Top Clubs Consider Playing Overseas

[MC Prussian]

This is one of the most ridiculous propositions ever made in English football history.

As if the clubs, the chairmen as well as the players weren't cashing in enough already.

[James.]

I'm f**king staggered and outraged that this proposal was agreed by all 20 clubs. Maybe I'm being naive but I really can't believe they think the extra money in their pockets is worth the backlash this idea will get from just about every fan in this country.

As if fans weren't disillusioned enough with the state of modern football they go and propose THIS. It's just crazy.

What a way to thank the millions of supporters who plough their wages into these clubs year after year after year.

There's so much wrong with this idea it's not even worth talking about the problems.

I'm hoping someone with more time, anger and energy than me starts a structured protest against this and tells the Premier League to shove the idea up their greedy, selfish, ignorant, fat arses.

[Manwell Pablo]

I'm f**king staggered and outraged that this proposal was agreed by all 20 clubs. Maybe I'm being naive but I really can't believe they think the extra money in their pockets is worth the backlash this idea will get from just about every fan in this country.

As if fans weren't disillusioned enough with the state of modern football they go and propose THIS. It's just crazy.

What a way to thank the millions of supporters who plough their wages into these clubs year after year after year.

There's so much wrong with this idea it's not even worth talking about the problems.

I'm hoping someone with more time, anger and energy than me starts a structured protest against this and tells the Premier League to shove the idea up their greedy, selfish, ignorant, fat arses.

I will refuse to attend Premier League games if this goes through, disgusting.

[Koke]

I think they'll re-consider the whole thing once season tickets start being handed back in by the thousands. Wishful thinking I know.

Its wrong on all levels. **** me, but these money grabbing c*nts will do anything for money. I'm sure Scudamore will let someone shag his wife for couple of extra quids.

[James.]

But why why WHY don't they realise they're going to alienate so many fans at a time when there's already a fair amount of discontent amongst supporters. Factors such as overseas takeovers and inflated ticket prices are already manifesting themselves in falling attendances.

Just staggering. Their greed knows no bounds.

[purpleronnie]

I will refuse to attend Premier League games if this goes through, disgusting.

I thought you supported Leicester?

[Manwell Pablo]

I thought you supported Leicester?

I do, I do occasionaly go to other games though and of course we may one day get promoted.

[Bryn]

With respect, SoccerooFox, our Leagues are not for you. They are for us. And the vast majority of English fans don't give a fook about how good this will be for Australia.

[Koke]

Both Adam Pearson and that penis head David Gold were running their mouths yesterday about how good this would be for everyone concerned. Of course Randy Lerner, the Glazers and the two Yanks at Liverpool are all up for it. Dave Whelan probably wet himself when the news broke to him. And what's more, if we were in the Premiership, Milan Manderic wouldn't hesitate jumping at the deal.

We better off staying down here. In 5 years time the Championship will be the dogs bollocks.

[LeeCovFox]

This is for anybody who may not think that this man is a dickhead already:

Bolton manager Megson is fully behind the proposal and believers the doubters need to give the idea time.

He told The Sun: "I think it's great. If it was organised properly it would be taken to an area where there is maybe not a massive amount of football but the exposure is there in terms of TV. It's similar to the NFL playing a game in London.

"I don't think it will be a huge problem and the benefits will far out-weigh the cons.

"The exposure the Premier League gets from television is fantastic and the interest in places you wouldn't think there is interest is huge.

"In principal it's a good thing. There have been some things I thought at the time were duff ideas but turned out to be a benefit - things like banning keepers from picking up a back-pass."

This is apparently comparable to the introduction of the back pass rule. Fvck of you ginger bastard.

[Darkzzz_]

So what happens if there is a last day relegation battle and it is decided in japan... That would take all the drama and excitement away for me i know that much!!

I cant come round to the idea at all just yet... I am suprised a lot of managers have backed it... I am not suprised by the greedy chairman though!!

Cant say that i blame them to much!!!

