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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Dean Rudge

How much Liverpool's pre-season tour of the USA may be worth as stars prepare to jet out

After trouncing Tranmere Rovers in the sides' customary game and downing Bradford City, in a game more importantly remembered for the money raised for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, Liverpool fly out to the USA to continue their preparations for the new season.

The jam-packed trip will see the Reds play three games in three states, spread out across only five days.

An opening fixture against Jurgen Klopp's former side Borussia Dortmund in Indiana will be followed by a game against Sevilla in Boston, Massachusetts, before a final tie with Sporting Lisbon in New York City.

Culminating the Reds' pre-season, Liverpool will play Napoli in Edinburgh and Lyon in Geneva before facing down Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on 4 August.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez of Liverpool arriving for Pre Season on July 16, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Trips to the States and other lucrative, football-crazy markets have long been the food and drink of pre-season for major European teams, owing to the exposure they get in non-European markets and the revenue they generate.

Alongside the matches themselves, clubs often embark on 'promotional tours' while overseas - during which the players and staff have the opportunity to engage with fans, while support and fulfilling the marketing objectives of sponsors.

As the reigning Champions of Europe , and with American owners, Liverpool can expect a huge chunk of income from their latest promotional tour to the USA.

On last season's tour of the States, more than 100,000 fans flocked to see Liverpool take on Manchester United in Michigan.

Of course, conjecture swirled for years around the idea of the '39th Game' in the Premier League - with North America one potential destination.

Blood Red: America Reacts to Liverpool's Champions League glory

This has since been put on ice, but pre-season tours remain a key part of club's agendas.

Exact income figures are rarely disclosed, but data released by rivals Manchester United in recent seasons should help provide some insight.

In 2017/18, Manchester United's pre-season 'exhibition games' combined with the club's 'promotional tours' generated revenues of £14.6 million, 'excluding any related sponsorship revenue.'

The club's pre-season in 2017 spanned a five-game tour of the States, comprising games with LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The latter three games had attendances north of 65,000 - including more than 80,000 at the Barcelona game.

The club also travelled to Norway to face local side Vålerenga, before finishing their tour in front of 50,000 fans in Ireland against Sampdoria.

This was a huge leap on the season before, when the club earned £7.3million from travelling to China and other friendlies, including Wayne Rooney's and Michael Carrick's testimonials.

Juventus, meanwhile, revealed in the club's 2017/18 accounts that they had received advances worth €6.95million (£6.28million) for their 2018 summer tour - which included a four-game tour of the States.

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