Announcement:
Arsenal's Black Scarf Movement opposes Premier League plans for overseas matches
11 October 2014
Recent news reports have suggested that once more, the Premier League is looking at the possibility of staging a round of competitive matches overseas, this time one of the 38 games which make up the league season. This follows the collapse of previous plans in 2008 and 2010 to host a "39th game" abroad.
Once again it seems as if those running our game have got pound signs in their eyes, and have completely forgotten the widescale condemnation the proposals received when previously mooted. As Arsenal's largest supporters' group we receive a lot of correspondence from fans both in the UK and abroad, concerned with the direction our national game is taking; this proposal for overseas Premier League matches only further strengthens these concerns.
We therefore strongly oppose any plans to host Premier League matches overseas, and there are a number of reasons for this.
The English football leagues are loved across the globe. As the country which brought the beautiful game to the world, we have a long standing history of passionate, honest competition that has received millions of admirers at home and abroad, over many years. This integrity will be shattered if the Premier League is allowed to ratify competitive matches overseas, which are designed purely as a money making exercise.
In the interests of fair competition we also question how the idea of a 38th match overseas will work. Playing one round of competitive matches at neutral venues will mean one less home match for at least 10 Premier League teams, and with that there is the loss of advantage in home support. Does that really work in the interests of fair play?
Those clubs facing one less home game in the Premier League season should also be made to reduce season ticket prices accordingly, as fans will miss out on that fixture. However, knowing how our own club works and seeing similar practices employed elsewhere in the Premier League, we feel that season ticket prices could well remain the same and therefore fans will be hit with a stealth increase in the amount they pay to watch their team.
It should never be forgotten that matchgoing fans are the life and soul of our game. We appreciate that monster commercial and television contracts have ensured the Premier League and its clubs are rolling in cash and that there is less reliance on income from ticket sales, but without the attendance and passion of the fans at matches, the Premier League would have no brand to sell.
While it's fantastic that the Premier League has acquired millions of new fans across the globe, the idea of playing a round of matches abroad and the associated issues that come with it, could be disastrous. Let alone the immorality of tweaking the competition's rules purely as a means to bring in even more cash, with the complexity and problems that overseas matches could bring, certain clubs also stand to lose millions of pounds bearing in mind one decision or a single goal under enforced different circumstances could mean missing out on European qualification, or relegation.
When the plans for the "39th game" were previously aired, we had foreign supporters saying to us that they disagreed with the idea, and we assume that these views still stand. Of course many clubs are now including overseas tours into their schedules, and this allows fans abroad to witness their teams in action. This has brought additional revenue for the clubs that take part in such tours, and we feel that this is the perfect way to ensure supporters outside of the UK are made to feel a true part of the club(s) they follow without ruining what our game stands for.
The integrity of English football is at risk, but as ever it seems as if those at the top are focused purely on short term cash over the long term interests of the game. With clubs continually pressing the loyal, matchgoing support for more and more money - despite the huge amounts now coming into the game from commercial and television contracts - it is important that those running our clubs, and the FA, see sense in this matter.
Football without the fans is nothing.
Up The Gunners.
Recent news reports have suggested that once more, the Premier League is looking at the possibility of staging a round of competitive matches overseas, this time one of the 38 games which make up the league season. This follows the collapse of previous plans in 2008 and 2010 to host a "39th game" abroad.
Once again it seems as if those running our game have got pound signs in their eyes, and have completely forgotten the widescale condemnation the proposals received when previously mooted. As Arsenal's largest supporters' group we receive a lot of correspondence from fans both in the UK and abroad, concerned with the direction our national game is taking; this proposal for overseas Premier League matches only further strengthens these concerns.
We therefore strongly oppose any plans to host Premier League matches overseas, and there are a number of reasons for this.
The English football leagues are loved across the globe. As the country which brought the beautiful game to the world, we have a long standing history of passionate, honest competition that has received millions of admirers at home and abroad, over many years. This integrity will be shattered if the Premier League is allowed to ratify competitive matches overseas, which are designed purely as a money making exercise.
In the interests of fair competition we also question how the idea of a 38th match overseas will work. Playing one round of competitive matches at neutral venues will mean one less home match for at least 10 Premier League teams, and with that there is the loss of advantage in home support. Does that really work in the interests of fair play?
Those clubs facing one less home game in the Premier League season should also be made to reduce season ticket prices accordingly, as fans will miss out on that fixture. However, knowing how our own club works and seeing similar practices employed elsewhere in the Premier League, we feel that season ticket prices could well remain the same and therefore fans will be hit with a stealth increase in the amount they pay to watch their team.
It should never be forgotten that matchgoing fans are the life and soul of our game. We appreciate that monster commercial and television contracts have ensured the Premier League and its clubs are rolling in cash and that there is less reliance on income from ticket sales, but without the attendance and passion of the fans at matches, the Premier League would have no brand to sell.
While it's fantastic that the Premier League has acquired millions of new fans across the globe, the idea of playing a round of matches abroad and the associated issues that come with it, could be disastrous. Let alone the immorality of tweaking the competition's rules purely as a means to bring in even more cash, with the complexity and problems that overseas matches could bring, certain clubs also stand to lose millions of pounds bearing in mind one decision or a single goal under enforced different circumstances could mean missing out on European qualification, or relegation.
When the plans for the "39th game" were previously aired, we had foreign supporters saying to us that they disagreed with the idea, and we assume that these views still stand. Of course many clubs are now including overseas tours into their schedules, and this allows fans abroad to witness their teams in action. This has brought additional revenue for the clubs that take part in such tours, and we feel that this is the perfect way to ensure supporters outside of the UK are made to feel a true part of the club(s) they follow without ruining what our game stands for.
The integrity of English football is at risk, but as ever it seems as if those at the top are focused purely on short term cash over the long term interests of the game. With clubs continually pressing the loyal, matchgoing support for more and more money - despite the huge amounts now coming into the game from commercial and television contracts - it is important that those running our clubs, and the FA, see sense in this matter.
Football without the fans is nothing.
Up The Gunners.
