Competitive nature of top-flight game is still proving one of its top selling points

THE Barclays Premier League has grown into one of this country’s biggest success stories.

With viewing figures around the globe measured in the billions, domestic demand has also soared from the 9.9 million who watched the 22 clubs in the 1991-92 season – the last before the breakaway to form the Premier League – to the near 13.5 million fans that filed through the turnstiles last term.

Blue chip companies also fall over themselves to be associated with the Premier League, either via sponsorship or advertising, in an attempt to tap in to a vast audience created by the competition broadcast in more than 200 countries.

To conclude the Yorkshire Post’s four-part series looking at the state of English football, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore talks about the past, present and future for the world’s most popular domestic competition in its 20th season.

Yorkshire Post: The Premier League is in its 20th season so, first of all, congratulations on that. You’ve been with the League for more than half of those years so can you explain the key as to why it has become so successful?

Richard Scudamore: The starting point is the quality of the football and that’s exactly as it should be. Everything else stems from that.

We’re blessed in the Premier League to have 20 clubs – and 45 in our 20 season history including the likes of Leeds United, Bradford City, Hull City and the two Sheffield clubs – who work extremely hard to develop and recruit players and field the best teams possible in some fantastic stadiums.

The football they put on attracts interest from fans who want to attend and watch matches on television, which gives the Premier League a great platform on which to sell broadcast and central commercial rights.

YP: Does the global appeal of the Premier League take even you by surprise?

RS: The interest in the League, both at home and abroad, has just snowballed over the last 20 years.

On the domestic front, attendances are up 65 per cent since the inception of the League with stadium occupancy now at 92 per cent - pretty much sold out in other words. Viewing figures both on terrestrial and satellite TV have increased as have the number of matches broadcast live in the UK – 138 compared to 60 initially. The appetite right across the media to cover all aspects of the Premier League is bordering on insatiable.

Perhaps the biggest growth in recent years has been the international interest in the Premier League. Our matches are now broadcast to more than 650 million homes in 212 territories so they really are watched all over the world.

YP: Last season, it was noticeable how many shock results there were. Does that mean that the Premier League is more competitive than ever?

RS: Each season is full of stories and the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League didn’t disappoint on that front.

Wolves, while bottom of the table, beat an unbeaten Manchester United at Molineux. Blackpool did the double over Liverpool. Newcastle came back from 4-0 down against Arsenal in stunning fashion on Saturday February 5 - the day we saw 41 goals in the Premier League, which is the League record for total goals on a Saturday.

The competitive nature of the League is one of its big selling points. Any club can beat another on a given day and we’ve already seen examples of that in 2011-12 and are likely to see many more during the season.

YP: The top end of the Premier League has been shaken up by Chelsea and now Manchester City in recent years. How welcome has that been in terms of freshening up the competition?

RS: It’s great to see a number of our clubs challenging for honours. English football has long had club owners who have invested in their clubs and provided it is done in a sustainable way then it’s something we encourage.

YP: The Premier League was launched on the back of a record television deal with BSkyB and the BBC. Since then, the value of subsequent deals have continued to grow. Can that continue in the future?

RS: I’ve never predicted what broadcast rights values will be so I won’t start now. But what I will say is that we’re in a strong position as our League and member clubs are popular at home and abroad as people like the football that’s on offer. That’s an excellent starting point when you have to sell broadcast and central commercial rights.

YP: In some countries, most notably Spain, clubs are able to negotiate their own television deals? Is that a road that the Premier League would ever consider going down?

RS: The collective nature of the Premier League is one of its biggest strengths. Our mechanism for distributing broadcast rights is the most equitable in Europe – last season Manchester United received £60.4m and the bottom placed club West Ham £40.3m - and there are no plans to change that.

Selling collectively also gives us the opportunity to make solidarity payments to the Football League and Football Conference and grass-roots and community programmes. Last season we gave away £167.2m – 14% of our turnover – and we wouldn’t be able to make those sort of central contributions without the collective selling model that we have.

YP: The Yorkshire Post spoke to Greg Clarke of the Football League as part of this series and he said the relationship between both Leagues is a strong one. Is that a view you share? And do you feel it is important that the two work together as much as is possible?