But i still dont agree with it

[Alexikokopops]

So what happens if there is a last day relegation battle and it is decided in japan... That would take all the drama and excitement away for me i know that much!!

I cant come round to the idea at all just yet... I am suprised a lot of managers have backed it... I am not suprised by the greedy chairman though!!

Cant say that i blame them to much!!!

But i still dont agree with it

Well that wouldn't happen because these overseas games would be scheduled for January.

[Craig]

It makes me feel sick.

What if there's a crucial six pointer!? Leicester vs Derby is drawn to be played in January. Us fans would have to get up at like 4am to watch the side we've followed home and away, through thick and thin, playing the one of the biggest games of our season infront of a bunch of bandwagon premier league fans, not even probably fans of either of the two teams.

ARGHHH IT STINKS.

edit - that's if it's even broadcast on tv over here!

[Alexikokopops]

Different views on the overseas game

[Vestan Pance]

What broading the brand name, giving people the oppurtunity to see top level competitive football

Unbelievable!

[breadandcheese]

Sadly, if we were in the premiership, Milan would be backing this all the way to the hilt.

Is it maybe time to force a breakaway league of those teams that want the money and the international exposure and those that want to play the sport?

Unfortunately, we're all mugs because we are happy to buy the season ticket and the merchandise, on the basis that you're born a team and have to follow it through to it's death. At what point does the club you support no longer become the club you have always supported? As this proposal to play football abroad will do nothing but swell the coffers, there is not a chance of stopping it. So is it time to ask these teams to set-up their own code with other European teams and create a separate game (bit like Rugby Union and League).

[act smiley]

Defeinetly they wouldn't do it if there weren't going to make a buck maybe it is the main factor, but i believe they are also doing it for the good of the game (good of the game gee that sounds gay).

NO.

These scum have no respect for the game in any form. If they'd earn more money by making the teams play in pink tutu's, well guess what Man Utd's next home kit would be. You're being incredibly selfish by only focussing on "wow, premiership football on my doorstep" without opening your eyes to see that this will destroy the game.

edit - that's if it's even broadcast on tv over here!

Of course it will be! Why would Sky pass up a chance to force EVERY FOOTBALL FAN IN THE COUNTRY to watch on TV?! I've read that they want to get all the games on a TV package and I expect that's where half the money is for this one.

[Manwell Pablo]

NO.

These scum have no respect for the game in any form. If they'd earn more money by making the teams play in pink tutu's, well guess what Man Utd's next home kit would be. You're being incredibly selfish by only focussing on "wow, premiership football on my doorstep" without opening your eyes to see that this will destroy the game.

Of course it will be! Why would Sky pass up a chance to force EVERY FOOTBALL FAN IN THE COUNTRY to watch on TV?! I've read that they want to get all the games on a TV package and I expect that's where half the money is for this one.

Yep all 10 games back to back, 900 minutes of football (15 hours, pus probabley another hour of injury time!)

[davieG]

Money Money Money Money Money

You get my drift..

Yours

Theres for's and against for every argument - the fact is football is changing, you've just got to deal with it im afraid.

[davieG]

Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at the Premier League after not being consulted over plans for an 'international round' of fixtures.

The landmark proposal would see every top-flight club play an additional fixture in a foreign city from the 2010/11 season.

Manchester United boss Ferguson would not give his view on the plan, but was clearly unimpressed by the timing of the Premier League's announcement.

Mouth shut

Ferguson said: "What disappoints me is [united chief executive] David Gill phoned me and said 'keep this quiet, we are going to discuss it' and then it's all over the papers this morning.

"They can't keep their mouth shut down there.

"I think if they are going to do these things they should have been enquiring and having discussions with managers and players before they come out with all this stuff and make an issue of it.

"These issues should be discussed internally by clubs before they come to this position we are today but until I speak to David Gill again I have nothing more to say about it."

