man city japanese tour

4am kick-offs, Guardiola impact and Twitter - how Man City fans in Japan and Korea support a team they can't watch

Manchester City landed in Tokyo for the first leg of their three-game pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea, giving Blues fans a rare opportunity to see their idols.

• 06:00, 20 JUL 2023

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Gone are the days where pre-season fixtures for a club like Manchester City consist of meetings with local neighbours or visiting European teams.

These days a two-week tour of the USA, Asia or Australia is commonplace for Premier League clubs, enabling them to reach fans (and important commercial markets) that are off-limits during the regular season.

Pep Guardiola and his side will focus on the training pitch and the three friendlies they have scheduled in Tokyo and Seoul over the next fortnight, while City will take a huge travelling party of media and commercial staff to maximise all opportunities out in Japan and South Korea.

Some of those opportunities will give local fans the chance to engage with the newly-crowned treble winners, giving supporters based in Asia a rare chance to watch City in person - and at sociable hours for a change.

ALSO READ: City pre-season tour squad in full as Mahrez left out with £30m sale agreed

City take on Yokohama and Bayern Munich in Tokyo, before flying to Seoul to face Atletico Madrid. All games kick off between 7pm and 8pm in the local time zones, making a welcome departure from the usual overnight hours they are used to when it comes to watching the Blues.

A normal Saturday 3pm kick-off begins at 11pm for Japanese and Korean supporters, with a Saturday evening kick-off starting at 1.30am on a Sunday. For midweek evening games in the UK, it would mean waking up at 4am to catch a Champions League game.

"Unfortunately, we can't watch every game as a group," says Taira Hosoya of the Tokyo Official Supporters' Club.

"Lunchtime kickoff in the UK is an easy time to watch in Japan [12.30pm in the UK is 8.30pm in Tokyo], so I sometimes watch it with a group. Whether it was against Arsenal last season for the top spot or the Champions League final, we gathered regardless of time!"

Despite the obvious time zone differences, City are well supported in the two countries. The Tokyo Supporters' Club has over 60 dedicated members along with other Japanese branches, and the Seoul Branch has almost 200 members - with a waiting list of more than 700.

Serkin Kim, Vice Chair of the Seoul OSC says: "We watch the game through a Korean broadcaster, SPOTV. We don't always watch the game together, but about 100 people gather once we get together. We rent a large cafe to install seats and watch the game on the big screen.

"There are more than 100 people who want to watch the game together, but it is rather a problem because there is not enough space to accommodate that many people. OSC Seoul had 187 members in the 22-23 season, and is currently accepting applications for membership in the upcoming 23-24 season, with more than 700 applicants.

"We estimate about 20,000 Cityzens in Korea. The number of new fans has increased through winning the Premier League three times in a row, and I think Korean football fans' interest in City has increased more than ever. In addition, City jersey sales in Korea are known to be second in Asia."

Tapping into the Asian market is something City have been keen to do. They last toured China and Japan in 2019, have taken the Premier League trophy to the region and they have a number of commercial partnerships with companies in Japan and Korea. In the last year, Japanese beer brand Asahi has sponsored the Tunnel Club at the Etihad and are the new training shirt sponsors for the coming season.

That, along with City's success and style of play over the last decade, has seen the Blues become a popular team to support in Asia - with fans in Japan and Korea doing more than most to keep track of the team given the distance from Manchester.

"I have followed City from 2009. The manager at the time was Mark Hughes," says Kazuma Yuasa of the Tokyo OSC. "Due to the time difference, I can't watch every game, but I always check the results. When I started supporting, there were no citizens around. But now there are many.

"I have been to seer City before, but there are many fans in Japan who have never been to England. The first game I saw in 2011 was against Bolton Wanderers at Reebok Stadium. I've watched them over 10 times since then. Of course, when City came to Japan last time, I went to see the game."

Shogo Kanno explained how supporting City in Japan is often an online experience, with an effort made to socialise for big games and lunchtime kick-offs in the UK

He said: "Almost all supporters watch games online because a lot of games are held in midnight in JST. However, we watch some games, Manchester derby, big games and games held in the evening in a pub with other supporters. I and the supporters club sometimes held those watch parties.

"We watch games on distribution apps like DANZ, SPOTV. In addition, a lot of supporters get and share information on SNS. Twitter is the most popular platform in Japan to communicate with other supporters.

