Latest news with #RichardGarlick
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why are Arsenal playing Spurs 6,000 miles away in Hong Kong, and how have fans reacted?
There's not much we haven't seen in the north London Derby down the years — but the next time they clash will represent a first for the fixture. On July 31, Tottenham and Arsenal will face off at the 50,000-seater Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, 6,000 miles from London, the first time the game will be played overseas. Advertisement 'There are few bigger occasions in English football than a north London derby and to play this fixture in Hong Kong will be a huge occasion for our passionate fanbase across Asia, as well as providing ideal preparation for the team ahead of the new season,' Ryan Norys, Tottenham's chief revenue officer, said in a statement to the club's website. 'As is tour tradition, the club will be involved in so much more than the match itself when we visit, supporting charitable causes, celebrating local culture, delivering football clinics for young people and engaging with fans and partners. We cannot wait to visit such a beautiful place once again.' Arsenal's managing director Richard Garlick described it as a 'great experience for both teams and supporters' and that the club 'cannot wait to connect with our Hong Kong supporters in this wonderful part of the world'. Here, The Athletic explains why they're doing it, and what people think. Naturally, money is a significant factor in this decision. Tottenham are regular visitors to Asia in pre-season and spent last summer in South Korea and Japan. It will be Arsenal's first visit to Hong Kong since 2012, when they drew 2-2 with local side Kitchee SC in the Hong Kong Stadium. Pre-season tours are big money spinners for Europe's biggest clubs, with the most prominent clubs demanding millions for individual matches. A source, kept anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic in 2022 that Europe's premier clubs can demand fees of over £2million ($2.6m) per game. Given that this is the first north London derby to take place on foreign soil, it would not be a surprise for Arsenal and Spurs to demand a comparable figure. Tottenham sit 14th in the Premier League and will likely not qualify for Europe through their league position. They are in the quarter-final of the Europa League and could still enter next season's Champions League by winning that tournament. But the extra revenue earned through pre-season friendlies may help to make up for the potential lost income. Spurs released their accounts for 2023-24 on Monday, a season in which they were not in European competition. Their total revenue decreased by four per cent to £528.2million from 2022-23, with the money earned from UEFA competition dropping from £56.2m to £1.3m. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy noted how a varied 'income strategy' will help the club compete in the transfer market in the absence of the added European competition prize money. Advertisement 'Our capacity to generate recurring revenues determines our spending power,' he said in a statement on the club's website. 'We cannot spend what we do not have, and we will not compromise the financial stability of this club — indeed, our off-pitch revenues have significantly supplemented the lower football revenues this year, testament to our diversified income strategy.' In contrast, Arsenal posted record revenues of £616.6 million for 2023/24, an increase of around £150m from the season before. Mikel Arteta's side appears set to qualify for Europe's premier competition again next season and have a Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid on the horizon. Long-term, pre-season tours and high-profile spectacle fixtures may help to grow the international fanbase. Which, of course, means more merchandise sold, lucrative broadcast deals and increased revenues for the Premier League and its clubs. Kai Tak Stadium, which opened officially on March 1, will host the fixture as part of its inaugural Hong Kong football festival. It opened its doors to the public with the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament last weekend, attracting over 110,000 fans over three days, according to World Rugby. It will also be the venue for several major concerts between now and the pre-season north London derby, including four dates of Coldplay's 'Music of the Spheres' world tour this month. On July 26, five days before Spurs and Arsenal are scheduled to play, Liverpool and their 2005 and 2007 Champions League final opponents AC Milan will play the first football match in the stadium. According to reports in China, the Kai Tak Sports Park, including the stadium, cost around HK$30billion ($3.8bn; £2.9bn) to build. With a capacity of 50,000 in the main stadium and 10,000 in the indoor arena, it is Hong Kong's largest sports venue. If you plan to follow Spurs to Hong Kong, there's plenty