The
Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the
English football league systemThe English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England...
, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of
promotion and relegationIn many sports leagues around the world , promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season in which teams are transferred between divisions...
with
The Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. The Premier League is a
corporationA corporation is a legal entity separate from the shareholders and employees. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate...
in which the 20 member clubs act as
shareholderA mutual shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. A company's shareholders collectively own that company. Thus, the typical goal of such companies is to enhance shareholder value.Stockholders are granted...
s. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 38 games each totalling 380 games in the season. It is
sponsoredCorporate sponsorship of major English football competitions dates back to the early 1980s, although minor competitions such as the Watney Cup and Texaco Cup were sponsored during the early 1970s....
by Barclays Bank and therefore officially known as the
Barclays Premier League.
The competition formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the
Football League First DivisionThe First Division was the top division of The Football League between 1892 and 1992 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the FA Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Coca Cola Championship.-History:The Football...
to break away from
The Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, which was originally founded in 1888, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal. The Premier League has since become the world's most watched sporting league. It is the world's most lucrative football league, with combined club revenues of £1.93 billion ($3.15bn) in 2007–08. It is also ranked first in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years, ahead of Spain's
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, in terms of sponsorship, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional football league in Spain...
and Italy's
Serie ASerie A, called for sponsorship reasons as Serie A TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top echelon of the Italian football league system operating for eighty years from 1929. It is organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new league like the English Premier...
.
A total of 43 clubs have competed in the Premier League, but only four have won the title:
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
,
Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League...
,
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
, and
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
. The current champions are Manchester United, who won their eleventh Premier League title in the 2008–09 season, the most of any Premier League team. Chelsea currently hold the record for most points in a season, while Arsenal are the only team in the history of the league to go unbeaten in a single season.
Origins
Despite significant European success during the 1970s and early 1980s, the late 80s had marked a low point for English football.
StadiaA modern stadium is a place, or venue, for outdoor sports, concerts or other events, consisting of a field or stage partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.-History of the stadium:The word originates from the Greek word...
were crumbling, supporters endured poor facilities,
hooliganismFootball hooliganism is unruly and destructive behaviour — such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation — by association football club fans. Fights between supporters of rival teams may take place before or after football matches at pre-arranged locations away from stadiums, in order to avoid arrests...
was rife, and English clubs were banned from European competition for five years following the
events at HeyselThe Heysel Stadium Disaster refers to the deaths of 39 people, mostly fans of Juventus F.C., before the 1985 European Cup Final held in the Heysel Stadium, Brussels....
in 1985. The Football League First Division, which had been the top level of English football since 1888, was well behind leagues such as Italy's
Serie ASerie A, called for sponsorship reasons as Serie A TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top echelon of the Italian football league system operating for eighty years from 1929. It is organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new league like the English Premier...
and Spain's
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, in terms of sponsorship, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional football league in Spain...
in attendances and revenues, and several top English players had moved abroad. However, by the turn of the 1990s the downward trend was starting to reverse; England had been successful in the
1990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup, the 14th staging of the World Cup, was held in Italy from 8 June to 8 July. Italy was chosen as hosts by FIFA on 19 May 1984, making it the second country to host the event twice. USSR was the rival of Italy's candidacy to host the event...
, reaching the semi-finals.
UEFAThe Union of European Football Associations is the administrative and controlling body for European football. It is almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA ....
, European football's governing body, lifted the five-year ban on English clubs playing in European competitions in 1990 (resulting in Manchester United lifting the
UEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season, and...
in 1991) and the
Taylor ReportThe Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final report was published in January 1990...
on stadium safety standards, which proposed expensive upgrades to create all-seater stadia in the aftermath of the
Hillsborough disasterThe Hillsborough Disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, all fans of Liverpool F.C. It remains the deadliest stadium-related disaster in British...
, was published in January of that year.
Television money had also become much more important; the Football League received £6.3 million for a two-year agreement in 1986, but when that deal was renewed in 1988, the price rose to £44m over four years. The 1988 negotiations were the first signs of a breakaway league; ten clubs threatened to leave and form a "super league", but were eventually persuaded to stay. As stadia improved and match attendance and revenues rose, the country's top teams again considered leaving the Football League in order to capitalise on the growing influx of money being pumped into the sport.
Premier League champions
| Season |
Winner |
| 1992–93 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 1993–94 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 1994–95 |
Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League...
|
| 1995–96 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 1996–97 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 1997–98 |
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
|
| 1998–99 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 1999–2000 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 2000–01 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 2001–02 |
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
|
| 2002–03 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 2003–04 |
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
|
| 2004–05 |
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
|
| 2005–06 |
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
|
| 2006–07 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 2007–08 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| 2008–09 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
| |
Foundation
At the close of the 1991 season, a proposal for the establishment of a new league was tabled that would bring more money into the game overall. The Founder Members Agreement, signed on 17 July 1991 by the game's top-flight clubs, established the basic principles for setting up the FA Premier League. The newly formed top division would have commercial independence from the Football Association and the Football League, giving the FA Premier League license to negotiate its own
broadcastBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
and sponsorship agreements. The argument given at the time was that the extra income would allow English clubs to compete with teams across Europe.
In 1992 the First Division clubs resigned from the Football League
en masse and on 27 May 1992 the FA Premier League was formed as a limited company working out of an office at the Football Association's then headquarters in
Lancaster GateLancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of west central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between them opening onto a square containing a church. Further...
. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions; the Premier League would operate with a single division and the Football League with three. There was no change in competition format; the same number of teams competed in the top flight, and promotion and relegation between the Premier League and the new First Division remained on the same terms as between the old First and Second Divisions.
The 22 inaugural members of the new Premier League were
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
,
Aston VillaAston Villa Football Club is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888...
,
Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League...
,
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
,
Coventry CityCoventry City Football Club , otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are an association football club based in Coventry, England. Coventry City were founding members of the Premier League in 1992....
,
Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where it has been based since 1924. The club is competing in the second tier of English Football, The Championship for the 2009-2010...
,
EvertonEverton Football Club are an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool. Having competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship 9 times — the fourth highest...
,
Ipswich TownIpswich Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk...
,
Leeds UnitedLeeds United Association Football Club , commonly referred to as simply Leeds United, or informally Leeds, are an English professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire...
,
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
,
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
,
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
,
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough Football Club , also known as The Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who will play in the Football League Championship for the 2009–10 season, following relegation from the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August...
,
Norwich CityNorwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk.Norwich are currently members of League One, having been relegated from the Championship in 2008–09...
,
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C. are an English professional football club based at the City Ground in West Bridgford, a suburb of Nottingham. They are currently playing in the Coca-Cola Championship, the second tier of the English football pyramid...
