A Premier League hypothetical...

[TightEnd]

The Premier League announces that your team is to play a league game overseas in mid-season

for example

Liverpool v Norwich in Boston
Manchester C v WBA in the middle east
Stoke v Bournemouth in Singapore

The club will be compensated for loss of gate revenue, its travel and accomodation expenses will be covered, and will get an enhanced share of tv and advertising revenues for the game

the game would be televised live back in the UK, but not free to air

The club will get a week off after the game

the game chosen would not be a local derby

would you be supportive? angry? or you would be equivocal?

same question if you are a supporter of the away side

thanks

[KarmaDope]

Supportive mainly, but interesting one. Something like Stoke vs Bournemouth probably wouldn't work like the NFL has over here.

The clamour would be for a combo of the merseyside/manchester/london teams probably. Thailand punters prob wouldnt be arsed going to Norwich vs Swansea but you'd fill a 200,000 seater stadium for Liverpool vs MU or Liverpool vs Chelsea.

[TightEnd]

well the NFL doesn't send over the Packers (to pick a franchise with a lot of cachet and history) and a lot of the "storied" franchises have never come across

the cowboys and steelers refuse to give up a home game, but would come across as the away game

we get the bills v jags (stoke v bournemouth) and not the packers v bears (liverpool v man u), though we did get a divisional game this year

so i was careful not to suggest the really big top 6 v top 6 games, as i dont think the clubs would want to take them out of the uk....

[KarmaDope]

They wouldn't, but over here the games are attended by all fans because thats the culture in the NFL. You go down to Wembley on gameday and I guarantee you'll see all 32 franchise shirts.

Just don't get that in football, even in the Far East.

[TightEnd]

yes wembley on nfl day is incredible, all 32 shirts a cert.

but if you are a man u fan in new york and your one chance to see the PL live is chelsea v swansea at the met life, you don't go?

[KarmaDope]

yes wembley on nfl day is incredible, all 32 shirts a cert.

but if you are a man u fan in new york and your one chance to see the PL live is chelsea v swansea at the met life, you don't go?

Honestly, I doubt they do. They might the first time, but after a couple of years the dropoff will be massive I reckon.

[fatcatstu]

I think it would be massive over there if you get one of the bigger clubs to travel over. Would sell out as a novelty every time.

[vegaslover]

Would be quite happy to see it happen and can't imagine most teams being against playing a non-premium game abroad( derbies/top 6 clash etc).
Fans groups etc would no doubt lobby hard at the premium games not going abroad.

Very different to NFL though, as most teams have pre season friendlies/tournies abroad. So not like the fans haven't had the chance to see the teams, unlike for NFL

[AndrewT]

I'd be surprised if the premier league weren't working on this already. I know some clown floated the idea of the 39th game when something more sensible is obvious.

One weekend the Premier League goes on tour - 5 venues across the world, one game Saturday, one Sunday, everyone gets at least one of the big teams. So, say, Tokyo gets Man U v Stoke and Aston Villa v West Ham, Los Angeles gets Liverpool v Bournemouth and Tottenham v Swansea, New York Arsenal v Leicester and Everton v Southampton etc.

Would surely be massive in terms of those valuable foreign TV and commercial rights.

[arbboy]

Any proper reg season EPL game would sell out numerous times over in any major city the epl would target outside of Europe imo.

[nirvana]

Of the choices - equivocal I suppose

It says nothing to me about my life

[swinebag22]

Would not bother me too much. I miss enough games due to family commitments so 1 played abroad on tele wouldn't make much difference.

I think any 2 sides playing in a foreign hotbed would sell out without too much bother. I really think the appeal of seeing a game that actually matters would appeal to any foreign fan.

I know you have drawn direct parallels to NFL but I would pay good money to watch a regular season game between the Bills and Jags but would not even bother to watch if it was an exhibition between Green Bay and Chicago.

[Archer]

Totally opposed. Put me in the angry camp.
•   Calendar overcrowded and scheduling is difficult as it is.
•   Distorts competitive integrity of the league. Has to be an even playing field for all teams IMO.
•   Wouldn’t want to give up the associated advantages of a home fixture to play on a neutral ground.
•   Wouldn’t want, from a personal point of view, to  miss out on a home fixture.
 

[Knottikay]

Totally opposed.

Season ticket holders will lose out.

The die hard fans (ones that go every home and away game....not like sofa only fans) would miss out.

The TV companies already pay massive revenue to show coverage around the world.

Comparing it to NFL games is laughable - the two sports are miles apart. (imo)


Pre-season friendlies are the time for this

[TightEnd]

over time the traditional fan base in the premier league is being more and more marginalised

ticket prices notably, but kick off times etc. takign games abroad is the next stager

i dont see the comparison with the NFL as laughable at all. sport is globalising, overseas revenue streams and the growth of the games in new markets are huge focuses

i think its inevitable.

the NFL came for pre-season friendlies in the late 80s. i think the time between liverpool, say, playing a pre-season friendly in fenway park and a regular league game there will be much much shorter than the nfl's gap from having pre-season to regular season at wembley. part of that due to shorter travel times, easier logistics etc