‘Moved to tears’: Massive inconvenience to players, but die-hard fans embrace Premier League circus.

Try telling the thousands of die-hard Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur fans who flocked to Melbourne on Wednesday evening that this was a meaningless friendly.

Au contraire, the opening Global Football Week fixture between these EPL heavyweights was an opportunity for fans from around the region to come together and enjoy a match day experience that would otherwise be out of reach – for some a a once-in-a-lifetime chance to represent their club in their club colours and reinforce that connection and devotion to their favourite football team.

The Precinct bar in Richmond was a sea of black and white, familiar faces from late-night bars across the country where the English Premier League plays out in the early hours every Saturday, and familiar faces from the last time the club ventured to our region ten years ago for the Football United tour of New Zealand.