Are Overseas Fans Falling Out Of Love With Premier League Summer Tours?

They call it ‘The Big House’ for a reason. More than 100,000 fans turned up to watch Manchester United face Liverpool at the University of Michigan’s cavernous stadium on Saturday, with Jurgen Klopp’s side running out 4-1 winners in front of a sea of red. This gave the impression of an American football fanbase ready to soak up everything and anything offered up to them.

This was something of a false impression, though. Saturday’s game between Manchester United and Liverpool was part of the International Champions Cup, the name given to the tournament which has come to dominate the pre-season agendas of Europe’s biggest and best clubs over the past few years. In this instance, fans came out in their numbers. But this is not the case elsewhere.

Just a few weeks ago, Manchester United played to thousands upon thousands of empty seats in Santa Clara, playing out a goalless draw against the San Jose Earthquakes. It was a similar tale for Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund in Charlotte. And for Chelsea and Inter Milan in Nice. And for Manchester City and Bayern Munich in Miami.

Meanwhile, Atlanta United set a new MLS attendance record of over 70,000 fans on the day of the World Cup final. Rather than funneling their passion for football, sparked by what we saw in Russia this summer, Stateside fans turned out for MLS games instead. Fans around the world are increasingly turning their back on pre-season games and pre-season tournaments like the International Champions Cup.

Of course, this drop in enthusiasm is also down to other factors. High ticket prices have been cited as a reason for all the empty seats seen at pre-season games this summer. For instance, the cheapest ticket for Manchester City’s International Champions Cup game against Bayern Munich in Miami on Saturday was $60. 

For years, Premier League and European clubs took advantage of the uncurbed fervour for football felt in countries lacking much heritage in the game. However, football fans in the United States, in the Far East and in Australia, where pre-season tours tend to take place, are getting smarter. They are wising up and apathy towards these matches is starting to grow.

To keep crowd numbers up countries like the United States might have to pitch themselves as destinations for competitive fixtures. NFL games have taken place in London for years, after all. The Spanish Super Copa is set to be played in Morocco this year. The same thing could happen with the Community Shield. Or maybe even the League Cup final. Until that happens, though, the sight of empty seats at pre-season games might be just as common as the sight of packed out stands.