Four English Premier League clubs will bring their star power to Perth when they make our city their home for a blockbuster weekend of sensational matches before tens of thousands of fans at Optus Stadium in July.
This is yet another huge coup for the McGowan Government's major events strategy to attract thousands of tourists and inject millions of dollars into the local economy.
The sporting blockbuster involves four of the biggest teams in English football history.
Leeds United will take on Crystal Palace on Friday July 22, 2022, while Manchester United and Aston Villa will face off on Saturday July 23, 2022.
All travelling clubs have committed to bringing their full first team to ensure top players participate in the matches. Both games will be played at Optus Stadium.
Bringing the A-list clubs for Perth's International Festival of Football, ICON, has been facilitated by the McGowan Government through Tourism WA, in partnership with VenuesLive, VenuesWest, Left Field Live and TEG Live.
The matches are just the beginning, with a range of fan engagement opportunities bringing the capital city alive from the week commencing July 18.
These 'More than a Match' events will take place at a range of venues around Perth and Fremantle for Club fans to get involved in. Information about these opportunities can be found at www.iconperth.com.au.
The matches are expected to attract thousands of interstate and international visitors, support local jobs and businesses and see millions of dollars generated for the Western Australian economy, as well as generate extensive global media coverage and publicity for the State.
The events will also showcase Perth to hundreds of millions of sports fans around the world through social media accounts of both the celebrity players and their globally popular clubs. Manchester United alone has more than 200 million followers across 16 social media platforms globally, with many high-profile individual players across the four clubs also boasting follower numbers in the hundreds of millions.
The matches in Perth form the perfect start to pre-season training for the four clubs, who are able to take advantage of Perth's mild climate and state-of-the-art facilities in preparation for the next English Premier League season.
The game also marks a return to Perth for Manchester United and Leeds United Football Club, after each club's hugely successful pre-season tours in 2019, which drove $16.5 million in visitor spend and an additional 13,000 out-of-State visitors travelling to WA.
Tickets for the highly anticipated matches will go on sale to the general public on Thursday May 5. There will also be options for visitors to select travel packages and stay in world class accommodation in Perth.
The matches will be broadcasted on free to air TV within Australia on Network 10, with the second match to be shown live on the MUTV network internationally (excluding Australia and Thailand, due to domestic broadcast rights).
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"Perth is a dynamic and vibrant city with world-class sporting infrastructure, which makes it the perfect host for large-scale music, arts and sporting events.
"Our city has a strong history in hosting iconic sporting events so the State Government is delighted to bring these superstar English Premier League clubs to Perth to see this tradition continue.
"Hosting major events in Perth such as the International Festival of Football generates huge economic and social benefits to the city and the State, while also providing the opportunity to sell our unique attractions to audiences across Australia and the world.
"This will be another major boost to our tourism and hospitality sectors, which are able to take advantage of Perth and Western Australia's reputation as a safe and appealing destination for visitors who are looking for an experience they can't get anywhere else."
As stated by Tourism Minister Roger Cook:
"Perth is going to experience the most amazing month of major sporting events.
"We are sending the message loud and clear that WA is open for business and open for tourism.
"It begins on June 26 with the State of Origin, followed a week later with the Wallabies playing England on July 2. The AFL will then take centre stage before Optus Stadium hosts the English Premier League club blockbuster matches on July 22 and 23.
"The McGowan Government is immensely proud to bring these phenomenal teams to Perth to showcase our incredible city on the international stage, with the potential to reach hundreds of millions of football fans across the globe.
"These unmissable matches will bring thousands of visitors to our city, driving more customers for our tourism and hospitality operators and boosting the WA economy."
As stated by Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman:
"These matches will be absolutely fantastic to watch and will whet the appetite of many a young football fan in WA.
"It is very exciting to get teams of such high calibre, with such a massive fan base, playing here in Perth.
"It is great for WA and it is great for sport."
