Perth Glory Football Club is excited to announce it will play English Premier League giants Chelsea FC in an international friendly at the new Perth Stadium in mid-2018.
The sporting coup has been secured by Tourism WA and VenuesLive (stadium operator) on behalf of the State Government and is expected to attract 65-thousand football fans with a very large number anticipated to come from Asia and interstate.
“This is an enormous opportunity for not only football fans, but sport fans in general, from around the nation and the Asia-Pacific region, to witness one of the best and biggest clubs in the world to play in our own back yard” said club CEO Peter Filopoulos.
“This will not only help grow and foster football in Western Australia but will expose Perth Glory’s brand to a new market and millions of viewers and fans around the globe”.
“This will be Chelsea’s only match in Australia during the Hyundai A-League pre-season campaign and will play an important role in Perth Glory’s preparations for the 2018/19 season” Filopoulos added.
The Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett made the announcement at the new Perth Stadium in Burswood this morning alongside Mr Filopoulos and Glory club captains Rostyn Griffiths and Samantha Kerr (Glory Women).
“Soccer is immensely popular in the eastern states and in some of our key Asian tourism markets, including Singapore, Malaysia and China,” Mr Barnett said.
Mr Barnett said the match was expected to attract 15,000 interstate and international visitors generating around $15 million for the WA tourism industry.
The tour will also allow for coaching and community appearances to be held by Perth and Chelsea players.
Filopoulos said Tourism WA and the Premier were to be commended for their hard work in landing the deal.
“I’d like to congratulate the Premier and Tourism WA on a great initiative in what is shaping as a significant event on the 2018 sports calendar, and one that is not to be missed.”
Ticketing and match details on the Chelsea fixture are yet to be finalised but Perth Glory members will receive access to an exclusive pre-sale opportunity.
Meantime Perth Glory will return to nib Stadium next Saturday night to host the Newcastle Jets in RD 18 of the Hyundai A-League.
