After all, why focus on just Europe when the Premier League could “rule” the world instead — albeit with teams comprised from England and not foreign soil?
If the Premier League gets the proposal passed and the 2010/2011 experiment is considered a success, where does the Premier League go from there?
Expect the Premier League to do additional research to see which markets, regions or cities around the world would be the next destinations for the 2011/2012 season. Expect a regular rotation with some cities remaining “permanent” overseas hosts such as Hong Kong.
If the league’s overseas experiment continued to be a consistent success over the first two seasons, you can expect to see the number of matches played overseas increased from 10 to 20. I don’t foresee the league expanding past that. Otherwise they’d be crucified in the UK press and by the public.
With the Premier League and its 20 clubs, they’re all in for the money and nothing else. By shaking up the system and becoming open to playing one round of games overseas, they’re making waves in the world of advertising. By taking the Premier League of today to the international Premier League of 2010/2011, the league will be able to generate more money from advertisers. After all, their brand will be seen by more people overseas as interest in the league continues to grow in those countries.
Playing matches overseas will also create interest in acquiring TV rights to the league in those foreign countries. You can expect more TV companies to be interested in bidding on the rights, which means the league will be able to generate even more TV revenue for its clubs.
While the league has been chastised for even considering the proposal to play matches overseas (now commonly referred to as the 39th step), you have to give credit to the Premier League if you’re a businessman or marketer. If you’re a football fan, you probably hate the idea. But from a marketing and business perspective, the moves they’re making are pure genius.
In the meantime, the Football Supporters’ Federation has created an online petition against the Premier League proposal. If you agree with the FSF, sign the petition today.