"These days, City is getting more popular and famous in Japan, and young people especially focus on this club as champions and a developed club. Japanese people like attacking football in addition, Pep’s Barcelona was really popular. Therefore, after Pep became our manager, City became one of the most popular foreign clubs in Japan.

"All supporters feel really happy. Some young supporters don’t have money to go to Manchester, and seniors don’t have time to go there. This tour is an important opportunity to watch the greatest football games and to feel royalty."

It's not only Guardiola's side who are generating support in Japan, as City Women are also piquing the interest of some fans after signing Japanese international Yui Hasagawa last summer. Hasagawa will help Japan at the upcoming Women's World Cup, adding to the Blues connection in the country.

"The Japanese women national team won the World Cup [in 2011]. Furthermore, in recent years, Japanese women professional football clubs are established, so some people focus on women’s football," Shogo says. "Hasegawa is known as one of the greatest Japanese players, and Cityzens in Japan are happy because a Japanese player is in their favourite team."

For fans in Japan and Korea, having City play in those countries will be 'irreplaceable', offering supporters the chance to see their heroes in person.

"For us, Manchester City is the football club you see on TV," Taira explains. "Being able to watch two matches on the tour in Japan is like a dream come true. There is no doubt that it will be an irreplaceable time for us.

"I hope that this tour will be a good memory for the players and staff who come to Japan. City supporters from all over Japan gather in Tokyo for this tour. I hope that the circle of City supporters will expand and that we will be able to support City even more from Japan."

Serkin Kim agrees, emphasising the difficulties in watching City games from South Korea.

"It takes at least 14 hours from Korea to Manchester. It actually costs quite a lot of time as well as travel expenses," he says. "Our hearts always crave the Etihad Stadium, but the real conditions are not easy. It is a rare opportunity that fans can see three big trophies and a squad in Korea right after achieving the Treble.

"It's a literally an 'historic moment'. It is the first time in 47 years that City has come to Korea since 1976. At that time, our hero Colin Bell stepped on Korean soil.

"I think it is very meaningful that we can see the first 'Big Year' in the club history in Korea and squad players who will play in Korea. With OSC Seoul members, the Seoul World Cup Stadium will be cheering as if it were an Etihad Stadium."

For these supporters, the tour is worth far more than all of the commercial opportunities on offer to City. With the chance to build on the treble success and encourage a new generation of City fans in Asia, the 2023 tour could have a lasting impact over the next two weeks.

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Are these gigantic Man City tour bus holograms for real?

By Guy Campos in APAC , Displays , Live Events , Sports and arenas July 24, 2023 0

Giant playing card shaped displays projected above tour coaches have appeared in social media video posts which have racked up millions of views.

Manchester City has posted a video on social media of the football team arriving in Tokyo in three tour coaches topped with giant playing card shaped displays.

The displays, which are described as holograms by the club, are so extraordinary they have raised questions as to whether they are real or some form of AR fake in the comments section on the social media post.

If real, they would appear to be produced by projection onto gauze from a high-brightness short-throw projector mounted on the roof of each coach. But it is unclear how any projection screen that is taller than each coach is long could be securely mounted, or how far each coach could travel in the city before reaching an obstruction such as a bridge. In addition, video footage of a tour coach arriving at a stadium does not feature any display.

A vertical video of the tour bus 'holograms' posted on Twitter had achieved almost 10m views in the space of a few days by Monday 24 July while a TikTok post of the video had attracted half a million likes.

Readers can judge for themselves whether the displays are an extraordinary live-event technical achievement or a clever made-for-smartphone AR trick by watching the team's video.

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Manchester City pencil in Asia visit for 2023/24 pre-season tour | OneFootball

· 3 February 2023

Manchester City pencil in Asia visit for 2023/24 pre-season tour

Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players look set to make a trip to Asia this summer as part of their 2023/24 preparations, a new report has detailed.

Last summer saw the Etihad club take on two matches over in the United States, defeating Club America 2-1 in Houston, before moving over to Green Bay for a clash against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich – a match they won 0-1.

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The trip across the Atlantic was Manchester City’s first overseas tour since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the season prior to last having a pre-season period hosted at the club’s training facility in east Manchester.

Ahead of the coming summer, and the potential for another pre-season tour, a new report has revealed that City bosses have pencilled in a visit to Asia with plans still yet to be finalised.

