Jersey sales surge for Arsenal, Newcastle United and AC Milan ahead of Singapore friendlies
Local fans told CNA that they are excited to welcome the teams, with many hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite players and even score autographs during their visit.
These European clubs are in Singapore this week for two pre-season friendly matches at the National Stadium.
SURGE IN SALES
Arsenal will take on Italian giant AC Milan on Wednesday (Jul 23), before taking Premier League rivals Newcastle on Sunday.
Sports store Weston Corp has been accelerating preparations this week, including for an AC Milan event in Singapore on Tuesday, geared up to welcome both players and fans.
It said that pre-season tours such as these often bring a surge in foot traffic and sales.
'Every time there's a pre-season (tour here), we do see an uptick in business,' said Mr Ami Chopra, sales director of football at Weston Corp.
'When those jerseys launch, you do see a slight, significant increase. Come closer to the date, people (feel like because their) team's playing, they need to wear something,' he added.
'So usually (because of) impulse buys, (we) will have quite a big spike in sales.'
The store will also run pop-up booths offering exclusive gear on match days, with extra staff on hand to meet the expected rise in demand.
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
For Newcastle fan Terence Ong, buying jerseys is a ritual.
He has amassed 85 Magpies shirts in his collection since the 1990s, including the Carabao Cup winners' print this year to celebrate the club's first domestic trophy in more than 70 years.
The local fan club NUFC-SG has also produced a special tee to mark Newcastle's visit.
'I think the club is realising now that there is an untapped market in Asia,' said Mr Ong, who is a committee member of the fan club.
'I like to think that it shows a trend that they want to engage the Asian fans a lot more,' he added. 'And for us, getting our fellow official supporters clubs down from the other parts of Asia itself represents more than just strengthening our bonds, it also gives all of us a chance to show Newcastle United the power or the strength of the Asian fan base here.'
For him and Singapore's 2,000-strong Toon army, football is also about bringing people together.
Plans for food drives and football clinics are in the pipeline to use sports to give back to the community.
For Arsenal fan Shaiful Rahman, he is looking to connect with fellow supporters from other Asian countries for the game.
'The main excitement for us is when we organise a fan party for all the regional friends who are coming to Singapore,' said the president of the Official Arsenal Singapore Supporters Club.
'It's kind of like a form of appreciation for them taking the trouble to fly here and getting to know each individual supporters club.'
He noted that there is also a deeper purpose behind it all, adding: 'It's the networking, getting to know each other, being Singaporean, supporting one another. I think that is the key to it.'
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