Three European teams targeted for Australian tournament
LONDON (Reuters) - Three leading European soccer teams will play a pre-season tournament in Australia next year to tap into growing interest in the sport there, one of the event's promoters said on Tuesday.
The tournament is an extension of the International Champions Cup which features eight teams and is played in north America before the start of the European season.
"Australia is a sports-mad country and the fans will flock to watch quality," said Michael Principe, the chief executive of co-promoter TLA Worldwide.
"With the time zones there, it also gives access to the Asian viewing market," added Principe.
Melbourne is the likely venue for 2015. TLA, which will promotes the event with Australian television network Nine Entertainment, is in talks with the Victoria government about staging the event in the city.
Liverpool drew a crowd of 95,000 when the English Premier League club played Melbourne Victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2013.
The line-up for the tournament is expected to be confirmed in around a month.
The pre-season tour has become an important marketing tool for many of Europe's top soccer teams who want to connect directly with their faraway fans. However, some coaches are unhappy with the demands that long-haul travel place on players before the main action begins.
TLA is a sports marketing company which represents athletes in baseball and also has U.S. Ryder Cup golfers Jim Furyk and Patrick Reed among its clients.
(Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Ed Osmond)