,
Oldham AthleticOldham Athletic Association Football Club Limited , more commonly Oldham Athletic Football Club or Oldham Athletic, is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Furtherwood Road in Oldham, Greater Manchester...
,
Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers Football Club are an English professional football club, based in Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Fulham, West London...
,
Sheffield UnitedSheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. They currently play in the English Football League Championship. They play at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, and play in red and white striped shirts.Their nickname is The Blades....
,
Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional Association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who currently compete in the Football League Championship, in England. Sheffield Wednesday is one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fifth oldest in the...
,
SouthamptonSouthampton Football Club are a professional English football team, nicknamed The Saints and based in the city of Southampton. The club were relegated from the Championship in 2009, and play in League One in the 2009–10 season...
,
Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur Football Club, , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club based in Tottenham, North London which currently plays in the Premier League...
, and
WimbledonWimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Centrals, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before a rapid ascent to the top-flight of English football in the...
.
Establishment
As of the end of the 2008–09 season, there had been 17 completed seasons of the Premier League. The league held its first season in 1992–93 and was originally composed of 22 clubs. The first ever Premier League goal was scored by
Brian DeaneBrian Christopher Deane is an English former footballer.Signed for £40,000 from Doncaster Rovers in the close season of 1988, Deane first played and scored for Sheffield United in an 8-1 victory against Skegness Town...
of Sheffield United in a 2–1 win against Manchester United. Due to insistence by
FIFAThe International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its French acronym, FIFA , is the international governing body of association football. Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, and its current president is Sepp Blatter...
, the international governing body of football, that domestic leagues reduce the number of games clubs played, the number of clubs was reduced to 20 in 1995 when four teams were relegated from the league and only two teams promoted. On 8 June 2006, FIFA requested that all major European leagues, including Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga be reduced to 18 teams by the start of the 2007–08 season. The Premier League responded by announcing their intention to resist such a reduction. Ultimately, the 2007–08 season kicked off again with 20 teams. The league changed its name from the
FA Premier League to simply the
Premier League in 2007.
Corporate structure
The Premier League is operated as a corporation and is owned by the 20 member clubs. Each club is a
shareholderA mutual shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. A company's shareholders collectively own that company. Thus, the typical goal of such companies is to enhance shareholder value.Stockholders are granted...
, with one vote each on issues such as rule changes and contracts. The clubs elect a chairman,
chief executiveA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
, and
board of directorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. The body sometimes has a different name, such as board of trustees, board of governors, board of managers, or executive board...
to oversee the daily operations of the league. The Football Association is not directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the Premier League, but has veto power as a special shareholder during the election of the chairman and chief executive and when new rules are adopted by the league.
The Premier League sends representatives to UEFA's European Club Forum, the number of clubs and the clubs themselves chosen according to
UEFA coefficientsIn European football, the UEFA coefficients are statistics used for ranking and seeding teams in club and international competitions.The coefficients are calculated by UEFA, who administer football within Europe...
. The European Club Forum is responsible for electing three members to UEFA's Club Competitions Committee, which is involved in the operations of UEFA competitions such as the
Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
and UEFA Europa League.
Competition
There are 20 clubs in the Premier League. During the course of a season, which lasts from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then
goal differenceIn sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion. If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The three lowest placed teams are relegated into the
Football League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League.The Football League Championship was introduced for the 2004–05 season,...
and the top two teams from the Championship, together with the winner of
play-offsThe Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...
involving the third to sixth placed Championship clubs, are promoted in their place.
Qualification for European competitions
As of the 2009–10 season qualification for the UEFA Champions League changes. The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the top three teams directly entering the group stage. Previously only the top two teams qualified automatically. The fourth-placed team enters the Champions League at the play-off round for non-champions and must win a two-legged knockout tie in order to enter the group stage. The fifth team automatically qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, and the sixth and seventh-placed teams can also qualify, depending on the winners of the two domestic cup competitions. If one of the cup winners qualifies for Europe through their league position, the sixth-placed team in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League. If both of the cup winners qualify for Europe through their league position, the sixth and seventh-placed teams in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League. A further place in the UEFA Europa League is available via the
Fair Play initiativeThe UEFA Fair Play ranking is used by UEFA since 1995 to grant three berths for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.-Old club qualification system:...
. If the Premier League has one of the three highest Fair Play rankings in Europe, the highest ranked team in the Premier League Fair Play standings which has not already qualified for Europe will automatically qualify for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round.
An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, when
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
won the Champions League, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League that season. UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers. UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this means that if the Champions League winner falls outside of its domestic league's top four, it will qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. No association can have more than four entrants in the Champions League.
The Premier League was recently promoted to the top of the UEFA rankings of European leagues based on their performances in European competitions over a five-year period. This broke the eight-year dominance of the Spanish league,
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, in terms of sponsorship, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional football league in Spain...
. The top three leagues in Europe are currently allowed to enter four teams into the Champions League. The UEFA president
Michel PlatiniMichel François Platini is a French former football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was voted the best player and top goalscorer...
, had proposed taking one place from the top three leagues and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. This proposal was rejected in a vote at a UEFA Strategy Council meeting.
In the same meeting, however, it was agreed that the third-placed team in the top four leagues would receive automatic qualification for the group stage, rather than entry into the third qualifying round, while the fourth-placed team would enter the play-off round for non-champions, guaranteeing an opponent from one of the top 15 leagues in Europe. This was part of Platini's plan to increase the amount of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage.
Sponsorship
The Premier League has been sponsored since 1993. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:
- 1993–2001: Carling
Carling Black Label is the name of a brand of English lager in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain and South Africa. In Sweden it is known as Carling Premier.Carling brands are currently owned by the Molson Coors Brewing Company...
(FA Carling Premiership)
- 2001–2004: Barclaycard
Barclaycard is a global credit provider owned by Barclays plc in the UK. The Barclaycard was the first credit card introduced in the UK, coming into service in 1966. It enjoyed a monopoly until the introduction of the Access card in 1972.Barclaycard later became part of the VISA network. Nowadays,...
(Barclaycard Premiership)
- 2004–2007: Barclays
Barclays plc is a global British financial services firm operating in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia, Asia and Africa. It is a holding company that is listed on the London and New York stock exchanges, and was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange until 2008...
(Barclays Premiership)
- 2007–present: Barclays Premier League
Finances
The Premier League is the most lucrative football league in the world, with total club revenues rising 26% to £1.93 billion ($3.15bn) as of 2007–08. Eleven of the twenty Premier League teams made an operating profit in that year. Wage costs also reached €1.51 billion in 2007/08, considerably higher than that of the next highest-spending league, the Italian
Serie ASerie A, called for sponsorship reasons as Serie A TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top echelon of the Italian football league system operating for eighty years from 1929. It is organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new league like the English Premier...
