5) The international pre-season tours
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Much before the emergence of the International Champions’ Cup, the Manchester United hierarchy realised the financial potential of playing pre-season matches abroad. While pre-season fixtures are organised by every club to get their players match fit so that they hit the ground running with the onset of the league season, it is also a mode of making healthy profits for clubs.
Manchester United hit two birds with one stone, in the mid-2000s as they started touring faraway lands in Asia, Africa and South America during pre-season training. While the players got some much-needed game time, the club increased its fan base across the world which meant increased revenue through avenues such as shirt sales.
While global tours have become the norm for most of Europe’s top clubs nowadays, Manchester United are widely regarded as being the pioneers of this marketing strategy. Tours in China and South Africa reaped particular dividends, as they coincided with the English Premier League witnessing a spurt in viewership in those regions.
