Premier League teams "will clock up an estimated 172,413 miles in total during pre-season for friendlies and tours," according to the BBC. Tottenham travels furthest with 22,468 miles, "including a trip to Australia, followed by Chelsea's 14,345 miles." Clubs "will visit 14 countries," with 17 matches in the U.S. making it the most-visited place. Austria "is second with 11." Watford is the Premier League side to do the least traveling, covering 1,632 miles over its six preseason games. Football finance expert Rob Wilson said, "Pre-season can be hugely lucrative. A club does a tour, they sell more products, there's more branding and more sponsors start to get involved." According to Wilson, from Sheffield Hallam University, China "is an attractive proposition" for the future due to its position as an "untapped" but "serious player" in the football market. Wilson: "What we've seen in the past 10 years is big clubs going further and further afield. They are looking to leverage new markets, like China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Australia is not doing too bad." However, USA Today sports columnist Martin Rogers said that Premier League clubs' trips "could have a negative effect in the long run." Rogers: "There is interest -- the games are pretty well attended. But as the American fan becomes sophisticated, they'll soon get tired of a second-string Chelsea side or a second-string Liverpool side" (BBC, 7/19).
