Gill relishing Far East trip

Report by James Tuck

Chief executive David Gill looks ahead to United’s upcoming tour of Asia…

How important is the tour for the club, both on and off the pitch?
It’s a key part of getting the players ready for the new season, so we have spent a lot of time with Alex and Mike Phelan on making sure that the team get what they need in terms of facilities, travel and rest.

Our fans in Asia generate money for the club – there are no two ways about it. But it’s a coordinated approach. Most of the players have been at the club a number of years, they’re seasoned professionals and understand the importance of the tours to the club. We can’t get away from the fact that it is a long way, but the crowds over there give absolutely fanatical support for Manchester United.

What are your memories of the 2007 Asia Tour, when you visited Japan, Korea and China – did you regard it as a success?
It was interesting because we had a whole mixture really. Japan is not like some of the other Asian markets; it’s more restrained, but we have great support there as we saw again during the FIFA Club World Cup last December. In South Korea the tickets for our game with FC Seoul sold out very quickly and though Ji-sung Park couldn’t play because of his injury, the adulation for him was unbelievable. When the big screen at the match focused on him, the crowd went absolutely wild.

Macau was quite surreal – we stayed in a brand new 2,000-plus suite hotel and there were only 60 or 70 of us. That went well, and there was a chance for a bit of 'R&R' for the players. China was interesting; we went to a new venue there which was a great stadium. So overall it was an unqualified success.

The reception United get in Asia is unlike anywhere else on earth...
You can't leave your hotel room without security because of the sheer number of fans waiting in all parts of the hotel. You arrive at the airport at some unearthly hour and the volume of fans there, all dressed up with their signs saying ‘I love you Rooney or O’Shea’ or whoever, is amazing, as is the amount of time they’ve spent preparing and waiting to take that chance to see the players.

When we arrived at one airport on the last tour and were escorted through the terminal, all the airport staff were going wild, as well as the fans, waiting for photos! From start to finish it’s a very intense, fan-focused tour.

The manager will be taking a strong squad to Asia later this month, allowing the fans to see some of the club’s biggest stars in the flesh…
It’s very important that we give our fans the ability to see the team live every so often. The English game is very well followed across Asia, and we have phenomenal support out there, so I think it’s only fair and right that we can give something back to these fans.

What will your typical day be like on tour this summer?
I'll be involved in the work we do with our commercial partners, UNICEF and other charity projects. MIDAS, the inward investment agency for Manchester, arranges trade-related visits around our tours and we have a couple of events with them this year. I, and a couple of other directors, will go along to speak to and welcome some companies they are trying to attract to invest in the Manchester region.

I’ll also be doing some interesting events with the England 2018 bid, trying to gain some support. I’m on the board of that company and the tour represents a great chance to assist that process, as the Asian football nations have a big say in where the World Cup is held.

When I start the day I'll get my usual emails and correspondence, and I’m sure there’ll be some player activity going on while we’re over there. Overall it’s about representing the club and helping us to have a proper presence in Asia.