A Consolidated Power

When asked to name the big leagues in the world, invariably leagues like the English Premiership, Primera Liga, Italian Serie A and perhaps the German Bundesliga will be there or thereabouts. However, there seems to be a marked power shift in the world of football. The Premiership is now the premier league to play in. You may disagree, but here is some food for thought.

About ½ the globe (2.59 billion) tunes in from 204 countries to the matches played in the Premiership.. The rights to air the matches on TV, radio and internet mediums auctioned in at £2.7billion over 3 years (of which part would be shared among the 20 clubs in the top flight). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this league is the most marketed, and marketable, and enjoys the greatest exposure.

One example on its effects can be seen in the recent Carlos Tevez transfer uncertainty. His advisor Kia Joorabchian has come out in public to admit that Tevez would rather stay in the Premiership, turning down a move to Italian giants Inter in the process. Let’s dissect this incident

M.O.N.E.Y

He may not be the highest paid, but the media coverage Tevez will receive in the Premiership could raise his marketability. This could be in terms of (future) sponsorship deals, better (future) contracts, higher value on the transfer market. This kind of exposure should lead to such snowballing effects, provided he plays reasonably well and makes a name for himself. Tevez already did, by securing West Ham’s top flight status in the last season. I would guess this is one of the reasons he left Corinthians for the Premiership in the first place, and could account for his desire to stay.

Safe Haven

UK is well known for its education and welfare systems. This is an excellent place for someone (with a family or looking to have one) to settle in, especially if the foreigner comes from a turbulent background; even if he wasn’t, just having the UK as an option to move to is advantageous. This is one attraction that playing in the Premiership provides.

The British Pound

One of the strongest and most stable currencies in the world, the British Pound is a relatively safer bet. Earning wages in this currency brings stability, along with the other values that the Pound possesses.

There could be other reasons, but these seem to me as being the most obvious. What this would entail is the consolidation of the Premiership as the premier league to be playing in, attracting the best players from around the world. Perhaps not everyone would like to live in wet and grey UK, or be able to perform or withstand the physicality of the English game, but the attraction will only snowball. More a platform for marketing than for football, the economically conscious agents of the best players in the world cannot help but take notice of this gold pot.