[Daggers]

What broading the brand name, giving people the oppurtunity to see top level competitive football

I don't give a flying fck about the brand awareness of the Premier League. No genuine football fan does. If people want to take the opportunity to see top level footy then either get a Sky subscription or get on a fcking plane. Or, and here's the wacky bit, go watch your local team.

Just because I yearned to see quality footy the last few seasons didn't mean I went down to the end of the road to watch the Villa - that's not what football is about. The wimpy attitude that demands the chance to see top players in their regional location is the football tourist who frequents Old Trafford once a season. F[u[[/u]uck them. F[u[[/u]uck the people of the world who stand around in their far-flung bars clad in Premiership nylon.

The Big 4 already do a summer tour of the world - there is no need to make this a formalised part of a national competition. The whole notion is a joke; just because the States do something similar with their sports carries no weight in argument to justify it being adopted here.

Almost universally, this proposal has been rejected by supporters, players and managers - simply because the idea is totally fcked up.

If it goes through then (like many I suspect) I'll not spend a penny watching a Premier League match.

[LeeCovFox]

I don't give a flying fck about the brand awareness of the Premier League. No genuine football fan does. If people want to take the opportunity to see top level footy then either get a Sky subscription or get on a fcking plane. Or, and here's the wacky bit, go watch your local team.

Just because I yearned to see quality footy the last few seasons didn't mean I went down to the end of the road to watch the Villa - that's not what football is about. The wimpy attitude that demands the chance to see top players in their regional location is the football tourist who frequents Old Trafford once a season. F[u[[/u]uck them. F[u[[/u]uck the people of the world who stand around in their far-flung bars clad in Premiership nylon.

The Big 4 already do a summer tour of the world - there is no need to make this a formalised part of a national competition. The whole notion is a joke; just because the States do something similar with their sports carries no weight in argument to justify it being adopted here.

Almost universally, this proposal has been rejected by supporters, players and managers - simply because the idea is totally fcked up.

If it goes through then (like many I suspect) I'll not spend a penny watching a Premier League match.

I agree. I want my club to be successful like anybody does, but its really getting to the stage now where I think my club will be tarnished by its very competition in the Premier League. For years I've lamented Peter Taylor's inability to take this club to the next level, something which was so close as to be touchable. Now I'm beginning to believe that he may well have inadvertently done us the biggest favour he could have.

[Simi]

Adam Pearson the Derby chairman has just been on Sky Sports News and when asked about the fans - he just completely bypassed it and said "We're excited about opening a new market elsewhere".

Seems the fans aren't in the thoughts of the people that matter.

[Phube]

Great idea (by someone in Ollie's column).

Play the Charity Shield in a different country every year... no-one realy cares about it anyway!!

[Joe.]

BBC Advantages

While the Premier League plots its course to infinity and beyond, the man in charge of American football's British arm is already fine-tuning his sport's expansion outside of North America.

Alistair Kirkwood, the NFL's UK managing director, was instrumental when gridiron made history and staged its first regular season game outside of the continent in October 2007.

He is also in a minority of Britons who appreciate why Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has made this incredibly ambitious - and equally controversial - step.

"I'm not really surprised at these potential theories being discussed," Kirkwood told BBC Sport.

"Given the way that sports fans consume their media and how the media works, the NFL had to come up with a way of reaching out to more people and show the best possible aspect of our sport.

"That's when we came up with the concept of competitive games outside of America."

When NFL league commissioner Roger Goodell described the first regular game outside of North America as one of the highlights of the 2007 season, it was not only for the benefit of good PR.

The 82,000 sell-out game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants at Wembley in October earned London more than £20m as 10,000 visitors flocked in from the United States for the game alone.

But, more significantly, the game was broadcast in 212 countries in 21 languages, figures that justify the NFL's decision to scale unchartered territory.

Super Bowl XLII - won by the unfancied Giants in Phoenix - was seen by an estimated 93.2 million people in the US alone - the NFL's second most-watched domestic broadcast in history.

Add the many millions of people, potentially one billion, tuning in from abroad and you have a product just itching to earn dollars, riyals or Yuan from Arizona to Australia.

