The English Premier League: Taking It Overseas

With FIFA practically rejecting the idea of a 39^thgame, the Premier League have created a plan B. The idea of an extra game in another country sparked a lot of controversy and criticism from football organizations, club managers and owners, but desperate to develop their international popularity across the world, the EPL will now be organizing mini-tournaments in some of the major continents during a 12-day break during January.

Officials of the Premier League are well aware of the growing fan base of the Premier League and are looking to increase its global exposure. Continents such as Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America are all contenders to host the Premier League’s proposed mini-tournaments.

“Clearly, there’s a huge appetite for Premier League football all over the world,” a league spokesman said. “We’ve got to concentrate on making sure our competition is as vibrant as possible.”

Manchester United and Portsmouth recently played each other in a friendly in Abuja, Nigeria, where both clubs were met with rapturous support. Such a positive reaction for two of Premier League clubs has only strengthened the league’s determination to play abroad.

The Premier League organization considers a mini-tournament to be the best form of spreading their popularity. The idea is simple. Five four-club mini-leagues will take place in cities such as Dubai, Sydney, Johannesburg, Kuala Lampur, and New York.

Some fans find it hard to travel to England to support their team, and will be thrilled to know that their club is coming to them.

The revenue for each of these clubs from the mini-tournaments will be phenomenal as well. Manchester United were reported to have received over £2 million from the solitary match played in Nigeria.

An entire mini-tournament would bring in even more profits for each of the 20 Premier League clubs involved. Such earnings would be a huge boost for some clubs, especially the newly promoted teams, who aren’t as financially well off as the majority of Premier League clubs.

The financial gain is not a worry for the Premier League, but it is for some of the fans. Ticket prices are most likely to range from £40 to £100, which is a lot for the average person in some of these continents. This isn’t England we are talking about anymore.

But with the incredible appetite for English games, stadium attendance shouldn’t be much of a problem. Local supporters in England are also likely to seek tickets in order to watch their team.

The possibility of a winter break in such a gruesome season will be welcomed by the  Football Association but they will be less pleased, however, with the idea of players traveling thousands of miles across the world when they could be resting.

So what’s your take? Is this a better idea than the original 39^th game?

Don’t forget that the mini-tournaments will cause additional fixtures in an already challenging season.

Should the Premier League just forget all about playing abroad? Or is it something that will benefit the league in the long run?