Alessandro del Piero ... option for Italian superstar to organise and promote a fixture in his homeland. Source: News Limited
Sydney FC plan to take the del Piero halo to an international market, lining up a series of overseas exhibition games including the possibility of a memorable encounter with Juventus in Turin.
Just as LA Galaxy sold out stadiums overseas on the back of signing David Beckham, Sydney have set their sights on a lucrative post-season tour of Asia to cash in on Alessandro del Piero's huge popularity.
The games were included in the contract negotiations that brought the Italian to Australia, and include the option for him to organise and promote a fixture in Italy.
The Italian star will share in the revenue from the games, and receive all the proceeds if he takes up the option of organising a game between Sydney and an Italian club -- Juventus is the logical first point in negotiations.
It's understood that the Asian countries under consideration include Malaysia, China, Vietnam and Indonesia - the latter hosting one of the largest Juventus fan clubs in the world outside Italy, according to the Italian club's own website.
| P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Perth | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Wellington | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Brisbane | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Central Coast | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | Heart | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 8 | Sydney | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 9 | Victory | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 3 |
| 10 | Western Sydney | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
The exact amount it will be worth to Sydney remains a work in progress, dependent on markets, the sale of TV rights and similar factors.
When Galaxy first came to Sydney in 2007 they received $1.25 million as a fee, a contribution to their airfares and accommodation at what was then Star City.
Football Federation Australia was able to sell 80,000 tickets at an average of $70 each, as well as organise a broadcast deal with the Ten Network, but it's unlikely that the markets under consideration for a Sydney FC tour would sustain such prices.
Nonetheless, the games will boost both Sydney's bottom line and their profile, with kit sponsorship available for such one-off games as well as fees for playing in the games.
The games are being arranged by the FIFA-accredited agent Lou Sticca, who worked with Sydney CEO Tony Pignata to bring del Piero to Sydney as well as arranging Shinji Ono's move to Western Sydney Wanderers.
Sticca has arranged tours to Australia and overseas since the days of the NSL - including bringing Juventus to Melbourne this year - and confirmed he was looking at an itinerary for Sydney FC.
"Sydney have asked me to plan their post-season and I'm in the middle of doing that right now," Sticca said.
"It will be after the A-League season, so late April and early May, and the club's agreed to up to four games."
Though del Piero is wildly popular in Japan, it's believed that market is seen as saturated, especially given the recent visits of EPL clubs.
Sydney will shortly introduce a dedicated del Piero range of merchandise beyond just named shirts, with the club hoping to make substantial overseas sales.
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