Pre-season 2017: Growing Opportunities from Summer Football Friendlies

Pre-season football offers commercial opportunities

Pre-season football tournaments have developed from a series of insignificant friendly games to commercially lucrative and successful events. The International Champions Cup is perhaps the best example of how growing football markets can capitalise on European club preparations for the forthcoming season, while also helping football clubs to grow their brand globally.

Summer friendlies attract larger global following

Summer friendly tours are becoming increasingly popular, often achieving higher attendances than domestic league games in host countries such as the US and China. In addition, these events are attracting a bigger global following due to the concentration of global superstars playing head-to-head and club encounters of the highest level.

Branding football terminology

Consistent use and branding of football terminology is increasingly used to generate both audiences and fan fervour. For example, ahead of a pre-season encounter between Barcelona and Real Madrid, El Clásico Miami organisers cleverly used the the term Clásico to successfully promote a four-day series of entertainment events surrounding the match.

Off season is the new season

Further opportunities also exist in traditional football-playing countries with well-established leagues, such as Germany. Friendly matches for the 2017 instalment of the Audi Cup – hosted by Bayern Munich – attracted large audiences, demonstrating the considerable interest in and demand for high-level football events during the break between league seasons.