Sunderland have announced details of a major pre-season tour of the USA

Sunderland have announced a pre-season tour of the USA which will see them face Liverpool, Leeds United and Wrexham.

The fixtures will be played across three venues in late July and early August, as Sunderland step up their preparations for what now seems certain to be another campaign of Premier League football. While Sunderland say the fixtures will provide strong sporting merit ahead of the new campaign, the move marks a key part of their strategy to drive up revenues in order to reinvest in the squad over the coming years. Sunderland hope the tour will allow them to build awareness in a growing market for football and the Premier League, and potentially open up new commercial opportunities.

The Black Cats will be based initially in Tennessee, Nashville, where they will spend a week in camp before facing Liverpool at Geodis Park on Saturday, July 25th. From there they will travel to Harrison, New Jersey, where they will then face Leeds United on Thursday, 30 July at the Sports Illustrated Stadium - home of the New York Red Bulls and Gotham FC.

The tour finishes in Chester, Pennsylvania, where Sunderland will face Phil Parkinson's Wrexham at Subaru Park on Sunday August 2nd. Kick off times and broadcast information is set to be confirmed at a later date.

Chief business officer David Bruce said it was a huge opportunity for the club as it seeks to grow in the coming years.

"We are delighted to be returning to the United States this summer," he said.

"It’s a fantastic market and an exciting opportunity for the club to broaden its global appeal while tapping into a significant commercial opportunity. We know we have a highly engaged audience across North America and we’re really looking forward to spending time on the ground connecting with our supporters there, as well as several of our global partners looking to drive awareness in the US market. The fixtures themselves are also hugely exciting – three great games in three fantastic locations – and they will provide a strong test for the squad as part of our preparations for the new season.”

The tour is a colloboration with promoter TEG Sport. Their US managing director Matt Kontos said: "We’re delighted to be bringing such an amazing slate of games featuring some of the best teams in the world to fans in the US this summer. We work hard to bring the best and most exciting matches possible to fans across the country, at affordable prices, and we’re delivering exactly that with this lineup of Clubs.”

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Two Sunderland games moved for TV coverage in April

Sunderland have had two of their April fixtures moved for TV coverage.

The Premier League have confirmed the latest round of TV picks for next month, with two Black Cats home games impacted by the changes. The visit of Spurs to the Stadium of Light has been pushed back one day, and will now take place on Sunday 12 April at 2pm. The game is set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports. However, it's worth noting that this new date does still remain subject to change and could depend on Spurs' ongoing participation in the Champions League. Igor Tudor's side have been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the competition later this month, and should they progress into the quarter finals next month then the game could be moved again depending on UEFA scheduling.

Sunderland's home clash with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest has also been moved for live TV coverage. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports and will kick off at 8pm on Friday, March 24th. As a result, Sunderland's trip to Aston Villa on April 18th is unaffected and will remain a Saturday, 3pm kick off.

Sunderland's full April schedule across all competitions is not yet finalised as it will depend on the outcome of their FA Cup fifth round tie with Port Vale on Sunday lunchtime. The FA Cup quarter finals will take place on the weekend of April 4th, with Sunderland facing two weekends without a fixture should they fail to progress at Vale Park.

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