February 4 – English Premier League club Liverpool will head for Australia for the second time in three years for their pre-season tour in July, playing games in Adelaide and Brisbane for the first time.
More than 95,000 watched Liverpool play Australian A League team Melbourne Victory in July 2013 at the iconic MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) stadium. That Liverpool team included Stephen Gerrard and Luis Suarez and came out easy 2-0 winners. The team then travelled on to Bangkok for another friendly.
The pre-season 2015 tour will see the Reds play the Brisbane Roar in Queensland at the Suncorp Stadium on July 17, before moving on to play Adelaide United on July 20 at the Adelaide Oval, another cricket ground.
“We visited Australia for the first time two years ago and the support we received from our Australian fans was incredible. Liverpool FC has over 600,000 supporters in Australia and we look forward to meeting as many of them as possible while we are in the country,” said Liverpool chief executive officer Ian Ayre.
“Pre-season is an important time for the team as they prepare for the upcoming season and the matches against Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United are an exciting part of that preparation, giving our supporters a chance to see the team up close, no matter how far away from Anfield they live.”
The Reds kick-off in Queensland against Brisbane Roar at the Suncorp Stadium on Friday 17July and will then line-up against Adelaide United at the Adelaide Oval on Monday 20 July.
Liverpool have committed to take their full squad as well as coaching staff from the Liverpool FC Foundation to carry out work in the community during the visit as well as taking part in events with official supporters’ clubs.
Ticket sales for the tour have already started with hospitality tickets on sale today as well as a pre-register system for general admission tickets.
Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Chief Executive, Leanne Coddington, said: “Liverpool FC is one of the world’s greatest football institutions and securing the match further built on Brisbane’s reputation as a premier events destination. High-profile events such as this play an important role in enhancing Queensland’s tourism profile.
“The match will be a highlight among a fantastic sporting line up of events for Brisbane in 2015 which will be promoted as part of It’s Live! in Queensland.”
Liverpool have an official country-specific Twitter account for Australia and New Zealand – @LFCANZ – as well as an official LFC Facebook page for Australia with ‘followers’ and ‘likes’ at about 270,000.
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