Fenway Sports Management Announces Liverpool Football Club North America Summer Tour; Reds to Take on Italian Giant AS Roma at Historic Fenway Park Match

Fenway Sports Management (FSM) today announced that Liverpool Football Club will travel to North America this summer for a pre-season tour presented by Standard Chartered. The highly anticipated tour will feature an epic match against AS Roma in Boston at Fenway Park. FSM is the sales arm of Fenway Sports Group, parent company of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC (LFC), Roush Fenway Racing and New England Sports Network (NESN).

The Reds last traveled to North America in 2004 to play matches in Connecticut, New Jersey and Toronto, and will return this July for a 12-day tour that will include at least two soccer matches. Boston will serve as Liverpool FC’s home base throughout the tour and the team will conduct its pre-season training sessions at the esteemed Harvard University. Details and ticket sales information for other tour stops and venues will be announced in the near future.

“During its 100-year history, Fenway Park has hosted some of the best in athletic competition, and a match between Liverpool and AS Roma – two of the world's most well-known and respected clubs – is an appropriate way to help celebrate Fenway's 100th anniversary and showcase our ballpark to an international audience,” said Fenway Sports Group Principal Owner John W. Henry.

“We’re thrilled to bring Liverpool Football Club to North America and provide our fans with the chance to see the team in action live this summer," said Fenway Sports Group Chairman Tom Werner. “Our goal is to create a great experience for our North American supporters while introducing Liverpool Football to new audiences.”

The Reds will take on Italian powerhouse AS Roma at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, on Wednesday, July 25. The match will feature two of the most prominent and esteemed clubs in European soccer – both of whom have significant fans bases and supporter groups in the Boston area – setting the stage for a grand match before an energetic audience at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

Tickets for the Boston match, which is part of Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary celebration, go on sale Saturday, April 28. Visit www.lfctour.com for more information.

"As an ownership group we have made growing the Roma brand in the U.S. one of our top priorities and this is a big step in the right direction,” said James Pallotta, Chief Executive, AS Roma Holdings. ”I cannot think of a bigger stage for Roma to play on than Fenway Park, in my hometown, in what is hopefully just the beginning of an on-going derby between these two great teams."

Founded in 1892, Liverpool FC is one of the world’s most historic and famous football clubs having won 18 League Titles, seven FA Cups, eight League Cups, five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, three European Super Cups and 15 Charity Shields.

“We’re really looking forward to this tour because the calibre of the opposition is so strong,” said Liverpool FC Manager Kenny Dalglish. “It will be good to give our supporters in North America the chance to watch us live this summer and we’ve had some amazing matches against Roma in the past, particularly in the 1984 European Cup final.”

The Club's Managing Director Ian Ayre said, "It’s been a few years since we last traveled to North America to play, but everyone’s very excited about our plans for this summer. We’ll work closely with our main sponsor Standard Chartered and our other partners in the region to put together a fantastic tour schedule, which will hopefully see us engage with as many fans as possible. Taking on AS Roma at Fenway Park will be a great experience, particularly as the ballpark is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary.”

AS Roma is based in Rome, Italy and competes in the world-renowned Italian Serie A League. Commonly referred to as the “Giallorossi,” or “Yellow Reds,” AS Roma has won three Serie A titles, nine Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups.

"As an organization we are extremely excited to play one of our U.S. tour games against Liverpool FC," said Mark Pannes, Chief Executive Officer, AS Roma. "This offers us an opportunity to play in a historic venue, introduce the U.S. to Roma's beautiful style of soccer and provides us an opportunity to grow our devoted fan base. Ultimately, we look forward to going up against one of the Premier League giants."

Gavin Laws, Group Head of Corporate Affairs at Standard Chartered, said: “Last summer's pre-season tour to Asia was a great success thanks to the reaction and support of the local fans. We expect the team’s American fans to extend an equally warm welcome to their heroes. It will be great to see the Club playing in the States again and we’re looking forward to very exciting games."

To receive ticket news and tour updates, visit www.lfctour.com, where fans can also win a once-in-a-lifetime, all-inclusive trip to Anfield to watch Liverpool’s first home Barclays Premier League game of the season.