Things look up Down Under with promo tours

Arsenal matches could provide greater visibility to the local football clubs

Arsenal play a doubleheader of friendly matches in Sydney this week and the arrival of the English Premier League giants is seen as a golden opportunity for football in Australia.

The Gunners’ new £52.5 million (Dh248 million) record signing Alexandre Lacazette could make his debut in today’s meeting with the reigning ALeague champions Sydney FC.

And Western Sydney Wanderers will then get the chance to measure themselves against Arsene Wenger’s men on Saturday at the ANZ Stadium.

The matches provide greater visibility to the local clubs and can help the sport continue to grow in Australia, according to Damien De Bohun, the former A-League head.

“The tours by European clubs reinforce the popularity of football globally,” said De Bohun, who is in charge of major events in the state of Victoria. “Technically, it also gives people the opportunity to see close up the professionalism of the overseas clubs and those clubs can also share some of their insights and playing and training techniques with local clubs and their players.”

Tottenham Hotspur played in Australia last year as part of the International Champions Cup, while Liverpool played a postseason game against Sydney FC in May.

“It’s great for the clubs to play football against bigger and better opposition,” added De Bohun. “It gives those clubs an exposure to the world football scene, a case in point are the Western Sydney Wanderers who won the Asian Champions League in 2014.”

Window for talent scouts

De Bohun also said that such matches have helped showcase the talents of individuals who have since gone on to earn moves to Europe. One, ex-Wanderers midfielder Aaron Mooy, was picked up by Manchester City and has since joined Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town. Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, once of Central Coast Mariners, has just signed for Brighton and Hove Albion from Valencia while his former club colleague Tom Rogic is now starring for Celtic.

“The European clubs can grow their global footprint. The big sponsors of the clubs who have offices in this part of the world also want to see the benefit of playing in Australia and its proximity to the big markets in Asia,” added De Bohun, who helped organise the recent international friendly played in Melbourne between Argentina and Brazil.

One of the objectives of hosting such matches is to convince other leading clubs that the facilities on offer are worth travelling the long distance to visit.