Finding new ways to raise revenues is something that has long been on the agenda for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group.
The Reds owners were part of the failed plot to launch the European Super League in 2021, while they were also one of the driving forces behind trying to get Project Big Picture off the ground in the Premier League; a plan that would have seen more power placed in the hands of the biggest teams through greater voting privileges related to length of membership, a reduction in the number of members from 20 to 18, and the scrapping of competitions such as the EFL Cup and the Community Shield.
The proposals never got off the ground, as happened with the ESL, and Premier League club owners, particularly those from the so-called ‘big six’, which with the rise of Newcastle United should really be considered a big seven, have been left to try and find ways for the game to evolve in order to maximise its revenue potential.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly’s comments around bringing the North American sporting staple of an All-Star Game to the Premier League, pitting North against South as a revenue raiser for the League, created plenty of headlines and drew much derision from fans. But with the Premier League now a global brand that has hundreds of millions of fans around the world, and for clubs whose overseas following is getting on par with their domestic one, finding ways to evolve the game in the coming years will be key, especially given the need to keep audiences engaged to boost the broadcast sums that underpin the whole football ecosystem.
The idea of a Game 39 is something that has been floated previously, with former Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore having raised it as a possibility back in 2008, only for the idea to be kicked into the long grass.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday in 2014, Scudamore said: “The clubs are keen for us to keep developing the concept but we’re no nearer. The idea of an extra game is gone. Whether you play an extra season game [overseas], that has challenges, not least among the fans, which we take into consideration.
“I’ve never shied away from the fact that personally I think it’s a good idea. I bear the scars from thinking it’s a good idea. A lot of the clubs think it’s a good idea … but there is absolutely no timeline and no idea when it might happen.”
Premier League clubs, particularly the major ones such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, place great importance on their pre-season tours overseas. This summer saw the Reds head to Singapore, while the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal were among those to head to the United States.
With the US now very much seeing the kind of football boom that never quite arrived in years previous, and with a World Cup on the way in 2026 in North America, it is fertile ground for clubs to market themselves and increase their popularity and presence at a key time when new demographics are becoming engaged in the sport and willing to spend on merchandise and subscriptions. The value of the US broadcast rights for the Premier League for the most recent cycle stood at £2bn, which is 20% of the total sum the League achieves globally and 40% of what it brings in domestically, demonstrating the power of the market.
Football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson, professor of economics at Sheffield Business School, believes that the idea of ‘Game 39’ is something that should be back on the agenda for clubs; an idea that would likely chime with FSG and other owners of major Premier League clubs should it fit in the calendar.
“The climate is different now to what it was when Richard Scudamore proposed Game 39,” Dr Wilson said via Grosvenor Sport. “I could always see the benefit of doing it when it was first announced. I appreciated the fan feeling was that it was taking the game away, but I think we have to wake up and realise there are lots of different types of fans and some fans will never be able to visit the stadiums of their preferred teams.
“That doesn’t make them any less valuable, and it doesn’t make season ticket holders any less valuable. They have different motives and different needs. The reality is clubs have to generate additional forms of revenue to maintain a competitive advantage or indeed to gain a competitive advantage.
“Neil Joyce, of CLV Group, argues there is tens of millions of worth of revenue being left on the table every single year by clubs because they are not engaging their global audiences and followers. I think a game overseas is a natural extension of the competition, I think the Premier League was ahead of its time when it suggested Game 39. We have seen the NFL and NBA play abroad, they are realising the value of increasing their global footprint so it’s only really a matter of time.
“I have argued, why aren’t we playing the Community Shield abroad? Why isn’t the FA looking at that thinking, we have X teams playing overseas tours, why not play a trophy game abroad? Whether that’s North America or Asia, there are some really good monetary benefits to be had that could be really lucrative for not just the league but the clubs involved in it. The way that money could be spread across the football system is important to consider.”
With North America now a booming market, with Liverpool likely to look at heading there when decisions around what to do next pre-season come around, Dr Wilson believes that it is the perfect location, and that the Community Shield would be the ideal game to take on the road and away from its traditional Wembley home.
Dr Wilson said: “I hope there will be conversations about a new-look Game 39. I want to see progression in the game and there is an over-reliance on domestic and international broadcast rights, they need to diversify their income streams.
“Man Utd are generating about 50 cents per follower from their global audience, which is obscene. So I absolutely hope they are looking at how to broaden the appeal of the league particularly with competition within the market, whether that’s Saudi or MLS or indeed other teams in Europe. I think the US is the most mature market for that, east or west coast up for debate.
“But I absolutely think that if you put the Community Shield in America, or Tokyo, or somewhere else in the far east, I think you would be making big money and it would be engaging for fans out there.
“A lot gets made of home advantage but I don’t think the data really supports the view it is as important as we say it is. So what you may need to do is two games, which is why I think the Community Shield is an acid test for the market rather than moving a regular season game, which also comes with complications on travel congestion.
But the reality is Premier League football is already played twice a week, pretty much. If a team gets moved over to the US for a mid-season match, that’s a heck of a trek to get back for an afternoon kick-off on a Saturday. So they need to find a way that’s acceptable for the teams and players and fans.
“So for me it would have to be at the very start or very end, which is why I’d suggest the Community Shield. I think the FA Cup would be a bridge too far at this stage, but I do think the Premier League should be looking at it.”
