FIFA’s announcement earlier this year that it will consider changing its policy of blocking league matches being staged overseas caused widespread debate in English football.
While staging a ’39th game’ in the United States has long been a dream for the Premier League, the backlash to the idea from fans in England has been vitriolic.
Traditionalists argue it would devalue the competition, while supporters of the concept claim this viewpoint fails to recognise that the league is no longer the sole preserve of fans in the home market.
Understanding the commercial benefits
Although the Premier League has its roots in England, the competition undoubtedly transcends those traditional borders. In simple terms, it has become a global behemoth.
Top clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal have aggressively marketed themselves overseas – a tactic that has helped them establish massive fanbases in numerous international markets. When those two clubs have played each other in friendlies overseas, the games were sold out.
Establishing overseas roots is not a new concept. Former Premier League Chief Executive Officer Richard Scudamore urged clubs to broaden their horizons in 2008 and noted that failing to adopt this approach would allow other sports to take advantage.
FIFA and UEFA were vocal in their opposition to the idea, while many respected figures in football expressed their disapproval. They argued that football did not need to sell its soul for commercial gain given that it was already the most popular sport on the planet.
However, with competitions such as the NFL and NBA increasingly staging games in overseas markets to boost their global profile, Scudamore argued that the Premier League could not afford to rest on its laurels. He viewed the notion of a 39th game as a tremendous commercial opportunity, and it remains hugely appealing to the league’s current power-brokers.
Assessing the traditionalists’ standpoint
While broadcast income has helped the Premier League grow since its launch in 1992, it is important to note that these are not exclusively domestic deals.
For example, NBC’s current six-year partnership with the English top flight is worth almost $450 million annually. According to Football Today, that figure will increase significantly when the next round of rights in the North American market are negotiated.
Numerous clubs are now internationally owned, so it naturally follows that they will seek to exploit commercial opportunities overseas. For example, Fenway Sports Group-owned Liverpool playing a league match against the Glazer family-owned Manchester United in the US would generate massive interest.
However, traditionalists argue this would rob local fans of their birthright – watching their team play in their home ground against their biggest rivals. The idea effectively takes a sledgehammer to more than 100 years of tradition and smashes it into tiny pieces.
Critics also argue that staging fixtures overseas flies in the face of what domestic leagues stand for and could potentially disrupt their competitive integrity. That point is accentuated by the fact that not all teams would be appealing to US fans. For instance, Liverpool vs Man United would be a big hit, but Bournemouth vs Brentford would hold little appeal.
With that in mind, it is little wonder that Bournemouth owner Bill Foley argued against the concept during the club’s pre-season tour of the US.
Commercial growth vs responsibility to home fans
The debate about staging league games overseas is multifaceted but it can easily be split into two elements – the desire for commercial growth against the responsibility to English fans.
The Premier League has transformed football in England, changing it from a sport for the working classes into something far more commercial. However, it is important to recognise that clubs are still rooted in their local communities. Fandom is generational – passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, and so on.
While the contribution of overseas fans to the commercial success of the Premier League cannot be ignored, local fans are the lifeblood of clubs. They are the ones who buy season tickets and who travel across the country every couple of weeks to support their teams. With the best will in the world, this cannot be replicated in overseas markets.
Suggestions that the NFL and NBA successfully staging league games overseas is an example the Premier League should follow are also wide of the mark. This argument ignores a crucial fact – American sports teams are franchises, while Premier League teams are football clubs.
Another element often overlooked whenever the ’39th game’ is debated is the potential damage this could cause to Major League Soccer. Having become a genuine rival to some of the traditional major sports in the US and Canada, MLS could be negatively impacted if it is forced to compete with the Premier League for in-person audiences.
The outcome of a recent case involving in the NFL suggests there could also be legal challenges in the future around the ’39th game’ game based on streaming access.
The Premier League has already made plenty of concessions to accommodate fans overseas, including moving kick-off times to suit those audiences. Further changes could be damaging.
Clubs must balance the desire to pursue commercial growth against their responsibility to home fans to ensure they maintain the allure of what made the Premier League successful in the first place.
