The close of the Premier League season is less than two short weeks away. The World Cup, meanwhile, is almost here. Just 43 days away. So I thought it’d be a great time to update you on some exciting developments here at EPL Talk as well as to see if you’re interested in participating in a couple of very exciting projects.

First, the release of the Patrick Barclay Interview on EPL Talk last week has been a runaway hit. So far, we’ve had more than 19,000 views on YouTube for the first part of the series alone. If you haven’t watched it yet, or seen all five episodes, it’s definitely required viewing and you can watch it in HD now. The beauty of the video is that it’s a fantastic example of Laurence McKenna’s work for EPL Talk. You’re probably familiar with Laurence as the English bloke on the EPL Talk Podcast weekend and midweek review shows. And the good news is that Laurence plans on developing more video content between now and the World Cup and during the tournament.

Second, we’re looking for EPL Talk readers who are interested in participating in a fun video project this summer. If you have a video camera, webcam or can take video on your phone, listen up. We’re interested in having soccer fans from around the world capture the experience of watching the World Cup. It could be video of you and your mates celebrating a World Cup in your local pub. Or video of you at home watching games. You name it. The best videos that are sent in will be featured on the EPL Talk Facebook page. If you’re interested in participating, send an e-mail to video[at]epltalk[dot]com for more information.

Third, with the World Cup around the corner, if you’re interested in writing for EPL Talk be sure to visit our get published page for more information. Or, if you’re interested in working as an intern for EPL Talk and you want to experience what it’s like to be on the inside of one of the top soccer blogs in the world during the excitement of a World Cup (as well as learning tons of helpful information about writing, search engine optimization, maintaining sites, etc), please e-mail intern[at]epltalk[dot]com for more details.

Fourth, be sure to listen to two shows that recently interviewed me. The first is the very talented Stoke City Etc. Podcast where I discuss how popular the Premier League is in America, what has attracted many of us to watching Stoke City matches as well as some background on EPL Talk. The second is a new podcast from US soccer writer Daniel Feuerstein. Entitled Feuerstein’s Fire, I’m interviewed on the show where I talk about how soccer on US television has changed from the 1986 World Cup to the 2010 tournament, as well as my views on ESPN not naming any American lead TV commentators for their coverage in South Africa.

Fifth, we’re really excited about the massive plans we have for World Cup 2010 coverage. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be announcing our World Cup coverage plans as well as a couple of major surprises that will definitely appeal to soccer fans worldwide. I can’t let the cat out of the bag right now, but I know you’ll really love the news as soon as we reveal it. In the meantime, please continue returning to EPL Talk, follow EPL Talk on Twitter, friend EPL Talk on Facebook, subscribe to the EPL Talk Podcast and download the free EPL Talk iPhone app.

Sixth and finally, kudos to Richard Farley for his excellent and consistent work on the EPL Talk Podcast. Not only is the caliber of guests improving that he has on the show (for example, Billy Beane on today’s episode), but the quality of the dialogue and production qualities are better than ever before. I trust that you’ve been enjoying the podcast, released daily, and stay tuned for exciting news on that front too.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to read the latest update. In the meantime, feel free to post any comments below of how we can improve or contact me directly at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com