(at €972m). Individual salaries are rarely, if ever, confirmed in public, although a survey of players in 2006, conducted in conjunction with the
Professional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association is the association for professional footballers in the United Kingdom. It is the world's oldest professional sportsman's association and has 4,000 members.-Association Footballers' Union :...
, showed the average basic wage in the Premier League was £676,000 per year, or £13,000 per week, before bonuses. The Premier League's gross revenue is the fourth highest of any sports league worldwide, behind the annual revenues of the three most popular North American major sports leagues (the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
,
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
and the
National Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league, composed of thirty teams in North America . It is an active member of USA Basketball , which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body for basketball in the United States...
), but ahead of the
National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league as a joint venture for its self perpetuating membership of 30 franchised member clubs located in the United States and Canada...
.
In terms of world football, the Premier League clubs are some of the richest in the world. Deloitte, who annually release figures on club revenues through its "
Football Money LeagueThe Deloitte Football Money League is a ranking of football clubs by income. It is produced annually by the accountancy firm Deloitte.- Full listing :- Rankings for the 2006/07 season :...
", listed eight Premier League clubs in the top 20 for the 2005–06 season. No other league has more than four clubs in this table, and while
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, in terms of sponsorship, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional football league in Spain...
rivals
Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record thirty-one La Liga titles, seventeen Spanish Cups, a record nine European...
and F.C. Barcelona take up two of the top 3 places, no other Spanish clubs are listed in the top 20. Premier League teams have dominated the list for many years, and even topped the list for almost a decade until the 2004–05 season. After the Premier League's new TV deal went into effect, the league-wide increase in revenues is expected to increase the Premier League clubs' standing in the list, and there is a possibility that a Premier League club will be top of the list.
Another significant source of regular income for Premier League clubs remains their revenue from stadium attendances, which, with the 2005–06 average attendance of 34,364 for league matches, is the
fourth highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world, ahead of Serie A and La Liga, but behind the German Bundesliga. This represents an increase of over 60% from the average attendance of 21,126 recorded in the league's first season (1992–93). However, during the 1992–93 season the capacities of most stadia were reduced as clubs replaced terraces with seats in order to meet the
Taylor ReportThe Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final report was published in January 1990...
's 1994–95 deadline for
all-seater stadiaAll-seater stadium is the terminology applied to those sports stadia in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands....
. The 2005–06 figure is lower than the Premier League's record average attendance of 35,464, set during the 2002–03 season, although average attendances obviously fluctuate depending on which teams are in the league.
United Kingdom and Ireland
Television has played a major role in the history of the Premier League. The money from television rights has been vital in helping to create excellence both on and off the field. The League's decision to assign broadcasting rights to
BSkyBBritish Sky Broadcasting is a company that operates Sky Digital, a subscription television service in the UK and Ireland. It produces TV content, and owns several TV channels. It is the UK's largest pay TV provider...
in 1992 was at the time a radical decision, but one that has paid off. At the time pay television was an almost untested proposition in the UK market, as was charging fans to watch live televised football. However, a combination of Sky's strategy, the quality of Premier League football and the public's appetite for the game has seen the value of the Premier League's TV rights soar.
The Premier League sells its television rights on a collective basis. This is in contrast to some European Leagues, including Serie A and La Liga, in which each club sells its rights individually, leading to a much higher share of the total income going to the top few clubs. The money is divided into three parts: half is divided equally between the clubs; one quarter is awarded on a merit basis based on final league position, the top club getting twenty times as much as the bottom club, and equal steps all the way down the table; the final quarter is paid out as facilities fees for games that are shown on television, with the top clubs generally receiving the largest shares of this. The income from overseas rights is divided equally between the twenty clubs.
The first Sky television rights agreement was worth £304 million over five seasons. The next contract, negotiated to start from the 1997–98 season, rose to £670 million over four seasons. The third contract was a £1.024 billion deal with BSkyB for the three seasons from 2001–02 to 2003–04. The league brought in £320 million from the sale of its international rights for the three-year period from 2004–05 to 2006–07. It sold the rights itself on a territory-by-territory basis. Sky's monopoly was broken from August 2006 when
Setanta SportsSetanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland.Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events to Irish expatriates. The channel operates individual channels in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Africa and...
was awarded rights to show two out of the six packages of matches available. This occurred following an insistence by the
European CommissionThe European Commission acts as an executive of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union.The Commission operates in the method of cabinet government, with 27...
that exclusive rights should not be sold to one television company. Sky and Setanta paid a total of £1.7 billion, a two-thirds increase which took many commentators by surprise as it had been widely assumed that the value of the rights had levelled off following many years of rapid growth. Setanta also hold rights to a live 3 pm match solely for Irish viewers. The
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
has retained the rights to show highlights for the same three seasons (on
Match of the DayMatch of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in the Barclays Premier League...
) for £171.6 million, a 63% increase on the £105 million it paid for the previous three year period.
Raidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann is the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously...
broadcast the
highlights packagePremier Soccer Saturday is RTÉ's principal soccer programme. It is broadcast on RTÉ Two every Saturday evening between 19:30 and 21:00 and occasionally on Sunday during the English league soccer season, showing highlights of Premier League football matches...
in Ireland.
Sky and
BTBT Group plc is the privatised former state telecommunications operator in the United Kingdom. It is the dominant fixed line telecommunications and broadband Internet provider in the UK, and also operates in more than 170 countries around the world...
have agreed to jointly pay £84.3 million for delayed television rights to 242 games (that is the right to broadcast them in full on television and over the internet) in most cases for a period of 50 hours after 10 pm on matchday. Overseas television rights fetched £625 million, nearly double the previous contract. The total raised from these deals is more than £2.7 billion, giving Premier League clubs an average media income from league games of £45 million a year from 2007 to 2010. They also receive smaller amounts from media rights for the domestic cups and in some cases substantial amounts from media rights for European matches.
The TV rights agreement between the Premier League and Sky has faced accusations of being a cartel, and a number of court cases have arisen as a result. An investigation by the
Office of Fair TradingThe Office of Fair Trading is a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
in 2002 found BSkyB to be dominant within the pay TV sports market, but concluded that there were insufficient grounds for the claim that BSkyB had abused its dominant position. In July 1999 the Premier League's method of selling rights collectively for all member clubs was investigated by the UK Restrictive Practices Court, who concluded that the agreement was not contrary to the public interest. The BBC's highlights package on Saturday and Sunday nights, as well as other evenings when fixtures justify, will run until 2013. Television rights alone for the period 2010 to 2013 have been purchased for £1.782bn.
