RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, June 3, 2016) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host Swansea City A.F.C. of the world famous English Premier League in an international exhibition at City Stadium on Saturday, July 16 at 7:00 p.m. The prestigious match will be part of an 11-day, two-game East Coast tour and will mark the third consecutive time a team from England’s top flight will appear in Virginia. General admission tickets for $30/$45 are on sale now at www.richmondkickers.com.
“We are delighted to announce that the world’s greatest sports league will return to City Stadium on Saturday, July 16th,” commented Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer. “Swansea City have an inspired history and tradition with a truly remarkable story over the last decade, establishing themselves as one of the top teams in the English Premier League. The atmosphere at City Stadium is guaranteed to be electric and we look forward to having this high profile exhibition highlight RVA’s Summer of Soccer.”
This will be the third time the club have traveled to America for a preseason tour, having visited Colorado and California in 2012 before returning to Chicago, Milwaukee and Minnesota two years later. Both tours helped prepare the Swans for hugely successful seasons, with the club lifting the Capital One Cup in 2013 while a record-breaking campaign was sealed in 2015.
“Our tours to the US provided the platform for two very successful seasons, and we hope this tour will reap the same rewards,” said Leigh Dineen, Swansea City Vice-Chairman. “We are delighted to confirm our friendly with Richmond Kickers, which will be a crucial part of our pre-season plans. They will provide a stern test and it will be a great fixture to conclude our tour.”
“Pre-season is a hugely important part of a campaign, and our tour to America will really benefit us as we prepare for the 2016-17 Premier League season,” added Francesco Guidolin, Swansea City Head Coach. “It will be my first pre-season in charge at the club, and I’m really looking forward to the training camp and also the forthcoming matches.”
“We are really looking forward to our friendly with Richmond Kickers, who will give us the test we need as we approach the beginning of the new campaign,” continued Guidolin. “It’s an exciting tour for us and I believe we will gain a lot from it.”
Established in 1912, the Welsh club based in Swansea, South Wales, battled for many years in the lower divisions before making a historic climb from near bankruptcy in the Fourth Division to the Premier League in 2011, becoming the first Welsh team to play in the top flight since the league’s restructure in 1992. Swansea celebrated their greatest success to date by winning the Capital One Cup in 2013, with a record-breaking 5-0 victory over Bradford City, claiming the club’s first major trophy and qualifying for the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League. Most recently, Swansea finished the 2015-16 season in 12th place in the English Premier League standings with a 12-15-11 record and 47 points.
Previously, the Richmond Kickers hosted EPL sides Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in 2014 and 2015, respectively, in front of a combined 14,632 fans at City Stadium.
Swansea’s U.S. preseason tour has been arranged by PSC Ltd, who also arranged the Swans’ two previous tours to the USA in 2012 & 2014.
