EIGHT-TIMES FA Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur will play an exclusive one-off match against Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium on Saturday 30 May - guaranteeing that Sydney hosts a sporting week for the ages this May.
Tickets for the Tottenham Hotspur v Sydney FC game go on sale from 10am Monday 9 March, with an exclusive pre-sale for Sydney FC Members and OzSpurs Members. Further pre-sales will follow, with tickets on sale to the General Public from 1pm Wednesday 11 March.
Tottenham Hotspur are the third successive international football superclub secured by the NSW Government, with the Spurs visit following games featuring English champions Manchester United in 2013 and Italian giants Juventus last year.
The Spurs match is a further jewel in the crown of an amazing sporting week at ANZ Stadium and a huge month of major events in Sydney.
The bumper sporting week in May at ANZ Stadium now includes:
- Friday 21 May: NRL Friday night clash between reigning premiers South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Parramatta Eels;
- Saturday 22 May: Super Rugby Grand Final rematch NSW Waratahs v NZ Crusaders;
- Wednesday 27 May: Opening game of the State of Origin series, NSW Blues v Queensland Maroons;
- Saturday 30 May: Tottenham FC v Sydney FC.
More than 200,000 fans are expected through the gates at ANZ Stadium over the course of the week. The Tottenham visit coincides with Vivid Sydney - the annual light, music and sound festival on Sydney Harbour that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Sydney.
In announcing the exclusive one-match visit by Tottenham to Sydney, Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Troy Grant, said: "Tottenham Hotspur have been a football institution for over 130 years, and I am pleased to announce they will be playing exclusively in Sydney. Spurs will bring a squad of top-class players to Sydney, and with Sydney FC in great form at the moment it will be a closely fought match.
"The game will be a must-see for all football fans, and will attract a huge crowd to Western Sydney. The event has been won for Sydney by the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, and will provide a boost to the local visitor economy.
"This event is another example of the NSW Government's commitment to building a world-class calendar of events as we work towards achieving our goal of doubling overnight expenditure to the State by 2020."
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase, said the match would be a central part of a packed sporting calendar for NSW this year.
"The Tottenham Hotspur visit joins an events calendar that is packed with major sporting matches, including State of Origin, ICC Cricket World Cup, Bledisloe Cup, Netball World Cup, Touch Football World Cup and many more," Ms Chipchase said.
"The event will also coincide with Vivid Sydney, the annual light, music and sound festival on Sydney Harbour. So visitors to NSW for the match will also be able to take in the festival while they are here," she said.
Tottenham Hotspur have a massive following throughout Australasia with dedicated supporter groups meeting regularly at local clubs to follow the exploits of the team.
Mauricio Pochettino's team will travel to Sydney following the end of the 2014-15 Barclays Premier League campaign to face two-time A-League champions Sydney FC.
Head coach Pochettino said: "We are looking forward to visiting Sydney and giving our fans in that part of the world an opportunity to see the team up close.
"We all appreciate the fantastic support we receive across the world and the commitment that people in different time zones make to watch games live on TV, so to bring the team to them is a great way to say thank you.
"The trip will also serve to further support our relationship with AIA, who have a huge presence in the Australian market, and we look forward to activating our partnership during our visit.
"Our match against Sydney FC is sure to be hard-fought and entertaining , with the A-League becoming stronger every year and attracting some big name players, so we would like to thank the NSW Government and Destination NSW for the chance to visit your beautiful city."
Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, added: "The visit to Sydney will provide the club with a perfect opportunity to engage with a growing fanbase across the Asia-Pacific region and an extremely passionate Official Supporters Club in Oz Spurs.
"We are proud of our global network of over 100 Official Supporters Clubs, and no doubt we shall see members from clubs across the region pack out the ANZ Stadium to watch us play Sydney FC on Saturday May 30.
"We would like to thank the NSW Government and Destination NSW for involving Tottenham Hotspur in what will be a week of cultural celebrations within the state and the city of Sydney."
ANZ Stadium Managing Director, Mr Daryl Kerry, said the visit by Tottenham Hotspur ensured Sydney would host its third successive international football superclub.
"Sydney is a big events city and this is an event that will capture the imagination of sports fans around the country and even internationally," Mr Kerry said.
"The NSW Government should be congratulated on securing yet another major event for Sydney that will ensure the city rolls out a sporting week to remember at its Olympic stadium.
"As many as 200,000 fans can be expected through the gates at ANZ Stadium for a week in May that also includes the NSW Waratahs' Super Rugby Grand Final rematch and the crucial game one of State of Origin featuring the NSW Blues.
"In terms of football, Manchester United put on a five-goal masterclass in 2013, last year we witnessed Alessandro Del Piero's emotional Australian farewell against his former club Juventus . . . and now we have a club in Tottenham Hotspur who have been lighting up the English Premier League coming to do battle with in-form Sydney FC."