RS: We’ve long had a strong relationship with the Football League and support them in many ways. One example is the League Cup – all of our clubs commit to participating in it which gives the Football League a great selling point when they market the sponsorship and broadcast rights for that competition, the revenues from which benefit all 72 of their member clubs.

We also make solidarity payments to all Football League clubs, some of which are ring-fenced for youth development, and provide funding for the Football League Community Trust. Last season we paid a total of just over £125m to the Football League so our contribution is substantial.

YP: As part of our interview with Greg Clarke, he expressed the Football League’s concern with the implications of the collective debt that is owed by their 72 member clubs? Do you have similar concerns about the Premier League or is it a manageable debt?

RS: It’s very easy to talk about debt as though all debt is the same and add each club’s debt together and come up with a large number that might make a headline. But my view is that it’s more important to look at each individual club’s financial situation and consider whether any borrowings they have are sustainable and manageable.

Two seasons ago we brought in rules that allow us to do exactly that – clubs now provide us with budgets showing that they can pay their bills for the year ahead and that includes how they will repay any borrowings, how they will meet the wage bill and so on. We also have rules requiring clubs to send us quarterly reports showing they are up to date with HMRC payments and directors reports for any transaction of £25,000 or more.

YP: Much of those problems experienced by Yorkshire clubs have been down to paying salaries that proved to be unsustainable. Is a salary cap something the Premier League have considered in the past? And would it work?

RS: This topic comes up pretty much every season and I can assure fans that it’s been looked into but nobody has yet come up with a fair and legally sustainable way of doing it. You can’t legally restrict someone’s ability to earn in this country. Some commentators have proposed having a cap in relation to percentage of club turnover, but that wouldn’t work as clubs with the biggest turnover would always be able to spend the most on wages – kicking away the ladder that allows clubs to invest and get up to that next level.

YP: The Premier League has proved it stands on its own two feet. But what sort of impact do you feel success for the England national team would have on the League in terms of attendances and/or increased interest?

RS: When the England team performs well the football mood improves in this country and that’s reflected in attendances and TV audiences in both the Premier League and Football League. We all have an interest in the England team being successful.

YP: As part of this look back at two decades of the Premier League, one chairman of a Yorkshire club described the job done by yourself as “phenomenal”. Do you ever have time to take stock and think just how much has been achieved during your tenure?

RS: There’s not often much time to take stock. I’m very privileged to have both the job that I do and the opportunity to work with great people who share a passion for the game. However, the success of the League is only a reflection of the success of the clubs that are in it – it is their relentless pursuit of improvements that has driven the League on.

“I believe in best being allowed to reach top”

SIR DAVE RICHARDS, one of the 22 chairmen who broke away to set up the Premier League almost two decades ago, admits its success has exceeded even his expectations.

The then Sheffield Wednesday chief saw the proposal to launch a new competition as a “wonderful opportunity” for English football, which for much of the Eighties had been blighted by hooliganism and disasters such as Heysel, Bradford and Hillsborough.

Setting up a Premier League, Richards argued at the time, would help to improve not only playing standards in this country but also facilities for supporters.

As chairman of the Premier League for the past 12 years, Richards is in an ideal position to assess how far the game has come during those intervening years.

Speaking exclusively to the Yorkshire Post, he said: “All of those involved (at the start) thought it had a good chance of succeeding – or at the very least improving the standard of top-flight English football.

“I’ll freely admit that we couldn’t have imagined in 1992 the success we have had to date but we thought there was an opportunity there.”

Asked if he felt changes needed to be made to the old 92-club format of the Football League, Richards replied: “I did because I’m a big believer in the best being allowed to rise to the top, be that in football or anything else.

“There was a bit of a feeling that the old set-up prevented the top clubs from fulfilling their potential, both on and off the field.

“And there was also a requirement for football to set higher standards and improve in many areas following what was a difficult period for the sport.

“All of those things led me, and colleagues like Ken Bates, David Dein, Irving Scholar, Noel White, Martin Edwards and Philip Carter, to consider a change. I saw it as a wonderful opportunity.

“We’re blessed with a rich history in the English game and we still benefit hugely from that today but we’d been in a period of difficulty in the 1980s – stadiums were in bad shape and attendances weren’t as good as they could have been. The Premier League gave clubs the opportunity to develop and had an air of excitement around it that captured the imagination of football fans.”

