Premier League Asia Trophy

The Premier League Asia Trophy (known as the Barclays Asia Trophy for sponsorship reasons, previously the FA Premier League Asia Cup) is a friendly four-team pre-season football tournament held in Asia every two years. The competition is contested by three Premier League football clubs and the home team. In 2011, the trophy was won by Chelsea.

History

Due to the immense popularity of the Premier League in Asia, the league has held four pre-season tournaments in Asia since 2003. Originally known as the FA Premier League Asia Cup, the tournament is the only Premier League-affiliated competition to have been held outside England.

The Asia Trophy is held once every two years in odd years, to avoid conflicts with the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship tournaments.

2003 Malaysia

In July 2003, the competition was held in Malaysia, and featured three Premier League clubs (Chelsea, Newcastle United and Birmingham City) and the Malaysian National Team. All matches were played in the 80,000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium. The final was won by Chelsea after a penalty shootout. Chelsea beat Newcastle United, having beaten the Malaysian National Team 4-1 with goals from Glen Johnson, Frank Lampard, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

2005 Thailand

In 2005, the Asia Trophy featured a similar format, but was held in Thailand and featured the Thailand national football team...
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