That is according to Jack Gaughan of the Mail , who reports that City have pencilled in visits to both Japan and Thailand for a summer tour in mid-July – with a fixture against sister club Yokohama F. Marinos likely to be replicated after they first met in 2019.

While it is clarified that Manchester City are yet to finalise plans for the upcoming summer, the Mail reports that the current Premier League champions are expected to spend longer in Japan, with the Thailand leg of the trip being an additional stop.

There had been suggestions earlier this week that Manchester City would make a stop-off in India this summer for what is likely to be a one-off match – a country in which the club has a significant and ever-growing supporter base.

Manchester City’s last visit to Asia came ahead of the 2019/20 season, when Pep Guardiola and his players took on four matches in total spread across visits to China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

The China leg of the trip saw City compete in the Premier League Asia Trophy, falling to defeat in the final via penalties against Wolves – that coming after a comprehensive 4-1 win over West Ham United.

City then made a trip to Hong Kong where they defeated Kitchee SC 1-6, before beating the City Football Group-owned Yokohama F. Marinos 1-3 in Japan.

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Your Premier League club’s pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2024-25 season

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This summer promises to be jam-packed for the Premier League ’s best and brightest.

Euro 2024, the Copa America and also the men’s football tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris are all on the agenda. All the while, the 20 teams from England’s top flight will be preparing for the start of the 2024-25 season on the weekend of August 17-18.

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There will be friendlies both at home and in prestigious stadiums across the globe, with Premier League teams playing each other in the United States.

Here’s what every Premier League club has planned for pre-season…

Arsenal return to the U.S. this summer for their pre-season tour. The club have scheduled two friendlies: on July 28, they face Manchester United at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and then on July 31, they play Liverpool at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. The club are expected to confirm a third friendly, most likely against Bournemouth , at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles.

As a consequence of Euro 2024, Arsenal will forego their annual trip to the Adidas HQ in Germany. Manchester United’s victory in the FA Cup final means Arsenal will be absent from the Community Shield this year, so the club are likely to host a final friendly at the Emirates Stadium.

This may take the form of a compressed version of the Emirates Cup.

Confirmed fixtures

• July 27: vs Manchester United (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)
• July 31: vs Liverpool (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)

James McNicholas

Aston Villa

Villa will begin pre-season preparations at the start of July when the squad convene and return to the familiar coaching drillings of Unai Emery.

As is customary between the two clubs, Villa’s pre-season schedule begins on July 17 against Walsall and they will return to the Bescot Stadium in August to play Athletic Bilbao once they arrive back in England after a three-match tour of the U.S.

Before that tour, Emery’s side will also have a short stopover in Slovakia to face FC Spartak Trnava. After it, they face Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

As with last summer, Villa base themselves in Washington for the first part of the American trip, which will see them play three games across three different cities in six days.

The first fixture is against Colombus Crew on July 27, with Villa travelling to Ohio, before then playing RB Leipzig in New Jersey four days later. Villa conclude their U.S. tour by going to Chicago and taking on Mexican champions Club America.

• July 17 : vs Walsall (Bescot Stadium, England)
• July 20: vs Spartak Trnava (Anton Malatinsky Stadium, Trnava)
• July 27: vs Columbus Crew (Lower.com Field, Ohio)
• July 31:  vs RB Leipzig (Red Bull Arena, New Jersey)
• August 3: vs Club America (Soldier Field, Chicago)
• August 7: vs Athletic Bilbao (Bescot Stadium, Walsall)
• August 10: vs Borussia Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund)

Jacob Tanswell

Bournemouth

It helps to have friends in high places — particularly your own chairman.

Bournemouth are heading stateside for their pre-season tour this summer. And thanks to their American owner Bill Foley, they’ll be put up at the five-star Hotel Californian in Santa Barbara, which he bought in 2021.

The ‘Bourne in the USA’ tour (stop cringing) will comprise two matches, the first of which has been announced against Hollywood’s favourite EFL team, Wrexham , on Saturday, July 20, at Harder Stadium. Bournemouth’s second is expected to be against Arsenal in Los Angeles.

USMNT captain Tyler Adams is bound to be popular among American fans as Bournemouth make use of the training facilities of MLS team LA Galaxy. When they return to the UK, Bournemouth plan to play two friendlies at their Vitality Stadium.

• July 20: vs Wrexham (Harder Stadium, Santa Barbara)

Thomas Frank’s side participated in the Premier League’s Summer Series last year and everybody involved described it as a positive experience that they would be keen to repeat in the future. However, the event is not taking place in 2024, which means Brentford have opted for a low-key pre-season training camp in Lisbon in July.

