FFC Survey: The 39th Game

The 20 English Premier League football clubs are proposing to play competitive fixtures in cities as far flung as Sydney, Beijing, Miami and Tokyo.

Seeking to capitalise on the popularity of Premier League clubs abroad, the league wants to fit an extra 39th fixture - to be called the international round - into the calendar. The 39th game would give clubs the opportunity to advertise their brands in developing markets and it raises the prospect of, for example, Newcastle United playing Wigan Athletic in Sydney for three points.

The 10 overseas games could generate an estimated £240 million in extra revenue for the Premier League in terms of TV rights deals and the sale of match hosting rights to five overseas cities.

• Cities in emerging markets such as the Far East, Middle East and America would bid to host Barclays Premier League matches
• The weather would ideally be warm as the idea is conceived as the centrepiece of a two-week winter break
• Five cities would be chosen to host two games over a January weekend
• Seeding is likely when the fixtures are arranged in preseason to keep the most popular clubs apart. A draw could be made preseason or each club could be pitted against the one that finished ten places below them in the previous campaign.
• The season would be extended to 39 games per club and points would count as usual for the league table
• Clubs would undertake PR initiatives in the cities and loyal fans may be flown out from home
  Time zones mean that in theory UK television viewers could watch every match live
• Clubs based in the same cities would play each other back home in the next round of fixtures so that they would all have had the same journeys and level of jet lag
• The plan has yet to be approved by Fifa, the world governing body, which has the power of veto.
• A final decision on whether to proceed with the plan will be made by January next year and, if approved, the first games would take place in the 2010-11 season to coincide with a new broadcast deal. The clubs could make £5 million each and it is likely to be a minimum three-year experiment

The Football Association is reported to have given its provisional support to the plans and the 20 clubs voted unanimously yesterday (7th February 2008) to examine how the proposal might work.

"This is a huge strategic move, the biggest since the league started," Mr Scudamore said. "If we don't do it, another sport - or another football league - will do it to us. The league cannot stand still. We are either moving forwards or backwards."

There are fears that the integrity of the competition could be damaged if, for example, Arsenal beat Derby County 5-0 in their one-off game while Manchester United drew 1-1 with a stronger Aston Villa side. Imbalances could prove more costly at the other end of the table if a side is relegated having, say, played Manchester United three times in the season.

Mr Scudamore's response to this was "I admit it is a deviation, albeit a minor one, one thirty-ninth, from perfect symmetry but integrity is a different word," he said. "There are inherent unfairnesses in our league, like playing a team coming back from a long trip in Europe or with players injured or suspended. But that is not a lack of integrity. These will all be genuine matches in the middle of the season."

He said that the league had examined many proposals to take games abroad, such as staging a big match, say United against Arsenal, in New York. The organisation concluded that, in the interests of fairness, every club had to be involved.

While there are benefits for the clubs, the overseas audiences and the armchair viewer, many fans feel any steps toward football franchising is totally unacceptable and match going fans - many of whom make great sacrifices to attend all their teams games already - may well wonder what is in it for them.

Malcolm Clarke from the Football Supporters Federation was dismayed at "The idea that teams can play a league game in a place where their supporters won't be able to go and watch them"

Lawrie Sanchez, the former Northern Ireland manager said "Other national associations won't be happy about the Premier League coming into their game, taking sponsors, taking advertising, taking revenue from their game,".

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, called for careful consideration "English football is hugely popular around the world and I understand the Premier League's desire to take the game to new audiences but this proposal goes beyond the Premier League and careful consideration is needed before any decisions are made... Money and merchandising must not take priority over the interests of fans in this country. The Premier League brings great benefits to Britain, but it's success today is established upon local club support built up over generations. The game must never forget its roots".

But what do you think? Click the link to take part in our survey on the 39th Premier League Game.

Many thanks for your support

The FFC Team