World Soccer - UK (2020-10)

Premier League

mitigated by increasing take-up of digital

platforms to connect with fans.

Simon Chadwick, professor of

Eurasian Sport at the Emlyon Business

School, says: “Ten years ago it would

have really adversely affected

engagement activities but with social

media and broadcast media, what the

pandemic has done is brought forward

something that’s happening anyway and

hastened the rise of digital engagement.”

This summer Bayern Munich created

an online tour including digital autograph

sessions and virtual fan challenges for

the Bundesliga giants’ 4,500 organised

international fan clubs. This could be

only the tip of the iceberg, with the

potential for technology to radically

change preseason forever.

“We are only just starting to see what

can be achieved with augmented reality,”

adds Kieran Maguire. “Soon you will be

able to watch a game in New York from

the perspective of the national stadium

in Malaysia, or there will be a camera

embedded in Lionel Messi’s shirt and

you will be able to be Messi for that

preseason friendly.”

As with so many parts of the global

economy, the latest Premier League

summer break is likely to be very

different from the last pre-COVID

preseason of 2019.

opportunity, but not this summer.
Sales of new shirts, which are
traditionally unveiled on the final game
of the previous season then sold over
the summer break, are also likely to
suffer as the promotion schedule is
disrupted. Last year, clubs in the big
five European leagues sold a record
16 million shirts according to research
by PR Marketing, whose director
Dr. Peter Rohlmann says: “The record
numbers for shirt sales in the top
European leagues will decrease
significantly due to the coronavirus
circumstances and late presented new
jerseys, but also due to the fact that
significant sales promotion through
preseason tours cannot take place.
“Overall, football merchandising will
see significant losses in 2019-20 and
2020-21.”
These problems have been partly

Asia Trophy...Wolves

beat Manchester

City in last year’s

competition

The league is marketing rights for

a new deal from 2022 and tours are

an ideal marketing opportunity,

but not this summer

Steve Menary is the author of the book “A Friendly

Business? A critical evaluation of the globalisation of the

commercialisation of the preseason friendly” (CIES 2019).

Premier League

preseason destinations

2010-19

Country Matches

USA 159

Germany 101

Austria 70

Portugal 31

Republic of Ireland 26

China 24

Hong Kong 24

Australia 22

Spain 20

France 19

Netherlands 19

Switzerland 17

Sweden 14

Singapore 12

Malaysia 9

Canada 8

Japan 7

Norway 7

South Africa 7

Thailand 7

Italy 5

Denmark 4

Finland 4

Indonesia 4

New Zealand 4

Belgium 3

Costa Rica 3

Turkey 3

Iceland 2

South Korea 2

Vietnam 2

Greece 1

Hungary 1

Kenya 1

Macau 1

Mexico 1

Poland 1

San Marino 1

Slovenia 1

Tanzania 1