They have announced fixtures against Watford at Vicarage Road on August 3 and will then host German side Wolfsburg on August 9.

Before that, they are set to play non-League side Sutton United in a behind-closed-doors game, but their traditional fixture against Boreham Wood has not been confirmed yet.

• July 20: vs Sutton United (behind closed doors)
• August 3: vs Watford (Vicarage Road)
• August 9: vs Wolfsburg (Gtech Community Stadium)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton are swapping west for east after taking part in the Premier League’s Summer Series in the U.S. last summer.

This time around, they are focusing on the popularity of winger Kaoru Mitoma in his homeland with a pre-season trip to Japan.

They play twice at Tokyo’s national stadium against J1 League sides Kashima Antlers on July 24 (kick-off 11am UK time) and Tokyo Verdy on July 28 (10.30am). Mitoma, ruled out since February by a back injury, is expected to play a part.

The visit to Japan is followed by a friendly away to Championship side Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday, August 3 (3pm).

That leaves scope for a home game the following weekend, in what has become a traditional curtain-raiser for the new season, against European opponents, who have yet to be named.

• July 24: vs Kashima Antlers (National Stadium, Tokyo)
• July 28: vs Tokyo Verdy (National Stadium, Tokyo)
• August 3: vs Queens Park Rangers (Loftus Road)

Andy Naylor

Enzo Marseca will be able to start work with his players for the first time when those not involved in internationals over the summer report back on July 4.

As things stand, no other friendlies have been arranged other than those on the club’s pre-season tour to the U.S. They have been in talks with League Two side AFC Wimbledon over playing a match before setting off across the Atlantic, although nothing has been confirmed as yet.

Chelsea are going to play five games in the space of 14 days in America, with the amount of distance covered on the trip coming in at over 13,000 miles.

Maresca’s side has games against Wrexham, Celtic and Club America to build some momentum before the much tougher tests of Manchester City and Real Madrid .

• July 24: vs Wrexham (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara)
• July 27: vs Celtic (Notre Dame Stadium, Indiana)
• July 31: vs Club America (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
• August 3: vs Manchester City (Ohio Stadium, Columbus)
• August 6: vs Real Madrid (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte)

Simon Johnson

Crystal Palace

Palace will return to the U.S. this summer, participating in a mini-tour alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United .

They will play Wolves on Wednesday, July 31, at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium — the stadium their former sister team Crystal Palace Baltimore called home for a season.

They then face West Ham on Saturday, August 3, before returning to the UK. No further pre-season matches have been announced for the first team.

• July 31: vs Wolves (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Maryland)
• August 3: vs West Ham (Raymond James Stadium, Florida)

Matt Woosnam

After trips to the U.S. and the France/Swiss border in recent years, Everton are staying closer to home this summer.

The club have announced three fixtures so far, with away trips to Salford City (July 27), Coventry City (July 30) and Preston North End (August 3) pencilled in.

Before that, manager Sean Dyche and his players will head for a training camp, with more fixtures to be announced in due course.

• July 27: vs Salford (Peninsula Stadium)
• July 30: vs Coventry (Coventry Building Society Arena)
• August 3: vs Preston (Deepdale)

Patrick Boyland

In a repeat of last year, Fulham will face Hoffenheim to round off their pre-season preparations.

Summer signings Raul Jimenez and Calvin Bassey scored to give Marco Silva’s side a 2-1 win at the Craven Cottage in August 2023. But this time, Fulham will travel to Germany. The game will take place at Hoffenheim’s PreZero Arena on August 10, a week before the Premier League kicks off again.

Unlike previous seasons, Fulham are leaving it late to announce their plans for the first half of the summer. Twelve months ago, they travelled to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series and the season before that, they played in the Algarve Football Cup on Portugal’s south coast.

• August 10: vs Hoffenheim (PreZero Arena, Sinsheim)

Justin Guthrie

Ipswich Town

It’s all change at Ipswich this summer as the club prepares for a first season in the Premier League in 22 years, but they will welcome a familiar opponent to Portman Road in pre-season.

Ipswich host Fortuna Dusseldorf on July 27, having formed a long-standing friendship with the second-tier German side over the past 18 years. What began as an innocuous trip to Ipswich in 2006 by the former Fortuna stadium announcer Ulli Munsterberg has blossomed into an annual Portman Road pilgrimage for a large group of Fortuna fans, with Ipswich supporters frequently making the return trip to Germany too.

