Pre-season tours: Inside the economics of football’s summer money-spinners

Pre-season tours: Inside the economics of football’s summer money-spinners

Football’s summer tours have turned into travelling commercial platforms bringing together big fees, sponsors, merchandise, media and global fan growth, explains Simon Dent. For most football supporters, pre-season used to mean low-key friendlies against a local non-league team, some heavy-legged players and a chance to see the new signing for 30 minutes. For clubs, it [...]