Is the Premiership obsessed with Asia or Asia with the Premiership?

With the news that Singapore’s Changi airport is enjoying unprecedented number of visitors reaching beyond the 45 million annual mark I put it all down to the number of Premiership football teams current going through Asia. Asia is the Premiership’s destination of choice.

Arsenal have just completed a tour of China and Malaysia. Liverpool have just done the same with a stopover in Singapore to conduct a training session watched by an amazing 4,000 people. (It helps that there sponsor Standard Chartered is headquartered here and has all their branches here and none in the UK). Chelsea are also here playing Malaysia (everyone loves Malaysia this year it seems!) and Thailand.

Manchester United have actually been the Asian pioneers, coming here since 1974 – amazing foresight or just luck? They claim that half of their 333 trillion fans, sorry million, fans live in Asia which explains this year’s trophy tour of China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia (of course!).

Clearly as Asia has 4 billion people living here which makes up some 60% of the world’s population there is a massive market for the Premiership to tap into. The next Premiership television rights contract will have more paid for it by the international market than the UK one, quite a remarkable feat and one that is unique to the English Premiership within global sports.

Pre-season football tours certainly help whip up the excitement and tap into the passion of the fans, people in Singapore are still wearing the commemorative Manchester United tour shirts from a couple of years ago when they actually played Singapore as well as other Asian countries. This in turn helps local TV operators sell the Premiership to subscribers as well as build loyal fan bases.

ManU this year have decided that the American market is for them too as have that other powerhouse premiership brand, Newcastle United…. However ManU are playing New England, Seattle, Chicago, MLS All Stars and World Champions Barcelona, while Newcastle are playing Kansas, Orlando and Columbus. Well at least Newcastle have a claim to fame (or rather infamy) with two of their star players not even allowed into America due to past criminal acts. That will help the brand be attractive to the darker side of America, maybe Newcastle are the choice of the underworld while ManU are clearly as homely as apple pie and the choice of mom and dad…….