viewed as an important opportunity to make the most of its global appeal and reach out to fans in other parts of the world.
Commercial Director at Liverpool FC, Ben Latty, said, “Pre-season tour is a vitally important time of year for our players to prepare for the upcoming season, and it provides a fantastic opportunity to meet with fans around the world.
“Since the start of the pandemic we’ve been unable to travel for pre-season and so we’re extremely excited to be able to visit our supporters globally once again and compete in games like ‘The Match’. This trip to Bangkok will be very special and we’re really looking forward to having many of our supporters with us along the way.”
United brought in £12.9m in revenues from its exhibition tour to Australia in the summer of 2019, accounted for in the 2019/20 accounts, which showcases the commercial and financial benefits of these global tours which have been sorely missed throughout the pandemic.
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