Premier League Fans In Asia Want To Feel Valued – And Not Just As A Source Of Revenue

Fifty years ago, Arsenal mislaid 2-0 to Malaysia successful Kuala Lumpur, pinch jet-lagged players struggling to woody pinch frogs bouncing astir nan Merdeka Stadium transportation arsenic good arsenic nan legendary section striker Mokhtar Dahari.

Since then, however, galore aspects of Asian tours by English clubs person changed. They person become, mostly, slick affairs. This summer, Arsenal will sojourn neighbouring Singapore for games against Newcastle and Milan. Then to Hong Kong for an different northbound London derby against a Tottenham squad that will besides recreation to South Korea to look Newcastle. Liverpool sojourn Japan and Hong Kong conscionable weeks aft Manchester United were successful action location connected a post-season tour, which they vanished successful Malaysia.

Not each has changed, though. Arsenal received an undisclosed sum backmost successful nan mists of clip and generating gross is still nan bid of nan day. There are millions of fans successful Asia who want to spot their favourite teams and if they are fortunate capable to unrecorded successful nan continent’s richer countries – you don’t spot galore exhibitions successful Laos aliases Bangladesh, by opposition – clubs are happy to oblige. Sneering astatine specified exhibitions is easy; harder is staying up into nan early hours, play aft weekend, play aft season.

“These opportunities don’t travel astir often,” Sawita Chuasukontip, an Arsenal instrumentality successful Thailand, says. “There’s existent excitement arsenic everyone eagerly anticipates nan team’s sojourn to Asia, from nan announcement of nan circuit to nan summons sales. Many fans can’t make nan travel to Europe to spot games. That’s why nan club’s sojourn is truthful significant, it gives fans nan chance to acquisition their favourite squad up adjacent without nan agelong journey.”

Fans successful Malaysia felt nan aforesaid erstwhile Manchester United visited successful May. “It’s important arsenic astir of america can’t spend to alert crossed nan world to spot them unrecorded and fans do bask them,” says Aysha Ridzuan, a instrumentality and Kuala Lumpur-based sports societal media consultant. “For some, it’s for illustration a dream travel existent to spot them up close.”

United’s clip successful Malaysia almost turned into a nightmare pinch a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to an Asean All Stars squad and antagonistic headlines about nan behaviour and cognition of definite players. “It’s a shame nan caller 1 didn’t spell truthful good – arriving truthful soon from a reliable season,” Ridzuan adds. “But I dream they don’t return a agelong clip to travel again because it’s proven that they person a immense fanbase here. Even aft an atrocious season, complete 70,000 group still turned up to spot them successful action.”

The verdict connected nan capacity was not benignant aft nan defeat, but these kinds of games are becoming little common. “Fans are saturated of European teams coming successful and playing against nan nationalist squad aliases All Star teams, that’s been done to decease and very seldom creates a bully match,” Marcus Luer, who staged the United v Liverpool conflict successful Bangkok 3 years ago, says. There is simply a increasing inclination of large European clubs facing rivals alternatively of hastily assembled section sides. This whitethorn lead to higher prices but fans person shown they want nan juncture to beryllium arsenic authentic arsenic possible.

They besides want nan clubs to show they care. “I conscionable want them to make nan astir of their tour, for illustration reaching retired to underprivileged fans, for illustration children successful distant areas aliases those pinch constricted financial resources,” Jittakorn Srikhamkhrua, a Thai Liverpool instrumentality and influencer, says. “I’d for illustration nan nine to create much tangible opportunities for these individuals.”

Mohamed Salah gathering Liverpool supporters successful Hong Kong successful 2017. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

The much clubs do connected tour, nan amended it is. Fans successful Asia want to consciousness weighted and not conscionable arsenic a root of revenue. “It not only helps fortify connections pinch nan fans but mightiness besides promote much Asian supporters to recreation to Europe to watch matches successful person,” Chuasukontip says. “Importantly, it shows nan clubs’ committedness and attraction for their fans, moreover from a distance.”

Clubs request to activity connected that committedness each nan time. “Asian supporters want 24/7, 365 engagement pinch their favourite clubs and for a nine simply to sojourn a country, say, erstwhile each 4 years is simply not enough,” Simon Chadwick, professor of Eurasian athletics astatine Emlyon Business School successful Paris, says.

Arsenal fans support nan squad during a 2-2 tie against Kitchee FC successful Hong Kong successful 2012. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Manchester United’s immersive Theatre of Dreams acquisition and intermezo centres successful China are an illustration of what tin beryllium done. “They springiness fans nan opportunity to beryllium close, moreover though nan squad is elsewhere,” Chadwick adds. “This suggests that virtual reality, augmented reality, and integer technologies are apt to beryllium nan astir effective intends of sustaining relationships pinch distant fans. The mobility is, will clubs beryllium prepared to put successful them?” If so, past nan visits could spell to a caller level. “Asian tours person ne'er peaked because European clubs person ne'er taken them arsenic earnestly arsenic they should,” Chadwick says.

It is not conscionable astir engaging pinch existent fans but winning complete caller ones, too. Lifting awesome trophies is nan champion measurement and, while it could beryllium that gruelling trips to Asia successful pre-season do not help, this is nan reality successful which clubs operate. “Research has ever shown that nan main constituent of engagement for galore prospective fans is on-field success,” says Chadwick. “But engagement is not simply astir watching 90 seconds of highlights connected mobile devices, audiences want touch and consciousness experiences … uncovering a equilibrium betwixt occurrence and acquisition is 1 of nan large challenges European clubs face.”