On 22 June 2009, due to the troubles encountered by
Setanta SportsSetanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland.Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events to Irish expatriates. The channel operates individual channels in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Africa and...
after it failed to meet a final deadline over a £30m payment to the Premier League,
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
was awarded the two packages of UK rights containing a total of 46 matches that were available for the 2009/10 season as well as a package of 23 matches per season from 2010/11 to 2012/13.
Worldwide
Promoted as "The Greatest Show On Earth", the Premier League is the world's most popular and most watched sporting league, followed worldwide by over half a billion people in 202 countries, frequently on networks owned and/or controlled by
NewsCorpNews Corporation is the world's second largest media conglomerate as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009...
who also own Sky Sports.
In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, coverage is shared between
Fox Soccer ChannelFox Soccer Channel is a United States digital cable network, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. The channel took its current name on February 7, 2005; before then, the network was known as Fox Sports World, launched November 1, 1997...
,
Setanta Sports North AmericaSetanta Sports USA is a television channel launched in 2005 by the Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports to offer live and tape-delayed mainstream sports events....
and
ESPN2ESPN2 is a American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
; NewsCorp sometimes buys pitch-side advertising boards with the Fox Soccer Channel logo replacing that of Sky.
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
's acquisition of UK rights was originally said to have no effect on Setanta Sports in North America, which is a “separate operation that has separate agreement to show the Barclays Premier League” in the U.S.
ESPN2ESPN2 is a American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
would go on to acquire broadcast rights for the Saturday 7:45 AM and Monday 3 PM (
US ETThe Eastern Time Zone of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Its time offset is −5 hrs GMT or UTC−5 during standard time and UTC−4 during daylight saving time...
) windows from Setanta's also-financially troubled North American branch in July 2009. Setanta retained a smaller package of games.
In
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
Fox Sports (Australia)Fox Sports is an Australian group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
, shows the games with a Viewers Choice option for up to five live games and up to nine games live on any given game-week.
The Premier League is particularly popular in
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, where it is the most widely distributed sports programme. For example, in the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
, matches attract television audiences between 100 million and 360 million, more than any other foreign sport. Due to this popularity, the league has held three pre-season tournaments in Asia, the only Premier League affiliated tournaments ever to have been held outside England. In July 2003, the FA Premier League Asia Cup was held in
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
, featuring three Premier League clubs, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Birmingham City, and the
Malaysia national teamThe Malaysia national football team is the national team of Malaysia and is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia.The Malaysian national team are nicknamed the Tigers, as the tiger is a national symbol of Malaysia. Their main regional rivalries are against Singapore and Indonesia...
. In 2005 the Asia Trophy featured a similar format, held in
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
and featuring the
Thailand national teamThe Thailand national football team is the national team of Thailand and is connected to the Football Association of Thailand. The team finished third in the Asian Cup in 1972. They have participated in the Summer Olympics twice and in the Asian Games four times...
competing against three English clubs—Everton, Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers, the last of which won the trophy. In 2007, the
Barclays Asia TrophyThe Barclays Asia Trophy 2007 was the third edition of the prestigious Premier League Asia Trophy, a four-team football tournament held every two years. The 2007 edition was competed by South China AA, the winner of Hong Kong's FA Cup, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham at the 40,000-capacity Hong...
was held in Hong Kong and featured Liverpool, Portsmouth, Fulham and the
Hong Kong FA CupHong Kong FA Cup is a knockout cup competition in Hong Kong football, run by and named after The Hong Kong Football Association.The first edition of the competition was held in 1975, before then the cup was known as the Golden Jubilee Cup. The current season is the 33rd edition of the event...
winning team, South China, with Portsmouth winning the competition.
The FA has faced difficulty fighting internet copyright infringement. In an effort to stop the broadcasting of streams of live games on the net they have hired
NetResultNetResult is a London, United Kingdom-based company incorporated at Companies House in December 2002 , specialising in the protection of intellectual property on the internet...
, a company that specialises in protecting trademark rights online.
Widening gap between lower leagues
One of the main criticisms levelled at the Premier League is the increasing gulf between the Premier League and the Football League. Since its split with the
Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, many established clubs in the Premier League have managed to distance themselves from their counterparts in lower leagues. Owing in large part to the disparity in revenue from television rights between the leagues, many newly promoted teams have found it difficult to avoid relegation in their first season in the Premier League. In every season except 2001–02 (Blackburn Rovers,
Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
and
FulhamFulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League...
) at least one Premier League newcomer has been relegated back to the Football League. In 1997–98 all three promoted clubs were relegated at the end of the season.
The Premier League distributes a small portion of its television revenue to clubs that are relegated from the league in the form of "parachute payments". Starting with the 2006–07 season, these payments are in the amount of £6.5 million over the club's first two seasons in lower leagues, although this rose to £11.2 million per year for clubs relegated in 2007–2008. Designed to help teams adjust to the loss of television revenues (the average Premier League team receives £45 million while the average Football League Championship club receives £1 million), critics maintain that the payments actually widen the gap between teams that have reached the Premier League and those that have not, leading to the common occurrence of teams "bouncing back" soon after their relegation. For some clubs, including
Leeds UnitedLeeds United Association Football Club , commonly referred to as simply Leeds United, or informally Leeds, are an English professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire...
,
Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich...
,
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C. are an English professional football club based at the City Ground in West Bridgford, a suburb of Nottingham. They are currently playing in the Coca-Cola Championship, the second tier of the English football pyramid...
,
Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional Association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who currently compete in the Football League Championship, in England. Sheffield Wednesday is one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fifth oldest in the...
,
Bradford CityBradford City Association Football Club is an English football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two. The club plays home games at Valley Parade, named the Coral Windows Stadium under sponsorship naming rights...
,
Leicester CityLeicester City Football Club , are an English professional football club based at the Walkers Stadium in Leicester. They play in the Football League Championship, having been promoted as champions from Football League One in the 2008–09 season.The club were founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse,...
,
SouthamptonSouthampton Football Club are a professional English football team, nicknamed The Saints and based in the city of Southampton. The club were relegated from the Championship in 2009, and play in League One in the 2009–10 season...
and most notably
Wimbledon F.C.Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Centrals, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before a rapid ascent to the top-flight of English football in the...
who have failed to win immediate promotion back to the Premier League, financial problems, including in some cases administration or even liquidation have followed. Further relegations down the footballing ladder have ensued for several clubs unable to cope with the gap.
