Fans of Liverpool and Manchester City will be heading for Leicester in July to watch their teams compete for the first trophy of the new football season.
The FA has announced that the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season – The FA Community Shield – will be played at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, July 30, with thousands of fans making their way to Leicester for the game.
It is the first time since 2012 that the Community Shield has been played away from Wembley, as the Women’s European Championship final is taking place at the stadium that weekend.
Leicester City Council says that it is looking forward to welcoming welcoming fans in to the city, which is hosting the event.
“It’s very exciting that all eyes will be on Leicester, as fans around the world look forward to a new football season,” said City Mayor Peter Soulsby.
“Liverpool and Manchester City have set extraordinary standards in recent years, and I’m sure their fans will want to get the new season off to a good start by beating their closest rivals – so it should be a cracking game.
“We look forward to welcoming the fans of both teams to our city and hope they’ll enjoy their day out in Leicester.”
Leicester City are the current holders of The FA Community Shield. The Foxes beat Manchester City 1:0 to win the trophy last year, after winning the FA Cup for the first time.
City chief executive Susan Whelan said: “Being able to host such a prestigious fixture in our stadium is fantastic news for the city and further underlines Leicester City’s long-term commitment to establish Leicestershire as a home for high profile sporting events.
“On behalf of the football club, I’d like to thank the FA and all stakeholders who have worked with us on making this possible. We look forward to welcoming teams and supporters from Manchester City and Liverpool to the city in July.”
The FA Community Shield will kick off at the King Power Stadium at 5pm on Saturday, July 30.
Broadcast details and ticketing information will be announced by the FA in due course.
