Club

West Ham United to visit Australia for EVA Air Queensland Champions Cup

4th March 2020

West Ham United are delighted to confirm that the Club will be visiting Australia this summer as part of our pre-season preparations for the 2020-21 campaign.

The Hammers will take part in the first-ever EVA Air Queensland Champions Cup alongside fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace and A-League challengers Brisbane Roar.

The Irons, who will be playing in Australia for just the second time in their history after visiting for a four-match tour to mark our centenary in 1995, will take on Robbie Fowler’s Roar at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast on Wednesday 15 July, before tackling Roy Hodgson’s Eagles at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday 18 July.

Manager David Moyes is relishing the opportunity to take his West Ham squad to Australia, where they will play against high-quality opposition in one of the world’s fastest-growing football markets.

It’s not only a great opportunity for West Ham United to play two exciting games in front of our fans Down Under, it’s also a great opportunity to visit a beautiful country which I know loves their sport and is extremely knowledgeable about football

David Moyes

He said: “It’s not only a great opportunity for West Ham United to play two exciting games in front of our fans Down Under, it’s also a great opportunity to visit a beautiful country which I know loves their sport and is extremely knowledgeable about football.

“I’ve had the pleasure of going to Brisbane before and it was a fantastic place with warm and friendly people. I’m very much looking forward to going back with West Ham United for what will be an important part of our preparations for the 2020/21 season.”

Taiwanese international airline, EVA Air, are the naming-rights partner for the inaugural Queensland Champions Cup, and West Ham United’s official airline partner.

General Manager of EVA Air's Australian branch, Victor Hsiao, said: “EVA Air is proud and excited to be the naming-rights partner for the first ever Queensland Champions Cup, extending the company’s relationship with football as the current airline partner of West Ham United.

“The three competing clubs and EVA Air share a strong alignment across our respective brands to deliver the very best services and unique experiences, whether in aviation or the sporting arena. EVA Air looks forward to being part of the first ever Queensland Champions Cup and bringing football fans from across the globe to Brisbane for this exciting event.”

Pre-sale tickets will be available via Telstra Plus from 10am AEST on Friday 6 March (Midnight on Thursday 5 March GMT) before a public general sale begins at 12noon AEST on Wednesday 11 March (2am GMT) from www.ticketek.com.au. Official corporate hospitality and VIP fan packages are available from today through TEG Live Hospitality, VIP NOW, including suites, boxes and VIP functions head to www.vipnow.com.au.

Details regarding official West Ham United allocations for both fixtures will be confirmed in due course. Keep an eye on whufc.com for further information.

West Ham have forged strong links with Australia in recent decades, starting with the four-game tour undertaken by Harry Redknapp’s squad in May 1995 to celebrate the Club’s 100th anniversary.

The trip saw the Hammers travel the breadth of the country, taking on Western Australia in Perth, Victoria in Melbourne, and Australia’s Olympic U23 squad in Sydney and Brisbane.

One member of the Western Australia team which held the Irons to a 2-2 draw at the WACA was Stan Lazaridis, who impressed Redknapp to the extent that he joined for a bargain £300,000 a few weeks later! The summer of 1995 also saw Australian midfielder Robbie Slater join from Blackburn Rovers, while goalkeeper Steve Mautone played three times in 1996.

Four years later, in 1999, Richard Garcia was part of Tony Carr’s record-breaking FA Youth Cup-winning side before going on to make 22 first-team appearances, while defender Hayden Foxe made 12 first-team appearances between March 2001 and February 2002 and full-back Trent McClenahan featured three times in 2004/05.

More recently, Lucas Neill captained the Irons during their Great Escape in 2006/07 and spent two-and-a-half seasons in Claret and Blue, while promising striker Dylan Tombides graduated from the Academy of Football and played one first-team game in 2012, before tragically passing away in April 2014 at the age of 20.