Pre-season in the football calendar is one of the most important periods for clubs around the globe. It can be the difference between becoming one of the most successful teams in the world or faltering at the first hurdle. Typically, it’s not the most exciting, with matches lacking intensity and results having little impact — but that does not matter to those in charge of clubs.
The off-season presents the perfect opportunity to build fitness and implement new tactical styles. For those sides that have changed their manager, playing friendlies is the best chance to understand how to implement different systems in conditions that can’t be replicated on training pitches.
While many of the best teams on the planet embark upon lucrative pre-season tours in front of packed-out stadiums, certain clubs opt to play friendlies ‘behind closed doors’. It’s a controversial topic which sees no one, apart from those working for the clubs, attend, but it can act as the perfect foundation to kickstart the season. Here’s everything you need to know about this seemingly counter-intuitive approach.
What ‘Behind Closed Doors’ Means
‘Ghost games’ can create an eery atmosphere
The term ‘behind closed doors’ means that clubs opt to play matches with no one in attendance. With spectators not allowed in, it creates a unique spectacle of often an empty stadium in the background. Football clubs take advantage of it during pre-season, but countless other sports can play matches behind closed doors.
For pre-season, clubs choose to do so, as there is no mandatory law that matches have to be played in front of spectators. However, during the campaign, some clubs can be forced to play matches with no one in attendance. This may be a punishment for a team found guilty of a certain act in the past, stadium safety problems, public health concerns, or to prevent potentially dangerous clashes between rival supporters.
For example, during the 2020/21 season, nearly every match in England and around the world was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It created a unique — and desperately sad — image, as fans could not watch their beloved teams in person. By hearing the players scream and shout, the experience was completely different. These eery contests are fittingly known as ‘ghost games’ in Germany.
Why Clubs Play Friendlies Behind Closed Doors
Eliminates most of the logistical demands
Behind closed doors friendlies have become a growing trend in football, with teams doing everything they can to prepare in the best possible manner during pre-season. It’s a unique experience for everyone involved, but there are several reasons why clubs choose to do so.
Easier to arrange
Firstly, it is easier for clubs to arrange friendlies that are behind closed doors. This might sound crazy, but in a matter of days, clubs can travel down to opponents and play a match. Although behind-closed-doors contests typically take place in stadiums, there is no reason why they can’t be staged at the training ground. If anything, that would just be more secretive.
If clubs have a spare few days, they will usually opt to fill in the gap, but that’s not possible with a friendly in front of a major crowd. There are safety checks which have to take place, whilst the ticketing process can take risks. Although clubs might miss out on financial gain, matches behind closed doors completely remove those worries.
Trialists
Coupled with this, clubs can play trialists more easily behind closed doors. It’s not a common sight in the Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world, but further down the English football pyramid, most clubs use them. A trialist is exactly what it says on the tin; they are on trial — and they have to perform at their best to showcase to the manager that they deserve a permanent place at the club.
Clubs will not name trialists when playing matches. They like to keep it unknown, mainly to prevent rivals from swooping in, but also to make sure their transfer strategy is kept secret. It’s naturally a challenging thing to do in the frantic world of sports media, but teams attempt to do their best.
If matches were always played in front of fans, trialists could be easily spotted; in the modern day, it’s immensely easy to be able to work out someone’s identity. Playing matches behind closed doors removes this risk and helps trialists feel more comfortable. After all, they would not want other prospective clubs to know they failed their trial.
Financial Impact of Matches Behind Closed Doors
No ticket revenue but some expenses are saved
Naturally, matches behind closed doors do not make any money because no one attends. There’s no revenue stream from ticket sales or broadcasting deals. In the perilous world of football, a couple of thousands can be the difference between survival and extinction for clubs lower down the footballing pyramid, so it can prove costly.
Friendlies in front of crowds are only worthwhile if they can fill capacity. Barcelona made the most matchday revenue in 2023, whilst three Premier League clubs, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, raked in more than £3m a match. Tottenham Hotspur were close behind and will likely rise into the top two when the most recent standings from the 2023/24 campaign are released.
It’s a different story further down the table, with Bournemouth making just £200,000 a match and Sheffield United only making £50,000 more. Even on a major footballing day, many Premier League sides do not make crazy amounts of profit. Once you factor in that friendlies are rarely sold out, staging these games in front of fans can be a financial burden.
When hosting a match, clubs have to pay for health and safety checks, police support, stewarding, catering and everything else in between. It can add up and put clubs under immense financial stress before any profits enter the bank. Epitomising the modern reality of football, it’s often a forgotten part of the sport.
During the 2024/25 pre-season schedule, Millwall manager Neil Harris stated that he understood why clubs put matches behind closed doors due to the financial measures. After overseeing a sparsely-attended contest against Charlton Athletic, the Lions boss explained:
“The last few years it’s become the norm in football, almost. Unfortunately, it costs a lot of money to put games on nowadays with risk assessments, health and safety, stewards and policing.”
Harris added: “So you end up charging quite a lot of money for people to come. Some people want to come, but the majority don’t. So, it’s almost like a lot of teams have just said: ‘Look, let’s just do behind-closed-doors games. It suits trialists.’ For me, I’m still a bit old-fashioned and would like to have a few more games in front of fans, but I totally understand the thought process of pretty much every football club in the country that does it.”
Clubs That Have Had Matches Behind Closed Doors
Liverpool and Tottenham adopted this approach in 2024/25 pre-season
Countless Premier League teams opted to have matches behind closed doors during pre-season for the 2024/25 campaign. Tottenham chose to play third-tier Cambridge United at Hotspur Way with no fans. They went on to win 7-2, with a hat-trick from Brennan Johnson and a brace from Son Heung-min, one of the greatest Asian players of all time, securing a comfortable victory.
It’s clear to see why Spurs wanted to kickstart their pre-season with a match with no one in attendance. They regularly rotated, particularly in the second half, and they have a strong relationship with Cambridge. The season is already too stressful, so making the opening friendly as relaxed as possible will only help everyone involved.
Meanwhile, Liverpool started their Arne Slot era with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston North End on 19th July 2024. It gave the Dutchman an opportunity to see the whole squad in action for the first time, even if some are yet to return from holiday. In a similar situation to Tottenham, it presented a relaxed environment, but it can anger fans.
The most passionate supporters around the world often want to watch every single game possible. As well as not permitting any physical entry to watch the game, clubs also do not stream matches behind closed doors.