Liverpool and Everton to strengthen ties with Australian football

Canberra, February 4 (IANS)

English Premier League giants Liverpool and Everton will move to strengthen ties with Australian football following significant announcements on Wednesday.

Liverpool announced its second pre-season tour of Australia in three years, confirming fixtures in Brisbane and Adelaide in July, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Everton revealed a player development agreement with A-League side Central Coast Mariners that would see young players exchanged between each club's respective academies.

Liverpool's return Down Under follows their maiden trip to Australia in 2013, where more than 95,000 people attended a one-off match against A-League side Melbourne Victory.

This time, the club will venture to Queensland and South Australia for the first time in its history, playing Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium and the Adelaide Oval respectively.

“Liverpool FC is one of the world's greatest football institutions and securing the match further built on Brisbane's reputation as a premier events destination,” Queensland Tourism and Events official Leanne Coddington said Wednesday.

“Queensland is home to three-time A-League champions Brisbane Roar, who will have the opportunity to play against one of the world's top clubs.”

Liverpool's announcement followed an agreement reached between fellow Merseyside club, Everton, and A-League side Central Coast Mariners.

The deal will see Everton send its most talented Under-21s and U-18s players to Australia to gain valuable senior experience, with the Premier League side also looking to use Central Coast as an avenue to handpick Australia's best youngsters.

Everton has a rich history of securing Australian talent, having once been home to the likes of Tim Cahill, Lucas Neill, Eddy Bosnar, David Carney and Jason Kearton.

Central Coast manager Phil Moss said in a statement that he is expecting more Australian players and, in particular Mariners players, find their way to Goodison Park.

“It opens up the door to player exchanges and resource sharing between the clubs and the coaching staff and there is hopefully the opportunity for myself and my staff to get over there and study the way they do things,” Moss said.