Global attractiveness of the Premier League

The Big Five leagues in Europe – English, German, Spanish, Italian and French – no doubt enjoy a lion’s share of prominence over the world when it comes to football. But going beyond this, the English League is no doubt the most popular league of all currently. FIFA claim that the origins of football lay in the old Chinese game of Ciju, the most successful team in European Football may be Spanish, and the current champions of Europe may also be Spanish, but there is something about the English League that attracts fans all over the world.

Global Popularity:

The formation of the Premier League in 1992, saw a lot of money flowing into the league. Teams started being taken over by rich owners who invested in the clubs. This saw the inflow of a lot of foreign players into England. Top teams in the league field about 60% of their first team in the form of players bought from Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, etc. This has no doubt pulled international fans towards the league, more than any other league.

Broadcasting:

With revenues from broadcasting crossing the £ 1 Billion mark, the English Premier League enjoys the widest international broadcasting of all the leagues in the world. With matches showing on locally available channels, the popularity in non-European countries has also increased dramatically. The English League also has the highest merchandise sales across the world.

Finance:

The revenues generated in the League are the highest of all the leagues and are £ 500 Million higher than the Bundesliga which is the closest. This naturally attracts investors, broadcasters and advertisers from all over, adding to the dominance of the League. Aggressive advertising from teams like United and Liverpool, make them amongst the most popular teams.

Watch a small interview where Aguero says why the League is the Best:

Teams and Players:

The League also has some of the most popular teams and Players in the world the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea along with their loads of stars that play for them. The style of play – fast and versatile is not like any other league. There are a range of teams, attacking fast teams like Arsenal and Tottenham, defensive teams like Stoke City, teams with exceptionally strong mid-fields like Chelsea and Manchester City and well balanced teams like United and Liverpool. The versatile styles naturally attract football fans with different tastes.

A combination of teams, finances, style of play, foreign players and strong history makes the league as popular as it is today. A financial strategy that incorporates international broadcasting and marketing helps create awareness on a worldwide level. Of course without us – the fans, none of this would really thrive would it?