Scottish Premiership champions, Celtic FC, have arrived in Australia with their manager Ange Postecoglou to take on local A-League heavyweights Sydney FC in the first ever Sydney Super Cup match at Allianz Stadium tonight.
Postecoglou has been doing the media rounds ahead of the match and told news.com.au he’s “pretty proud to bring Celtic back to Australia.”
“It’s pretty important to me that we give a good account of ourselves because I know we’ve had tremendous support, not just the last couple of years that I’ve been there, but the club’s always had great support here,” Postecoglou said.
The NSW Government secured the biennial four-team tournament which will bring the world’s best football clubs to Sydney to play A-League clubs Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC.
Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin welcomed the Celtic FC squad to Sydney, citing the significant economic benefits of the Sydney Super Cup to the NSW economy.
“Sydney has kicked another goal as Australia’s home of football with one of the world’s best clubs coming to play in the inaugural Sydney Super Cup,” Mr Franklin said.
“The Sydney Super Cup will have enormous economic benefits for Sydney and NSW, with around 20,000 football fans expected to visit Sydney for its first instalment, injecting $18 million of visitor expenditure into our economy.”
Minister for Sport Alister Henskens said the Sydney Super Cup was an added bonus for football fans after last weekend’s thrilling A-League men’s matches, as well as the Matildas defeating Thailand at Central Coast Stadium on Tuesday night.
“Whether you’re an A-League fan or enjoy the overseas leagues, there are three big nights of football on offer and they are guaranteed to inspire our next generation of up and coming football superstars,” Mr Henskens said.
The Sydney Super Cup kicks off tonight at Allianz Stadium with Celtic FC vs Sydney FC, followed by an all-British blockbuster between Celtic FC and Everton FC at Accor Stadium on Sunday, November 20. The final match between Everton FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC kicks off at CommBank Stadium on Wednesday, November 23.
The next Sydney Super Cup will take place in 2025, with tournaments planned thereafter in 2027 and 2029. For ticket information visit www.sydneysupercup.com.au.
READ MORE: ‘Lucky to grow up in Australia but in Greece I also feel at home’: Ange Postecoglou.