"Big Four" dominance
Another major criticism is the development of the so-called "Big Four" clubs. From the 2005–06 season onwards, the "Big Four" (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United) have dominated the top four spots (Only Everton in 2004–2005 have broken this sequence), thus a place in the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
. Since Blackburn Rovers lifted the trophy in 1994–95, only three clubs have won the Premier League title – Manchester United (nine of the club's eleven titles), Arsenal (three times) and Chelsea (twice). In addition, Manchester United have not finished outside the top three since the formation of the Premier League, with Arsenal finishing inside the top five in all but two seasons (including 12 consecutive top 4 finishes and 8 consecutive top 2), while Liverpool, without an English league title since their pre-Premier League era win in 1990, have only finished outside the top 4 twice in the last 10 years. Also, in the last three seasons, three of the "Big Four" teams have reached the Champions League semi-final stage. Chelsea hold the record for the most points in a single season (95), while Arsenal are the only team in the history of the league never to lose a single match in one season (38 games played), earning them the nickname of "The Invincibles".
Also, in the last five seasons, two members of the big four have won the Champions League (Liverpool in 2005, Manchester United in 2008) and each of the big four has been a runner up in the last four years (Arsenal in 2006, Liverpool in 2007, Chelsea in 2008 and Manchester United in 2009). In recent years, the success of these clubs has led to these four teams being increasingly referred to as the "Big Four". The Big Four clubs have finished in the first four positions for the last four seasons, therefore they have all qualified for the last three seasons of the Champions League and receive the financial benefits of such qualification. The benefits, especially increased revenue, is believed to have widened the gap between the Big Four clubs and the rest of the Premier League. In May 2008, Newcastle United manager
Kevin KeeganJoseph Kevin Keegan, OBE , commonly known as Kevin Keegan, is a former international footballer, and former manager of several English clubs and the England national football team....
said the Big Four's dominance threatened the division, saying, "This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world." Following Keegan's comments, Premier League chief executive
Richard ScudamoreRichard Scudamore is currently Chief Executive of the F.A. Premier League, a position he has held since November 1999.Richard is second cousin to former champion jockey Peter Scudamore.-Biography:...
defended the league, saying, "There are a lot of different tussles that go on in the Premier League depending on whether you're at the top, in the middle or at the bottom that make it interesting.".
Marcelo Pantanella of
The TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
also criticised the widening financial power of the division's top teams, naming the Premier League the 2nd worst thing about modern football, saying "What’s changed since the Premier League broke away from the Football League in 1992? Everything. If you won the First Division title, you were the best team in England. If you win the Premier League, you owe someone £500 million."
Influence on the global game
Nigerian football officials have claimed the increase in popularity of the Premier League and subsequent world wide media coverage is having a damaging effect on the national leagues of other footballing countries, with
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
being a recent example, citing lower domestic attendances when games clash with Premier League fixtures, and the drain of young talent being lured to the Premier League by wage offers no local club can hope to match. In an extreme case of worldwide influence, after the
2008 UEFA Champions League FinalThe 2008 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 21 May 2008 at 19:45 BST . The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium, in Moscow, Russia, to determine the winner of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League...
, seven people died in Nigeria after clashes between rival supporters of Chelsea and Manchester United.
Trophy
The current Premier League trophy was created by Royal Jewellers
Asprey of LondonGarrard & Co is a luxury jewellery and silver company founded by George Wickesin London in 1735. Its current base is at Albemarle Street in London, its USA flagship store is in Beverly Hills. The company also has presences in Tokyo, New York, Osaka, Dubai, Moscow and Hong Kong...
. It weighs , and is tall, wide and deep. Its main body is solid
sterling silverSterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
and silver
giltGilding is the technique of applying a thin layer of gold to a surface. Gilding is performed through mechanical processes, such as leafing, or using one of many chemical processes.-Ancient techniques:...
, while its plinth is made of
malachiteMalachite is a carbonate mineral normally known as "copper carbonate" with the formula CuCO
3.Cu
2. This green-colored mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses. Individual crystals are rare but do...
, a semi-precious stone. The plinth has a silver band around its circumference, upon which the names of the title-winning clubs are listed. Malachite's green colour is also representative of the green field of play. The design of the trophy is based on the
heraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
of Three Lions that is associated with English football. Two of the
lionThe Lion is one of four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s are found above the handles on either side of the trophy – the third is symbolised by the captain of the title winning team as he raises the trophy, and its gold crown, above his head at the end of the season. The trophy has borne several names on its face since it was first created, when it read "The F.A. Premier League". The one Manchester United lifted in 2006–07 read "The Barclays Premiership". From the 2007–08 season onwards, the trophy has read "Premier League" on one side and "Barclays Premier League" on the other.
In 2004, a special gold version of the trophy was commissioned to commemorate Arsenal winning the title
without a single defeatIn English football, "The Invincibles" has been used to refer to either the Preston North End team of the 1880s, or the Arsenal team of the 2003-04 season...
.
Match balls
For the inaugural season of the Premier League, clubs were obliged to supply their own match balls, which were usually provided by the clubs' kit manufacturers. In 1993, the Premier League came to an agreement with
MitreMitre was established in Huddersfield in 1817, Mitre Sports International is a supplier of balls, boots, and accessories for football, rugby, netball, and cricket. Currently Mitre are the suppliers for all the footballs in the English Football League and Blue Square Conference leagues...
for them to supply the league's teams with their match balls. Mitre supplied balls to the Premier League for seven years, starting with the Mitre Pro Max (1993–1995) and then the Mitre Ultimax (1995–2000).
The 2000–01 season saw
NikeNike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
take over as match ball supplier, introducing the Nike Geo Merlin ball, which had been used in the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
. The Geo Merlin was used for four seasons before being replaced by the Nike Total 90 Aerow, which ran for another two seasons. The 2004–05 season also saw the introduction of a yellow "Hi-Vis" ball for use in the winter months. Next came the Nike Total 90 Aerow II, which featured an asymmetrical design to help players judge the flight and spin of the ball. For the 2008–09 season, the official ball of the Premier League was the Nike Total 90 Omni, which featured yet another pattern in dark red and yellow and a modified panel design, and has been replaced by the Nike T90 Ascente for the 2009–10 season, with blue, yellow and orange trim.
Clubs
A total of 43 clubs have played in the Premier League from its inception in 1992 and the end of the 2008–09 season. Two other clubs (
Luton TownLuton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire. The team plays its home matches at Kenilworth Road, where it has been based since 1905...
and
Notts CountyNotts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest professional football league club in the world, having been formed in 1862...
