Arsenal’s pre-season tour is underway with the Gunners currently in Sydney for two friendly matches. Here how Australia greatly benefits.

Arsenal have fans all around the world at this stage. Thanks to satellite TV and the internet, you can watch a game live from England, Australia and anywhere in the world.

If you live in a country where football isn’t so popular, you still have thousands of fans to interact with at your fingertips on Twitter and Facebook and any other social media site. What you can’t do so easily is get to a game.

But that’s the beauty of a pre-season tour, fans who have only seen their favourite players on a screen can suddenly see them in the flesh walking out of an airport tunnel.

Former A-League head Damien De Bohun is well aware of the benefit this can have on Australian football, as he told AFP in quotes reported by the Daily Mail:

“The tours by European clubs reinforce the popularity of football globally. It also gives fans a tangible way to connect with the players. The tours help local clubs aspire and play at a higher level in Australia.

“It also gives people the opportunity to see close up the professionalism of the overseas clubs and those clubs can also share some of their insights and playing and training techniques with local clubs and their players.”

So with the chance for Arsenal to reinforce their support in the country, tours like this are mutually beneficial. They also give the players a chance to get away, play in front of a new crowd and get to know each other better.

Overall pre-season tours are becoming an crucial part of the build up to the Premier League action. There are plenty of benefits, as long as you don’t pull a Gabriel and injure yourself in injury time in the final friendly with Liverpool the next weekend.