to do around the park. There's an on-site mall with over 200 stores and a 40-lane 10-pin bowling alley. There are also more than 60 food and drink vendors. Advertisement Arsenal and Tottenham have a long and well-documented history in various competitions, but their first meeting was actually a friendly. Tottenham hosted the amateur club Royal Arsenal, as they were known then, on November 19 1887, on the Tottenham Marshes. The home side were 2-1 ahead, when the game was abandoned in the 75th minute due to bad light. By then, Tottenham Hotspur were five years old and playing competitively in the London Association Cup. Arsenal, in contrast, were in their second season, playing at the Sportsman Ground on the Plumstead Marshes in south-east London. While it's technically a competitive fixture, some may count their 1991 Charity Shield meeting as a friendly. To emphasise the 'friendliness' of the occasion, Arsenal and Spurs played out a 0-0 draw with no extra time or penalties to decide the winner, and both sides held the trophy for six months each. It was the last time the Charity Shield trophy was shared, with new regulations brought in the following season to go to extra time and, subsequently, penalties should the scores be level after 90 minutes. Their most recent friendly match was in August 2021, with Spurs beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Weeks after the Euro 2020 final, the home fans gave an ovation to Bukayo Saka, who missed a penalty in the shootout defeat to Italy, with the England and Arsenal forward acknowledging the support with his own applause. 'I wasn't particularly surprised by the news, but I was surprised that we hadn't played Tottenham in a friendly (abroad) before. I hadn't thought about it but the environmental point is a little crazy, but we've seen Barcelona vs Real Madrid, and Arsenal vs Manchester United and Liverpool abroad, so what's the big deal? It's nothing particularly different to what we've done with previous friendlies. 'As a match-going fan, everyone deserves the chance to experience Arsenal live. We have a huge worldwide fanbase, so I don't see any issue with us playing Tottenham in Hong Kong or just abroad. If we are going to make a few million, which means money towards more signings and potentially subsidising costs for members and season ticket holders, it would be interesting to know whether that was something they were thinking about. 'It's a friendly and we're playing Tottenham. Maybe that's not a 'friendly' but there will be a needle in that game even if it is a friendly. Arsenal aren't going to want to lose to Tottenham, regardless of where it is. I personally don't see any issue with it.' 'It's obviously not the absolute end of the world, there are plenty of worse things that go on in football, but as a 'legacy fan', as Spurs have dubbed us, it's sad to see something like this happening. 'Football needs to try and reach new horizons, which is totally understandable, but it does feel like they push and push. It's a little tweak here and try something else there. You look at Spain, and they have their Super Cup now happening in Saudi Arabia. People are talking about the Champions League final one day happening in America. Things like this friendly don't directly lead to it, but it feels like they're trying to push the boundaries and make that sort of thing gradually more acceptable to fans. Advertisement 'Obviously these kind of prestige friendlies are great for fans across the world, but for the 'bread and butter' supporter who has been going for years, it's not particularly palatable. I don't think many people who have been born and bred in London and have been going to Spurs forever would be very happy to see this. It kind of feels like a precursor to the 39th game and setting the table for stuff going forward. That does have more of a serious effect on the league and how we support our clubs in competitive games. 'Ultimately, if this revenue gives the club the opportunity to bring in top talent, who are we to argue…?' 'Regardless of what opponents they are playing, every time Spurs go to Hong Kong, it is meaningful. It means everything to the Spurs fans in Hong Kong and Asia. Fan groups from different parts of southeast Asia, like Singapore, Japan, and Korea, will come and have a great time there. 'The last time Spurs came to Hong Kong was seven or eight years ago. The supporters' club had a great night with (Mauricio) Pochettino in a bar. It was a great occasion; he sat with us for maybe an hour and a half and answered our questions. After that, we sang together and drank together. 'For every Spurs fan, it's extra special that it will be a north London Derby. It's a dream for every fan to watch it in person. It's a great opportunity for fans in Asia to get to watch it with their own eyes. We expect people from Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China — even Macau, the Philippines, and Malaysia. We will feel the importance of it, and I hope we take no prisoners. We will go and defeat them. We say Hong Kong is white, not red. 