) were signatories to the original agreement that created the Premier League, but were relegated prior to the inaugural Premier League season and have not subsequently returned to the top flight. For a list of all clubs past and present see
List of FA Premier League clubs and an amalgamated table can be found at
All-time FA Premier League tableThe All-Time FA Premier League Table is a cumulative record of all match results, points and goals of every team that has played in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The table that follows is accurate as of the end of the 2008–09 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2009–10 Premier...
. For a list of winners and runners-up of the Premier League since its inception, and top scorers for each season, see
English football championsThe English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
.
Seven clubs have been members of the Premier League for every season since its inception. This group is composed of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Members for 2009–10
The following 20 clubs will compete in the Premier League during the 2009–10 season.
Club
|
Position
in 2008–09The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence,...
|
First season in
top division |
Number of seasons
in top division |
Number of seasons
in the Premier League |
First season of
current spell in
top division |
Top division
titles |
Last top division title |
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
a,b |
0044th |
1904–05 |
93 |
18 |
1919–20 |
13 |
2003–04 |
Aston VillaAston Villa Football Club is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888...
a,b |
0066th |
1888–89 |
99 |
18 |
1988–89 |
7 |
1980–81 |
Birmingham CityBirmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham F.C. in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City F.C...
|
YYY2nd: Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League.The Football League Championship was introduced for the 2004–05 season,...
|
1894–95 |
56 |
6 |
2009–10 |
0 |
n/a |
Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League...
a |
01515th |
1888–89 |
70 |
16 |
2001–02 |
3 |
1994–95 |
Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
|
01313th |
1888–89 |
71 |
11 |
2001–02 |
0 |
n/a |
BurnleyBurnley Football Club , nicknamed The Clarets, are a professional English football club based in Burnley, Lancashire. They were founder members of The Football League in 1888. The club colours are claret and blue, giving rise to their nickname of The Clarets, and their home ground since 1883 has...
b |
ZZZ5th: Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League.The Football League Championship was introduced for the 2004–05 season,...
|
1888–89 |
52 |
1 |
2009–10 |
2 |
1959–60 |
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
a,b |
0033rd |
1907–08 |
75 |
18 |
1989–90 |
3 |
2005–06 |
EvertonEverton Football Club are an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool. Having competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship 9 times — the fourth highest...
a,b |
0055th |
1888–89 |
107 |
18 |
1954–55 |
9 |
1986–87 |
FulhamFulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League...
b |
0077th |
1949–50 |
21 |
9 |
2001–02 |
0 |
n/a |
Hull CityHull City Association Football Club is an English football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. In 2007–08 they achieved promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history, by winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley...
b |
01717th |
2008–09 |
2 |
2 |
2008–09 |
0 |
n/a |
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
a,b |
0022nd |
1894–95 |
95 |
18 |
1962–63 |
18 |
1989–90 |
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
a |
01010th |
1899–1900 |
81 |
13 |
2002–03 |
2 |
1967–68 |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
a,b |
0011st |
1892–93 |
85 |
18 |
1975–76 |
18 |
2008–09 |
PortsmouthPortsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, sometimes called 'The Blues', with their fans known as 'The Blue Army'. They play in the Premier League...
b |
01414th |
1927–28 |
33 |
7 |
2003–04 |
2 |
1949–50 |
Stoke CityStoke City Football Club is a football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Founded in 1863, Stoke is the oldest club in the Premier League, and thought to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts County....
b |
01212th |
1888–89 |
54 |
2 |
2008–09 |
0 |
n/a |
| Sunderland Sunderland Association Football Club are a professional association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, that compete in the Premier League. Since their formation in 1879, they have won six First Division titles—in 1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and 1936 Sunderland Association...
|
01616th |
1890–91 |
79 |
9 |
2007–08 |
6 |
1935–36 |
Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur Football Club, , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club based in Tottenham, North London which currently plays in the Premier League...
a,b |
0088th |
1909–10 |
75 |
18 |
1978–79 |
2 |
1960–61 |
West Ham UnitedWest Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London. They have played their home matches at the Boleyn Ground stadium since 1904....
|
0099th |
|1923–24 |
53 |
15 |
2005–06 |
0 |
n/a |
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional football team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. They compete in the Premier League, in which they have been playing since their promotion from the Football League in 2005...
b |
01111th |
|2005–06 |
5 |
5 |
2005–06 |
0 |
n/a |
Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club representing the city of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands region of England, and currently playing in the Premier League. Commonly referred to by their nickname Wolves, the club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 have played...
|
XXX1st: Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League.The Football League Championship was introduced for the 2004–05 season,...
|
|1888–89 |
61 |
2 |
2009–10 |
3 |
1958–59 |
a: Founding member of the Premier League
b: Never been relegated from Premier League
Players
Premier League clubs have almost complete freedom to sign whatever number and category of players they wish. There is no team or individual salary cap, no squad size limit, no age restrictions other than those applied by general employment law, no restrictions on the overall number of foreign players and few restrictions on individual foreign players – all players with EU nationality, including those able to claim an EU passport through a parent or grandparent, are eligible to play, and top players from outside the EU are able to obtain UK work permits. The only area where the Premier League's player registration rules are more restrictive than those of some other football leagues, such as those of those of Belgium and Portugal, is that academy level non-EU players have little access to English football by law. Also, clubs competing in the Champions League or UEFA Europa League must comply with UEFA's player-eligibility rules for those competitions.
At the inception of the Premier League in 1992–93, just eleven players named in the starting line-ups for the first round of matches were 'foreign' (players hailing from outside of the United Kingdom or
Republic of IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
). By 2000–01, the number of foreign players participating in the Premier League was 36%. In the 2004–05 season the figure had increased to 45%. On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first Premier League side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up, and on 14 February 2005 Arsenal were the first to name a completely foreign 16-man squad for a match. No English manager has won the Premier League; the four managers to have won the title comprise two
ScotsScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(
Alex FergusonSir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE, popularly known as Sir Alex or Fergie is a Scottish football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986.Ferguson previously managed East Stirlingshire and St. Mirren, before a highly successful...
(Manchester United, eleven wins) and
Kenny DalglishKenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a former Scottish international footballer. He is most noted for his successes with Celtic, and both his playing and managing career at English club Liverpool...
(Blackburn Rovers, one win)), a
FrenchmanFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
(
Arsène WengerArsène Wenger, OBE is a French football manager who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, Arsenal, three wins) and a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
(
José MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho,
GOIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is the current manager of Italian Serie A team Internazionale, to whom he is contracted for the following three seasons....
, Chelsea, two wins).
