F
orthecommercial departments
of the world’s biggest clubs,
preseason is almost more
important than the actual
season. The summer is a commercial
free-for-all as clubs rack up thousands
of air miles in pursuit of new fans, new
sponsorship deals and better TV deals- but not this year.
Coronavirus left leagues struggling to
finish and, along with travel restrictions,
there is no space for the traditional
preseason. Most managers will be
relieved that there will be no need for
the annual battles with commercial
departments over long trips that drain
players on the eve of the season.
No other clubs travel like those from
the Premier League: in the last decade,
40 different countries have hosted
teams from England’s top division
Between 2013 and 2017, 53 per cent
of preseason games played by Premier
League clubs were abroad. In the global
battle for fans and television money,
their biggest rival is La Liga, but only 43
per cent of preseason games played by
top-flight Spanish clubs were overseas.
The ratio is lower still in Italy, where 32
per cent of Serie A games are abroad,
with 31 per cent for the Bundesliga and
30 per cent for France’s Ligue1.
Last summer, the Premier League
clubs visited19 countries, and the USA
is the top destination. Football finance
expert Kieran Maguire says: “US toursSPECIAL
REPORTFenway Park...the
iconic Boston Red Sox
ground has regularly
hosted Liverpool’s
preseason friendlies