'Hong Kong is not famous in a football sense, but we have a great passion for football. So, with the new stadium, and everything that it brings, and inviting big clubs to play, there will be a big boost to Hong Kong's prestige in Asia. The people in Hong Kong love football. They may not do so well in football, but we love our teams and the sport. 'It is our honour to be the first country hosting the north London derby. We are so excited and looking forward as most fans will never have the opportunity to watch this game at the Emirates Stadium or watch Arsenal. I think the last time Arsenal came to Hong Kong was in 2012. 'It is a milestone for our new stadium. The north London derby is a special game; it's not a normal friendly or exhibition game. We have more than 500 people in our (supporters') club and, so long as the game is played before midnight, we organise a party for every game to watch together. Advertisement 'When you talk about international matches, well, the MLB and the NBA started bringing international games over years ago. They get great feedback from the new audience. It's a very good opportunity to promote the game in different countries — I see the positive side. Most overseas fans expect we will only get exhibition football games, we don't expect a competitive game like the Champions League final. But if there's a chance to watch a league game over here, maybe the first game of the season, that would be something else for us.' 'Pre-season tours to far-flung places are becoming the norm in the Premier League. These fixtures create a growing tension between clubs' attempts to grapple with their emissions and a desire to expand their fanbase. A north London derby, set to take place in Hong Kong, is a glaring example of the contradictions at the heart of football's sustainability efforts. 'Spurs and Arsenal have publicly pledged to cut their emissions and reach net zero, yet pre-season tours that require vast amounts of air travel are deemed permissible or even necessary. This suggests both a failure to acknowledge the scale of climate challenge for football and a lack of leadership from clubs that are purported pioneers on this issue. 'This is a terrible idea. Players are exhausted from the crazy number of matches already and, at the same time, the climate crisis is getting worse fast and hurting people around the world. More long-haul flights are the opposite of what we need. 'There are so many alternatives: a longer local pre-season tour with amateur clubs, a match in London between the two teams or a small tournament with clubs at train distance, including PSG and Ajax, for example.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal confirm 1st pre-season fixture as further details leak
Arsenal confirm 1st pre-season fixture as further details leak Arsenal have confirmed plans to hold a north London derby match in Hong Kong this summer, as part of the club's 2025/26 pre-season plans. Photo byArsenal have officially confirmed leaks that they intend to hold a north London derby pre-season match this summer, facing Tottenham Hotspur at the newly-opened Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. Advertisement It will be the first north London derby held outside of the United Kingdom, with the game scheduled for July 31st at 19:30 local time, 11:30 BST. Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick said: 'Everyone at Arsenal is excited to be visiting Hong Kong in July. It's great to be back with our men's first team squad after 13 years, and gives us the opportunity to meet so many of our fantastic supporters in the region again. 'As well as training hard and playing the match, we cannot wait to connect with our Hong Kong supporters in this wonderful part of the world. 'Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season.' Photo byArsenal are seemingly set for a tour of Asia, with Arsenal Fixture News reporting that they expect two more games outside of Hong Kong but still on the same continent. Both are expected to take place before the Hong Kong match. Advertisement Arsenal's 2024/25 campaign will come to an end in May, whether that's the final game of the Premier League season on May 25th or the Champions League final on May 31st. The Gunners are seemingly set for around a month and a half off after that, with pre-season starting at some point in mid-July. The new season will then kick off on August 16th. Photo byThe Premier League have recently confirmed that the summer transfer window will open briefly between June 1st and June 10th (due to the Club World Cup) before opening properly on June 16th and closing on September 1st. Arsenal should therefore have over a month to complete any transfers before the pre-season tour kicks off. Ideally, a few new signings will be involved by the time the team reaches Hong Kong.