Just as they did last summer, Kieran McKenna’s side will also head to Austria in pre-season.

• July 27: vs Fortuna Dusseldorf (Portman Road)

Ali Rampling

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Leicester City

The departure of Maresca to Chelsea has put plans for pre-season on hold until a new manager is brought in at Leicester City.

The aim this summer was to take advantage of a longer break until the Premier League kicks off on August 17, allowing more time to work on Maresca’s tactical approach.

After an initial week of testing and fitness work at their Seagrave training camp in north Leicestershire, the players will head to a European training camp and then play a selection of friendlies, some abroad and some against lower-league sides away from home. Traditionally, they finish with a home friendly.

However, Leicester’s plans will not be finalised until their next manager arrives.

Liverpool will embark on a pre-season tour of America for the first time since 2019 next month.

The three matches in the U.S. are the only friendlies confirmed as a new era begins, with head coach Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp.

The tour will kick off against Spanish side Real Betis at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium on Friday, July 26. Then, Liverpool will fly to Philadelphia to take on Arsenal at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday, July 31. The final date of the tour is a match with Manchester United at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, August 3.

Those players not on international duty at either the European Championship or the Copa America will report back to Kirkby for the start of pre-season testing in early July. More friendly dates will be added to the schedule, with one likely to be played at Anfield after the tour of the States.

• July 27: vs Real Betis (Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh)
• July 31: vs Arsenal (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
• August 3: vs Manchester United (Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina)

James Pearce

Manchester City

After visiting South Korea and Japan last year, Manchester City are Stateside once again this summer for a four-game tour as part of pre-season competition FC Series, formerly known as the Florida Cup.

City, the winners of four consecutive Premier League titles, begin by facing Celtic, the winners of three consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, in North Carolina on July 24. City then play AC Milan in New York four days later.

The standout fixture will see Pep Guardiola come up against his former employers Barcelona in Orlando on July 31 before City round off their trip against Chelsea in Ohio on August 3.

• July 23: vs Celtic (Kenan Stadium, North Carolina)
• July 27: vs AC Milan (Yankee Stadium, New York)
• July 30: vs Barcelona (Camping World Stadium, Orlando)
• August 3: vs Chelsea (Ohio Stadium, Columbus)

Mark Critchley

Manchester United

United’s pre-season schedule follows a similar pattern to last summer’s, with a game in Norway, a game in Scotland and then a tour of the States.

First up is a trip to Trondheim to play Rosenborg on July 15 before a return to Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium to face Rangers five days later.

United will later fly out to Los Angeles, where they will face Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium on July 27 before making the trip to take on Real Betis at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, which shares its name with United’s new front-of-shirt sponsor .

Having started on the west coast, the tour rounds off on the east. Liverpool await at the Williams-Brice Stadium in South Carolina on August 3.

• July 15: vs Rosenborg (Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim)
• July 20: vs Rangers (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
• July 27: vs Arsenal (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)
• July 31: vs Real Betis (Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego)
• Aug 3: vs Liverpool (Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina)

Newcastle United

Newcastle United’s pre-season schedule is looking pretty light at the moment — but that is because they have only confirmed their tour of Japan so far. That will take place at the end of July, with matches against the Urawa Red Diamonds and Yokohama F Marinos in and around Tokyo.

Before that, however, Newcastle are expected to head to Herzogenaurach in Germany, to Adidas’s state-of-the-art headquarters, for a training camp.

There will also likely be some domestic friendlies in July, as well as the Sela Cup at St James’ Park on the weekend of August 10-11, while Eddie Howe, the head coach, is also looking to arrange some behind-closed-doors matches.

That is something Howe tends to do anyway during pre-season, but the need to get game time into Sandro Tonali ’s legs, given the Italian’s 10-month ban for betting offences ends on August 29 and he cannot play in front of crowds, is also a factor.

And, of course, let’s not forget that Newcastle played a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in Australia last month .

• July 31: vs Urawa Red Diamonds (Saitama Stadium, Saitama)
• August 3: vs Yokohama F. Marinos (National Stadium, Tokyo)

Chris Waugh

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest will return to Spain for a pre-season training camp, replicating their preparations last season.

