History of the Club Friendlies

Club friendlies are non-competitive football games that are played by clubs around the world. These soccer games generally feature as pre-season friendlies which happen before the football season kicks off. These matches give the manager of the team a chance to experiment with new players, while they provide players with the opportunity to check out their form going into the soccer season. These club friendlies provide excellent opportunity to players who come through the transfer window to get acclimatized to the club’s fans, players and stadium and to get in tune with the style of play. In most cases, club friendlies are arranged as one-off soccer encounters, but in certain cases they can be short football tournaments.

Club friendlies have a lot of commercial value as the top teams in club football gain a lot of leverage in terms of taking their brand to the masses of different countries and cultures. These football games are often shown on TV and have title sponsors and a sizeable portion of the revenue is given to the host team on most occasions. Over the years, the rules and regulations have been relaxed in these football games, as coaches can make more than three substitutions. Club friendlies are epitomized by short tournaments, and these tournaments over the years have churned out some exciting football games, as teams play with a carefree approach and try to entertain the crowds to the maximum.

Previous Club Friendlies season(s)

The Emirates Cup was first played in 2007. The place of action was the home stadium of Arsenal FC. Soccer teams that participated were the hosts Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Valencia and the then reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan. Arsenal came out on top. In the 2008 edition featuring Hamburg, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Juventus, against all odds Hamburg won the tournament. Teresa Herrera Trophy is played at the Riazor in Spain. Deportivo La Coruña is the club that organizes the football tournament and they have won it for 8 years in a row. Amsterdam Tournament is a similar style football tournament where Ajax play hosts. The 2008 tournament was won by Arsenal, while Benfica won the tournament in 2009.