In response to concerns that clubs were increasingly passing over young British players in favour of signing less-expensive foreign players, in 1999, the
Home OfficeThe Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security and order. As such it is responsible for the police, United Kingdom Borders Agency and MI5. It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism...
tightened its rules for granting work permits to players from countries outside of the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
. Currently a non-EU player applying for the permit must have played for his country in at least 75% of its competitive 'A' team matches for which he was available for selection during the previous two years, and his country must have averaged at least 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings over the previous two years. If a player does not meet those criteria, the club wishing to sign him may appeal if they believe that he is a special talent and "able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in the UK."
Over 260 foreign players compete in the league, and 101 players from England's domestic leagues competed in the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. The two countries were chosen as hosts by FIFA in May 1996 and was the first tournament in its history to be hosted by two countries. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia...
in
KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
and Japan. At the
2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
in Germany, the Premier League was the most represented league with more than eighty players in the competition, including 21 of the 23 players in England's squad.
As a result of the increasingly lucrative television deals, player wages rose sharply following the formation of the Premier League. In the first Premier League season the average player wage was £75,000 per year, but subsequently rose by an average 20% per year for a decade, peaking in the 2003–04 season, when the annual salary of the average Premier League player was £676,000.
The record transfer fee for a Premier League has been broken several times over the lifetime of the competition. Prior to the start of the first Premier League season
Alan ShearerAlan Shearer, OBE DL is a retired English footballer.He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is widely considered as one of the greatest English strikers of all time, being both...
became the first British player to command a transfer fee of more than £3 million. The record rose steadily in the Premier League's first few seasons, until Alan Shearer made a world record breaking £15 million move to Newcastle United in 1996. This stood as a British record for four years until it was eclipsed by the £18 million Leeds paid West Ham for
Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and at the international level for the England national football team. He has achieved 70 caps for the English national team while being selected for three FIFA World Cup squads...
. Manchester United subsequently broke the record three times by signing
Ruud van NistelrooyRutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooij is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid. He is currently the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
,
Juan Sebastián VerónJuan Sebastián Verón is an Argentine professional football player who currently plays as a midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine first division, of which he is captain....
and Rio Ferdinand. Chelsea broke the record in May 2006, when they signed
Andriy ShevchenkoAndriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian football striker who currently plays for Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine...
, from AC Milan. The exact figure of the transfer fee was not disclosed, but was reported as being around £30 million. This was eclipsed by Manchester City's transfer of
RobinhoRobson de Souza , commonly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian footballer, who currently plays for and the Brazilian national team....
from
Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record thirty-one La Liga titles, seventeen Spanish Cups, a record nine European...
on 1 September 2008 for £32.5 million.
David JamesDavid Benjamin James is an English professional goalkeeper of Dominican descent who currently plays for English Premier League club Portsmouth and the England national team....
holds the record for the most Premier League appearances, overtaking the previous record held by
Gary SpeedGary Andrew Speed is a Welsh footballer, who plays in midfield. He held the record for most appearances in the English Premier League until 14 February 2009 when he was overtaken by David James. He is currently playing for Sheffield United...
of 535 appearances in February 2009.
Top scorers
All-time top scorers in the Premier League
(Premier League goals only)
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|
| 1 |
ENG Alan Shearer Alan Shearer, OBE DL is a retired English footballer.He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is widely considered as one of the greatest English strikers of all time, being both...
|
260 |
| 2 |
ENG Andrew Cole |
187 |
| 3 |
FRA Thierry HenryThierry Daniel Henry is a French footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Barcelona and the French national team predominantly as a striker....
|
174 |
| 4 |
ENG Robbie FowlerRobert Bernard "Robbie" Fowler is an English footballer, who plays for the North Queensland Fury in the Australian A-League. He is the fourth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League....
|
163 |
| 5 |
ENG Les Ferdinand Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Reading, Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...
|
149 |
| 6 |
ENG Teddy SheringhamEdward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham...
|
147 |
| 7 |
ENG Michael OwenMichael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. he progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
|
146 |
| 8 |
NED Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Jerrel Floyd Hasselbaink , usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team...
|
127 |
| 9 |
TRI Dwight YorkeDwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
|
123 |
| 10 |
IRE Robbie KeaneRobert David "Robbie" Keane is the current captain of the Republic of Ireland national football team, and a first-team striker for Tottenham Hotspur F.C...
|
120 |
As of 26 September 2009 (Bold denotes players still playing in the Premier League),
(Italics denotes players still playing professional football). |
Players in the Premier League can compete for the informal competitions of
Goal of the MonthThe Goal of the Month is a monthly segment on BBC's Match of the Day television programme, in honour of the best goal scored each month. The segment has been featured on the programme since the 1970–71 season...
and
Goal of the SeasonThe Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's Match of the Day, in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season...
. Other titles players compete for include the top-scorer for a season. Former Blackburn Rovers and
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
strikerForwards, also known as attackers and strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Alan ShearerAlan Shearer, OBE DL is a retired English footballer.He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is widely considered as one of the greatest English strikers of all time, being both...
holds the record for most Premier League goals with 260. Shearer finished among the top ten goal scorers in 10 out of his 14 seasons in the Premier League and won the top scorer title three times. During the 1995–96 season he became the first player to score 100 Premier League goals. Since then, 14 other players have reached the mark, with
Nicolas AnelkaNicholas Sebastien Anelka is a French footballer who currently plays as a striker for Chelsea in the English Premier League. Anelka is also a regular starter for the French national team. He is also a convert to Islam....
being the most recent when he scored against his former side Bolton Wanderers in December 2008.
Since the first Premier League season in 1992–93, 13 different players have won or shared the top scorers title.
Thierry HenryThierry Daniel Henry is a French footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Barcelona and the French national team predominantly as a striker....
won his third consecutive and fourth overall scoring title by scoring 27 goals in the 2005–06 season. This surpassed Shearer's mark of three titles which he won consecutively from 1994–95 through 1996–97. Other multiple winners include
Michael OwenMichael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. he progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
and
Jimmy Floyd HasselbainkJerrel Floyd Hasselbaink , usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team...
who have won two titles each. Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer hold the record for most goals in a season (34) – for Newcastle and Blackburn respectively. Cole's record came in the 1993–94 season, while Shearer's came in 1994–95, both of which were 42-game seasons. Shearer's mark of 31 goals from a 38-game season in 1995–96 was equalled in the 2007–08 season by
Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,
OIH is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team...
, a mark which surpassed the record of most goals by a midfielder in a season.
Manchester United became the first team to have scored 1,000 goals in this league after
Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,
OIH is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team...
scored, in a 4–1 defeat by
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough Football Club , also known as The Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who will play in the Football League Championship for the 2009–10 season, following relegation from the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August...