They are again likely to play a friendly game against Valencia , the team closest to their training venue, as well as one other match against Spanish opposition.

Forest are also in the process of finalising two friendly matches at the City Ground, one of which will be against French opposition, as they look to hone themselves for a third successive season of top-flight football.

Paul Taylor

Southampton

Southampton’s season ran longer than any other team set to play in the Premier League this season as they secured promotion via the Championship play-offs.

Their 1-0 win over Leeds United at Wembley in the final on May 26 means they have only just finished celebrating promotion, but the new season is not far away.

Southampton owner Dragan Solak promised the players the party of their lives if they secured a route back into the Premier League and in the meantime, fans are awaiting official pre-season fixture announcements.

How Southampton corrected their course to win promotion to the Premier League

When Russell Martin’s side do return to pre-season training, they could be without Will Smallbone , Jan Bednarek , Che Adams and Kamaldeen Sulemana , who are all due to be in action for their national teams this month (for the Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland and Ghana respectively).

Sport Republic’s network of clubs offers the chance for easily arranged friendlies, like last summer when Southampton played Goztepe in a pre-season camp in Turkey.

Nancy Froston

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season plans kick off with a trip to Scotland to face Hearts on July 17, followed up by a London derby against Queens Park Rangers three days later.

Then, Ange Postecoglou’s squad, who played Newcastle in Australia last month, will fly to Asia for a two-week tour. Due to the Copa America and the European Championship, the amount of first-team players who travel will probably be quite low.

Spurs take on Vissel Kobe at Japan’s National Stadium in Tokyo on July 27 and then move on to South Korea, where they will take on a K League All-Stars side. They round off their time in South Korea with a friendly against Bayern Munich, which will reunite them with Harry Kane and Eric Dier. The fixture will also pit Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, two of the biggest Korean stars, directly against each other.

Spurs conclude their preparations for the 2024-25 season with another clash against Bayern, but this time it will be at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, allowing their UK-based fans to show their appreciation for Kane and Dier’s contributions over the last decade.

• July 17: vs Hearts (Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh)
• July 20: vs Queens Park Rangers (Loftus Road)
• July 27: vs Vissel Kobe (National Stadium, Tokyo)
• July 31: vs Team K-League (Seoul World Cup Stadium)
• August 3: vs Bayern Munich (Seoul World Cup Stadium)
• August 10: vs Bayern Munich (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)

West Ham United

West Ham will start their pre-season preparations on July 20 when they face non-League side Dagenham & Redbridge at the Chigwell Construction Stadium — where the club’s women’s team play their home matches.

Following that short trip, Julen Lopetegui’s side will travel to the U.S. for the Sunshine State Tour.

They will face Wolverhampton Wanderers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville on July 27 then Crystal Palace in Tampa a week later before returning to the UK.

• July 20: vs Dagenham and Redbridge ( Chigwell Construction Stadium, London)
• July 27: vs Wolves (EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida)
• August 3: vs Crystal Palace (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida)

Roshane Thomas

Wolverhampton Wanderers

The only pre-season fixtures confirmed by Wolves so far are against Crystal Palace and West Ham — the latter now managed by former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui — during a tour of the United States’ east coast in late July that will be the centrepiece of their preparations for the new campaign.

They are also planning a week in Spain shortly after they report back for training at the start of July, but that trip is not expected to feature any official games

Last summer, Wolves did not play a single match on UK soil other than those behind closed doors at their training ground. It is possible that will be the case again.

• July 27: vs West Ham (EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida)
• July 31: vs Crystal Palace (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Maryland)

Steve Madeley

(Top photo: Liverpool arrive in Singapore in July 2023; Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) 

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Andy Grammer ‘Greater Than: A One Man Show’ tour 2024: Presale code, concert dates, ticket prices

• Updated: Jun. 10, 2024, 2:05 p.m. |
• Published: Jun. 10, 2024, 1:58 p.m.

Andy Grammer performs on NBC's Today show at Rockefeller Plaza on Friday, July 26, 2019, in New York. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

• Madison Kemeny | [email protected]

Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer, best known for his hits “Keep Your Head Up” and “Honey, I’m Good,” announced his 2024 “Greater Than: One Man Show” tour, a show featuring “an intimate set of songs, storytelling and poetry.”

The tour will kick off on September 6 in St. Cloud, MN, and include stops in cities like Verona, NY; Beverly, MA; Ridgefield, CT; Red Bank, NJ; and more, before concluding on October 26 in New Philadelphia, OH.

