Premier League clubs will travel more than 182,000 miles this summer... and it all starts this midweek in Austria

• West Brom kick off Premier League pre-season in Austria on Wednesday
• Clubs will travel equivalent of seven times around the earth
• Liverpool's 24,030 miles mean they will travel more than anyone else 

By Joe Bernstein for MailOnline

Published: 08:29 EST, 8 July 2015 | Updated: 10:50 EST, 8 July 2015

In the tiny Austrian town of Schladming on Wednesday night, West Bromwich Albion will begin an amazing summer of travel for English clubs. 

By the time the Premier League kicks off on August 8, the 20 top-flight teams will have journeyed 182,864 miles – the equivalent to nearly seven-and-a-half times round the earth.

Albion's game against Red Bull Salzburg in a 700-capacity arena 780 miles from The Hawthorns is just the firing of the starting pistol. Southampton also play in the same country on Wednesday.

On Thursday, West Ham United play a Europa League qualifying tie in Andorra, and next week the top teams will be on all four corners of the planet pushing the Premier League brand.

West Ham head to Andorra on Thursday for the second leg of their Europa League first-round qualifier

The top travellers will be Liverpool whose matches in Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and Finland add up to 24,030 miles and should ensure all those new signings get to know each other better.

At the other end of the scale, Leicester City – whose post-season tour to Thailand ended in scandal – are playing it safe and their local warm-up games mean a total travelling distance of just 354 miles, nearly 12,000 fewer than their first league opponents Sunderland, who are going to California, Canada and Germany.

The figure of 182,000 is likely to rise with West Ham and Southampton set to play further Europa League ties.

ARSENAL – total distance travelled in pre-season, 13,490 miles

Arsene Wenger takes his team to Singapore (6,745 miles away) for the Barclays Asia Trophy with Everton, Stoke and a Singapore XI and then back to London to face Lyon and Wolfsburg in the Emirates Cup, before the Community Shield against Chelsea at Wembley

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez takes on Monaco's Tiemoue Bakayoko in last summer's Emirates Cup

ASTON VILLA – 2,531 miles

Villa meet Fulham and Sporting Braga in Portugal's Algarve (1,107 miles) and then criss-cross England for away games at Swindon (85 miles) and then closer to home at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsall and Nottingham Forest.

BOURNEMOUTH – 9,250 miles

Eddie Howe's debutants have entered into the spirit by playing in five countries in pre-season. They start on July 15 in Philadelphia, USA (3,486 miles) and later on play Nantes in Besancon (431miles) and Hoffenheim in Germany (488 miles). Sandwiched in between are Exeter, Yeovil and Cardiff.

CHELSEA – 7,991 miles

The champions start their three-match tour of America in New Jersey (3,466miles) before moving on to Charlotte, North Carolina and Washingon DC before returning back to London where they meet Fiorentina and then Arsenal in the Community Shield. Chelsea also went on a post-season tour.

Chelsea captain John Terry (left) and boss Jose Mourinho (right) on Chelsea's post-season tour to Thailand

CRYSTAL PALACE – 13,192 miles

Palace's longest trip is to the southern tip of Africa when they face Supersport United in Cape Town (6,016miles). They will also go to the German capital Berlin to play their local team Union Berlin. Their three other matches against Barnet, Fulham and Dagenham are all in and around London.

EVERTON – 14,538 miles

After a loosener at Swindon Town (173 miles), Roberto Martinez will take his men east for the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore. After that comes a mini-tour of Scotland with games against Hearts and Dundee before finishing off at home against Villarreal via a trip to Elland Road, Leeds

LEICESTER CITY – 354 miles

After the fall-out of the club's post-season trip to Thailand which saw three players including the former manager Nigel Pearson's son sacked, maybe it's just as well The Foxes are staying local pre-season. Their last trip is to Lincoln on July 21.

