OPINION
Leeds United are set to take on Manchester United next July on a pre-season tour of Australia – and owner Andrea Radrizzani could play a blinder with this arrangement as it could net the Yorkshire giants a lot of money in the future.
Australian news outlet The World Game claims that Leeds and bitter rivals Man United will play each other in their at Perth’s Optus stadium before jetting across the country to play Western Sydney Wanderers for the official opening of their new 30,000-seater stadium.
It is understood that Leeds’ plans for the trip Down Under are expected be made official on Wednesday.
The report adds that the Whites will take on the Red Devils on Wednesday July 17 and four days later they will be playing Western Sydney Wanderers.
Not only will this trip help Leeds to prepare for next season – whether they are in the Premier League or still a Championship club – but it could also see the club rake in millions of pounds in commercial income as the club has a huge chance to boost it’s profile in a country where football is growing increasingly popular.
Leeds already have great ties to Australian football having had Aussie internationals Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell and Neil Kilkenny on their books in the past, so it’s not like the club is unheard of on the other side of the world. Heck, even Australian citizen – although born in New Zealand – Russell Crowe is a Leeds supporter.
So boosting their profile in Australia could work out to be a piece of marketing brilliance by Italian businessman Radrizzani, who has transformed Leeds from laughing stock into serious promotion contenders in less than two years.
Continue this way and not only could Leeds be able to lure more quality young Aussies to Elland Road as they did in the 1990s and early 2000s, but they could also make a fair bit of money from these games and earn themselves some new fans (customers) over 9,000 miles away.