, in the 2005–06 season, having been the first team to have conceded a Premier League goal following the League's inception. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are the only other teams to have reached the 1,000-goal mark. The highest-scoring match to date in the Premier League occurred on 29 September 2007 when Portsmouth defeated Reading 7–4.
Only
Ryan GiggsRyan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh footballer who has played for Manchester United for his entire club career...
of Manchester United has scored in all 17 of the completed Premier League seasons.
Premier League Stadia 2009–10
| Home Club |
Stadium Name |
Capacity |
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
|
Old Trafford |
76,212 |
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
|
Emirates StadiumThe Emirates Stadium, often known simply as the Emirates, formerly Ashburton Grove, is a football stadium located in Holloway in the London Borough of Islington and is the current home of Arsenal Football Club...
|
60,355 |
| Sunderland Sunderland Association Football Club are a professional association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, that compete in the Premier League. Since their formation in 1879, they have won six First Division titles—in 1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, and 1936 Sunderland Association...
|
Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C...
|
49,000 |
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
|
City of Manchester StadiumThe City of Manchester Stadium, also known as COMS or Eastlands, is a stadium in Manchester, England. Originally designed as part of Manchester's failed bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics, the stadium was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games at a cost of £110 million...
|
47,726 |
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
|
AnfieldAnfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, in Liverpool, England. Built in 1884, the stadium has been home to Liverpool F.C. since they were formed in 1892 as a result of the original tenants Everton F.C...
|
45,522 |
Aston VillaAston Villa Football Club is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888...
|
Villa ParkVilla Park is a football stadium in the district of Aston, in Birmingham, England. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897. It is a UEFA Elite stadium and it has hosted 16 England internationals at senior level. The first international was in 1899 with the most recent being in...
|
42,573 |
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
|
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge is a football stadium on the border of Fulham and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham that is home to Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green. It is nicknamed "The Bridge" by the club's supporters...
|
42,055 |
EvertonEverton Football Club are an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool. Having competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship 9 times — the fourth highest...
|
Goodison ParkGoodison Park is a football stadium in Liverpool, England and home ground of Everton F.C. The ground was built in 1892, though it has been greatly developed since, having an all-seated capacity of 40,158....
|
40,158 |
Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur Football Club, , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club based in Tottenham, North London which currently plays in the Premier League...
|
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,310....
|
36,310 |
West Ham UnitedWest Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London. They have played their home matches at the Boleyn Ground stadium since 1904....
|
Boleyn GroundThe Boleyn Ground, sometimes colloquially referred to as Upton Park, is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:The club rented Green Street House and grounds in the Municipal Borough of East Ham from the Roman Catholic Church from around 1912...
|
35,303 |
Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League...
|
Ewood ParkEwood Park is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Road in the summer of 1890. The stadium opened in 1882...
|
31,367 |
| Birmingham City |
St. Andrew's St Andrew's is an association football stadium in the Bordesley district of Birmingham, England. It has been the home ground of Birmingham City Football Club for more than a century....
|
30,016 |
Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club representing the city of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands region of England, and currently playing in the Premier League. Commonly referred to by their nickname Wolves, the club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 have played...
|
MolineuxMolineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as one of the first grounds in the country to install floodlights, as well as hosting...
|
29,303 |
Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
|
Reebok StadiumThe Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
|
28,723 |
Stoke CityStoke City Football Club is a football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Founded in 1863, Stoke is the oldest club in the Premier League, and thought to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts County....
|
Britannia Stadium The Britannia Stadium is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home of Stoke City Football Club. The club had played at the Victoria Ground until 1997 and the move was the brainchild of then-Chief Executive Jez Moxey...
|
28,383 |
FulhamFulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League...
|
Craven CottageCraven Cottage is the name of a sports stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896.The capacity of the stadium was increased to 26,678 following cosmetic repairs...
|
25,678 |
Hull CityHull City Association Football Club is an English football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. In 2007–08 they achieved promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history, by winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley...
|
KC Stadium The Kingston Communications Stadium, often shortened to KC Stadium or just the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull , England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately GB£44 million. It is named after the stadium's...
|
25,404 |
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional football team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. They compete in the Premier League, in which they have been playing since their promotion from the Football League in 2005...
|
DW Stadium |
25,138 |
BurnleyBurnley Football Club , nicknamed The Clarets, are a professional English football club based in Burnley, Lancashire. They were founder members of The Football League in 1888. The club colours are claret and blue, giving rise to their nickname of The Clarets, and their home ground since 1883 has...
|
Turf MoorTurf Moor is a football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire. It is the home ground of English football club Burnley F.C., who have played there since 1883.It is situated on Harry Potts Way in Burnley, and has a capacity of 22,546, all seated...
|
22,546 |
PortsmouthPortsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, sometimes called 'The Blues', with their fans known as 'The Blue Army'. They play in the Premier League...
|
Fratton ParkFratton Park is the home stadium of Portsmouth Football Club, and is situated in the English city-port of Portsmouth.-Description:The stadium currently has four stands, all seated. The pitch runs from east to west. The largest and most modern stand, at the ground's western end, is the Fratton End...
|
20,688 |
Women's Premier League
The National Division of the
FA Women's Premier LeagueThe FA Women's Premier League is the major women's football competition in England. It has been run by The Football Association since the 1992-93 season...
is the Premier League's
femaleWhile women's football has been played in England for over a century, it has only been in the 1990s that the game has seen a large increase in female players, as well as in female spectators, culminating in England hosting the Women's European Championships in 2005....
counterpart. Most of its clubs are affiliated with Premier League and
Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
sides; however, teams are semi-professional; no professional teams have existed since
FulhamFulham WFC, also known as Fulham LFC, is a Ladies Football Club formerly associated with Fulham Football Club. The team were dissolved as of May 16, 2006, but was later re-established with independence from Fulham F.C....
returned to semi-pro status in 2003. The league comprises 12 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the
Northern DivisionThe FA Women's Premier League Northern Division is a league in the second-level in the women's football pyramid in England, along with the Southern divisions. These two divisions are below the National Division....
and
Southern DivisionThe FA Women's Premier League Southern Division is a league in the second level in the women's football pyramid in England, along with the Northern division. These two divisions are below the National Division....
. The champions of each are promoted to the National Division, and the bottom two National Division clubs are relegated.
Since forming in 1993 the Women's Premier League has been dominated by
ArsenalArsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's association football club affiliated with Arsenal FC. Founded in 1987, they are the most successful club in English women's football having won thirty-two major trophies to date, which are eleven FA Women's Premier League titles , ten FA Woman's...
, who have won ten of the fifteen league titles. The women's game has a much lower profile than that of the Premier League, with Women's Premier League teams typically playing matches at grounds owned by non-league men's clubs.
See also
External links