Various presales on Ticketmaster began Monday, June 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Use code GREATERTHAN for early access.

If you miss out on presale tickets, Ticketmaster will have limited standard admission available during the general sale starting Friday, June 14 at 10:00 a.m. ET, but greater availability and deals are offered by reputable resale sites like Vivid Seats , StubHub or SeatGeek .

Where to get Andy Grammer “Greater Than: One Man Show” tour tickets:

09/06 - St. Cloud, MN - Paramount Theater and Visual Arts Center ( TICKETS )

09/07 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre - Madison ( TICKETS )

09/08 - Skokie, IL - North Shore Center for the Performing Arts - North Theatre ( TICKETS )

09/10 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Cathedral Theatre ( TICKETS )

09/11 - Plainfield, IN - Hendricks Live! ( TICKETS )

09/13 - New Albany, OH - McCoy Center ( TICKETS )

09/14 - Verona, NY - The Event Center at Turning Stone Resort Casino ( TICKETS )

09/17 - Beverly, MA - The Cabot ( TICKETS )

09/18 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse ( TICKETS )

09/19 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse ( TICKETS )

09/21 - Red Bank, NJ - Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at Count Basie Center ( TICKETS )

09/22 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre ( TICKETS )

09/24 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre - DC ( TICKETS )

09/25 - Virginia Beach, VA - Sandler Center for the Performing Arts ( TICKETS )

09/27 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall ( TICKETS )

10/08 - Portland, OR - Newmark Theatre ( TICKETS )

10/09 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre ( TICKETS )

10/11 - Chico, CA - Laxson Auditorium ( TICKETS )

10/12 - Rohnert Park, CA - Green Music Center ( TICKETS )

10/13 - Thousand Oaks, CA - Fred Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza ( TICKETS )

10/20 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater ( TICKETS )

10/22 - Kansas City, MO - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts ( TICKETS )

10/23 - Iowa City, IA - Englert Theatre ( TICKETS )

10/25 - Kalamazoo, MI - Kalamazoo State Theatre ( TICKETS )

10/26 - New Philadelphia, OH - Performing Arts Center at Kent State ( TICKETS )

Where to stream Andy Grammer’s latest single, “Without You”:

Stream Andy Grammer’s latest single, “Without You,” on Apple Music (free trial) .

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• There’s still time to get Kenny Chesney tickets in Upstate NY if you missed his Syracuse concert
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Babymetal announces 2024 tour with 1 stop in Pa.: Where to buy tickets.

• Updated: Jun. 10, 2024, 2:41 p.m. |
• Published: Jun. 10, 2024, 2:39 p.m.

Babymetal will perform at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pa., on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP) Amy Harris/Invision/AP

• Deb Kiner | [email protected]

Babymetal, a Japanese kawaii metal band, has announced a fall 2024 tour that includes a stop in Pa.

The band will perform on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.

“Babymetal recently collaborated with German electronicore band Electric Callboy on a new song titled, ‘RATATATA,’ which was released May 23.

“The song masterfully fuses the signature styles of both bands, seamlessly blending their worlds and pushing the music to exhilarating new limits. The song was an immediate international hit, racking up over 5 million streams on Spotify in the first week. The music video amassed over 7 million views to date and was Trending on YouTube in over a dozen countries,” according to Live Nation.

Several shows on the tour in New York, Florida and California sold out quickly and more dates were added.

Fans can buy tickets to the Bethlehem show here (prices are as of the time of this post):

• Vivid Seats, prices start at $62
• Stubhub, prices start at $69
• SeatGeek, prices start at $56

Other stops on the tour are:

Nov. 5 - Orlando, Florida

Nov. 6 - Hollywood, Florida

Nov. 12 - Charlotte, North Carolina

Nov. 13 - Raleigh, North Carolina

Nov. 15 - Washington, D.C.

Nov. 16 - Richmond, Virginia

Nov. 18 - New York, New York

Nov. 19 - New York, New York (tickets go on sale on June 14)

Nov. 23 - Cincinnati, Ohio

Nov. 24 - Madison, Wisconsin

Nov. 26 - Indianapolis, Indiana

Nov. 27 - Des Moines, Iowa

Nov. 29 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Nov. 30 - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Dec. 3 - Anaheim, California

Dec. 4 - Anaheim, California

Dec. 5 - Anaheim, California

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