"If you are trying to increase the amount of popularity across the world, directly or indirectly it increases the revenue in the game," said Kirkwood.

"More money to reinvest in the game means you can attract better players, improve stadiums and facilities.

"Ultimately, no matter how major sports are structured, the vast majority of activity will still continue to be in home markets and giving a great experience for the home fans.

"It's not all about making money. It could, over the next few years, make sports leagues and teams more exciting."

Kirkwood argues that global expansion is an inevitable evolution for sport, just as multi-national companies spread their influence around the world two decades ago, the Premier League is following suit.

An increasingly competitive industry means each sport will need to keep innovating to stay one step ahead of the chasing pack in the future.

"In 10 years time you need to ask yourself whether you want a fanbase of 200 to 300 million or three to four billion," said Kirkwood.

"If you want three to four billion, you have to make tough decisions and look at ways of being creative and possibly sacrificing things.

"Increasingly, the top three or four sports on a global basis will dominate. The difference between those and the next tier of sports will be so much greater over a period of time.

"Sports bodies and leagues will be challenging themselves and thinking out of the box."

BBC Disadvantages

The Premier League's 'big four' teams - Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool - are box office no matter where they go in the world but would some of the other teams pack the rafters at the 93,000 capacity Rose Bowl in Pasadena?

Alexei Lalas, who is the general manager of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy, is sceptical.

He said: "They can come over and play these games and people can come and check it out but I think they are going to leave the stadium more often than not thinking: 'I can get much better value and more excitement by going to see my Galaxy play'.

"We do not have a monopoly on rubbish soccer - it's played all over the world."

LA Times sports journalist Graham Jones agrees with the assessment made by Galaxy's chief.

"If it's two lower-level teams who are not really fighting for anything and haven't got any big-name players, it's not going to draw more than MLS draws now, which is 15,000-20,000.

"Just because it counts for points back in England doesn't mean it will mean anything over here."

If the 20 clubs in the English top tier decide to give the controversial plans the thumbs up, they risk further alienating their domestic supporters.

However, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Burnham said: "The Premier League brings great benefits to Britain but its success today is established on the tradition of local club support, built up over generations. The game must never forget its roots."

The cost of attending a top flight match in England has jumped by about 600% since 1989.

While the division's current £2.7bn television rights deal has prompted some Premier League clubs to reduce their ticket prices, discontent among supporters who feel they are being priced out of football continues to grow.

In principle, it sounds like a great idea - bring more money into the clubs - but on the other side, people will say they are already making enough money," Reading's American goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann told BBC Sport.

"I think our team made £50m last year so how much more do they need? That's what the fans are going to say because they have season tickets and they want to see every game.

"If a game is in Bangkok they are not going to be able to see it."

Kevin Roberts, the executive director of Sports Business Group, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "If you remove a home game from any set of fans you are disenfranchising the very people this game is built on.

"Part of the Premier League's great brand value comes from the passion of the crowd that watches your games. You can't mess with your customer base and the customer base is the fans of these clubs."

A final decision on the proposals will not be made until January 2009 and a plethora of potential stumbling blocks must be addressed.

If the Premier League becomes a 39-match season, will the foreign match be included in a season ticket and, if so, how do clubs expect their season ticket holders to attend the match?

Will kick-off times be arranged to suit both the spectators in the stadiums and the supporters watching their teams on television in England?

Time must be spent travelling and acclimatising to the foreign city's climate but what if this interfered with Champions League or Uefa Cup commitments or duties with the international teams?

There is a distinct possibility the Premier League could be heading for a collision course with football's world governing body Fifa as well as Europe's Uefa.

"It's going to be difficult to get this off the table because the games are going to be played in countries which are members of Fifa and by their constitution Fifa have to be very protective of domestic football," said Sports Business Group chief Roberts.

"Already the Asian Football Federation is up in arms, spitting blood about their relationship with top European clubs that come there, play friendlies and disappear taking the money but leaving very little."