Asharq Al-Awsat
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Arsenal, Tottenham to Play Pre-season North London Derby in Hong Kong
Arsenal will play Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the first North London derby to be held outside the United Kingdom, the clubs said Monday, while Liverpool will meet AC Milan. The London rivals will play at the southern Chinese city's new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31. "Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season," AFP quoted Arsenal's managing director Richard Garlick as saying. Liverpool will play Serie A giants Milan on July 26 at the same stadium. It will be a replay of the classic 2005 Champions League final, which the Reds won on penalties after being 3-0 down at half-time. Arne Slot's Liverpool are likely to head to Hong Kong as Premier League champions -- they are currently 12 points clear with nine games left. Liverpool will also travel to Japan for the first time during pre-season, the club said, without giving dates. Hong Kong this month officially opened a major $3.85 billion sports park with futuristic Kai Tak Stadium the centerpiece of it. The stadium saw its first major event at the weekend when it hosted the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens with more than 110,000 spectators attending over three days. It is all part of efforts to restore the city's image, which took a battering after political protests and a Beijing-imposed national security law. Visitor numbers to Hong Kong also plummeted during almost three years of strict Covid curbs and have only recently begun to recover.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal, Tottenham to play pre-season North London derby in Hong Kong
An aerial view of the Kai Tak Sports Park, where Arsenal will play Tottenham in a pre-season friendly later this year (Peter PARKS) Arsenal will play Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the first North London derby to be held outside the United Kingdom, the clubs said Monday, while Liverpool will meet AC Milan. The London rivals will play at the southern Chinese city's new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31. Advertisement "Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season," said Arsenal's managing director Richard Garlick. Liverpool will play Serie A giants Milan on July 26 at the same stadium. It will be a replay of the classic 2005 Champions League final, which the Reds won on penalties after being 3-0 down at half-time. Arne Slot's Liverpool are likely to head to Hong Kong as Premier League champions -- they are currently 12 points clear with nine games left. Advertisement Liverpool will also travel to Japan for the first time during pre-season, the club said, without giving dates. Hong Kong this month officially opened a major $3.85 billion sports park with futuristic Kai Tak Stadium the centrepiece of it. The stadium saw its first major event at the weekend when it hosted the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens with more than 110,000 spectators attending over three days. It is all part of efforts to restore the city's image, which took a battering after political protests and a Beijing-imposed national security law. Visitor numbers to Hong Kong also plummeted during almost three years of strict Covid curbs and have only recently begun to recover. pst/dh
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Arsenal and Tottenham announce Hong Kong friendly as first north London derby outside of UK
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will play each other in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong — the first time in history that a north London derby has been held outside of the United Kingdom. The July 31 fixture is part of the Hong Kong Football Festival (HKFF) and will be held at the 50,000 seater Kai Tak Stadium which only opened at the beginning of March. Advertisement Tottenham regularly travel to Asia in pre-season and last year they visited Japan and South Korea. Arsenal were on tour in the United States last summer and this will be their first visit to Hong Kong since 2012. 'There are few bigger occasions in English football than a north London derby and to play this fixture in Hong Kong will be a huge occasion for our passionate fanbase across Asia, as well as providing ideal preparation for the team ahead of the new season,' Ryan Norys, Tottenham's chief revenue officer, said. 'As is tour tradition, the club will be involved in so much more than the match itself when we visit, supporting charitable causes, celebrating local culture, delivering football clinics for young people and engaging with fans and partners. We cannot wait to visit such a beautiful place once again.' The first north London derby outside of the UK! 🤩 🏟️ Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong🗓️ 31 July 2025⏰ 7.30pm (local time) — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 31, 2025 Arsenal's managing director Richard Garlick spoke about the club's 'excitement' at returning to Hong Kong more than a decade after their last trip. 'As well as training hard and playing the match, we cannot wait to connect with our Hong Kong supporters in this wonderful part of the world,' he said. 'Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season.' Liverpool are heading to Hong Kong in the summer too and will face Italian side AC Milan in the Standard Chartered Trophy on July 26 at the same venue as the NLD. (Top photo of Son Heung-min and Declan Rice:)