LIVERPOOL - 24,030 miles

There will be plenty of time for Brendan Rodgers' new signings to get to know each other on long-haul flights. After starting in Bangkok (6,004 miles), the head on to play twice in Australia, in Brisbane (4,530miles) and Adelaide, before returning home via Malaysia, and then on to Helsinki.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez on their tour of Australia last year before his move to Barcelona

Adam Lallana on playing to 80,000 Liverpool fans at the MCG

MANCHESTER CITY – 21,112 miles

City will face Roma and Real Madrid in Melbourne, which is where their sister club Melbourne City are based. The club also played a post-season game in Canada but despite the distances they won't be boarding as many planes as some of their rivals.

MANCHESTER UNITED – 10,988 miles

Louis van Gaal demanded a less strenuous pre-season than United have experienced in recent years but his players will still be on show in three different American states; Washington (4,627miles), California and Illinois. LVG even ruled out a fourth venue, Berkeley near San Francisco to cut down travel.

NEWCASTLE UNITED – 11,133 miles

Owner Mike Ashley must be looking to push the Sports Direct brand in America with new manager Steve McClaren taking his players to Milwaukee, Sacramento and Portland before returning home from the west coast (4,694 miles) to visit the less glamorous surroundings of Sheffield and York.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal embraces Wayne Rooney on their tour of the US last summer

Louis van Gaal wants United to hit the ground running

NORWICH CITY – 363 miles

Home is where the heart is for Alex Neil's play-off heroes. Their biggest pre-season friendlies are at Carrow Road and none of their three trips to Gorleston, Hitchin or Cambridge (62 miles) will lead to jet lag. They will have travelled nearly 13,000 miles less than first PL opponents Crystal Palace.

SOUTHAMPTON – 1673 miles *

* They also face a tie in the Europa League third qualifying round

Dutch manager Ronald Koeman has planned a pre-season that includes three matches in Holland and a couple in Austria in what looks a well-balanced fixture list that is competitive without being tiring. He will be hoping they don't get a long trip in the Europa League third qualifying round.

STOKE CITY – 14,726 miles

It is indicative of Stoke's hard-earned status as an established Premier League club that they are one of the teams invited to take part in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore and will then meet Cologne and Porto in the Colonia Cup in Cologne (414 miles).

Man City celebrate winning the Barclays Asia Trophy in 2013 - Stoke, Everton and Arsenal take part this tear

SUNDERLAND – 12,046 miles

Dick Advocaat's first perk for deciding to stay as Sunderland manager is a trip to California (5,081 miles) and Toronto before heading back to Europe, ending up in Germany to play Hannover (487 miles) on August 1, a week before the real thing.

SWANSEA CITY – 2,038 miles

A relatively low-key pre-season for last season's surprise packages with a trip to Grassau (778 miles) in Germany to face a couple of Bundesliga clubs before travelling to Championship sides Reading and Nottingham Forest.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR – 10,523 miles

Having travelled to Australia at the end of last season, Spurs won't wait long before they start collecting the air miles again, playing the MLS All-Stars in Denver (4,691 miles) before returning to Europe for a prestigious tournament over two days at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.

Tottenham star Harry Kane applauds the fans after they defeated Sydney FC 1-0 in back in May

WATFORD – 1,437 miles

The Hornets are playing three matches in Germany, starting in Verl (381 miles) as they gear up for a season in the Premier League after promotion. They will also travel to Cardiff before finishing at home against Europa Cup holders Sevilla.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION – 10,219 miles

Albion, expected to be the next Premier League club to enter into foreign ownership, will increase their international profile this summer with a match in Austria and three in America, starting with Orlando City in Florida (4.257 miles) on July 15

WEST HAM UNITED – 1,230 miles *

* Likely to increase with further Europa League matches

Slaven Bilic doesn't know the full extent of West Ham's pre-season travels because of their involvement in the Europa League qualifiers. West Ham play in Andorra (627 miles) against FC Lusitans on Thursday night and are set to face two more rounds before the Premier League starts, as well as games in England against teams such as Peterborough and Norwich.

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