Richards added: “We wanted to see top players playing great football in excellent stadiums. We also wanted to see English clubs succeeding in Europe and a successful England team.

“We’ve got most of that and are working hard to maintain the standards the clubs have set and improving on them too.”

As for the future, Richards remains confident the League is in robust health but said: “Just don’t ask me to predict where it’ll be in 20 years.”

Southgate now setting sights high from grass roots to the elite

TONIGHT, the nation’s focus will be on the 14,000-capacity Podgorica Stadium as England go in search of the point that will guarantee a place at Euro 2012.

In a country where there seems to be no grey area when it comes to sporting fortunes, Fabio Capello and his players will either return from Montenegro in the early hours of tomorrow morning cast as heroes or villains.

Ditto, the state of the English game with everything in the garden likely to be considered rosy providing the Three Lions avoid defeat in the former Yugoslav state.

Lose, however, and the airwaves and column inches will soon be filled by demands for the whole system in this country to be ripped up and replanted.

Dealing with the extreme swing of emotions that has characterised the country’s support for the England national team is Gareth Southgate, the former Middlesbrough manager whose role as the Football Association’s head of elite development means he will have a huge say in the direction the game takes over the next few years.

“It is a job I am finding really interesting,” says the 40-year-old when asked about a post that he took up in January this year.

“I have spent a lot of time travelling round the country, listening to what people have to say and explain why we feel change is needed.

“Because of the last World Cup, we are in a good position as there is an acceptance that we are not the best in the world.”

As Southgate’s job title implies, improving the depth of talent at the top level is his priority. The grass-roots game is, however, also an area he feels passionate about.

As part of attempts to raise standards in both coaching and youth development, the FA unveiled plans designed to revolutionise the youth set-up in June.

Chief among the proposals, which followed an 18-month investigation of grass-roots football, was 11-a-side games not being allowed until Under-13 level, along with a need for games to be played on smaller pitches and with smaller goals.

Southgate is keen on taking change a step further via a re-think on how the league season is set up for youngsters.

He said: “Having one long season from September to May is not right. There is a danger that by October, a team will be out of the Cup and adrift at the bottom of the league.

“The drop-out rate in youth football at grass-roots level can be massive and that can be put down, in part, to kids getting disaffected.

“Surely, a season involving more mini-tournaments and friendly matches would be better suited to keeping everyone interested.

“The league could last six to eight weeks and then the top four play each other. We have to make it fun for the kids and to encourage them, not do the opposite.”

Educating coaches and parents is another area Southgate is keen on, and in particular eradicating instances of youngsters being shouted at from the touchline.

The former Boro manager said: “I have never understood how that is supposed to improve a child’s performance.

“Would they do the same if a child was struggling with his reading and go into the classroom to shout and bawl? The culture needs changing.”

As laudable as changing the ethos of grass-roots football for kids is, Southgate appreciates his success will be judged at the top level – hence his desire to overhaul the existing Academy system in this country.

As Football League chairman Greg Clarke revealed in yesterday’s Yorkshire Post, talks aimed at implementing the Elite Player Performance Plan between his organisation and the Premier League are ongoing.

Southgate believes change is needed, adding: “People ask me, ‘When are we going to win the World Cup?’ But you can’t predict that because there is no guarantee.

“But if we don’t modernise and evolve and aspire to that challenge, then we will never get there.

“Of course, just because we had a bad World Cup in 2010 doesn’t mean everything is bad.

“Up and down the country, both at grass-roots level and professional clubs, there are examples of good practice. But there are also poor examples and what we want to do is raise the levels across the board.

“The key is progressing and improving, because you can guarantee that if Spain and Germany are where they are now then in five years’ time they will have moved forward as well.

“That is the challenge facing us all and it is one that excites me.”

As for where he hopes English football will be in 10 years’ time, Southgate replies: “It would be wonderful if we could be looking at the Premier League and 70 per cent of the players are English, as are 70 per cent of the managers.

“At the moment, we have about 35 per cent of players being English. Aiming for 70 per cent – and I don’t mean by introducing some artificial quota, I mean by evolving – may not be realistic, I don’t know. But we have to aim high.”