Soccer-Newcastle, West Ham to tour New Zealand

April 30 (Reuters) - Newcastle United and West Ham will play pre-season exhibition matches in New Zealand in July, the English Premier League sides said on Wednesday. The teams will play two matches each against A-League sides Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC. Newcastle play Sydney at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr stadium on July 22, with West Ham taking on Phoenix at Auckland's Eden Park the following day. The teams then head to New Zealand capital Wellington for a double-header at Westpac Stadium on July 26, where Phoenix host Newcastle and Sydney take on West Ham. "I'm really excited to be bringing West Ham to New Zealand in July to play a bit of footy in the Football United Tour and show them how we do things in New Zealand," the team's New Zealand defender Winston Reid said in a statement. Newcastle are currently ninth in the English Premier League while West Ham are 14th, five points above the relegation zone and not yet assured of their spot in the league for next season. (Writing by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)