The most watched sporting competition in the world
The Barclays Premier League is the most watched football league in the world. There’s a good chance that you already know something about it - in the 2008/09 season some 662 million homes around the world received nearly 90,000 hours of Barclays Premier League football on TV.
If you are new to the excitement and thrills of the Barclays Premier League though here are some of the key facts about the biggest continuous sporting event on TV.
The Basics
At its most basic, the Premier League is the lead competition in English football. Developed following years of underinvestment in stadia and playing talent, the League played its first season in 1992/93 and was originally composed of 22 clubs, but in 1995/96 the League was reduced to its current number of 20 clubs.
Widely regarded as the elite club league in world football, the Premier League is owned by its 20 shareholders - the member clubs, whose membership of the League is dependent on the performance of their football team in the Barclays Premier League.
Have you ever thought about the technology that is used to develop the Premier League's footballs? Nike have been the official ball supplier to the Premier League since the 2001/01 season and here Tom de Blasis, Nike’s Football Design Director, talks about the process Nike went through developing the 2008/09 season ball, the Nike Total 90 Omni.
Why develop a new ball - are Nike perfectionists or have there just been advancements in the technology?
It’s both: Nike introduced Geo Technology over 11 years ago. This was the first breakthrough in ball geometry because it made the ball rounder and more balanced.
Have you ever thought about what it is that the 20 Premier League teams are fighting for? Well here are all the facts and figures on the Barclays Premier League Trophy.
The Manufacturers
It is made by royal jewellers Asprey of London and contains different types of silver. Asprey is a very old company – it was founded in 1781. It has also made a new version of the Henri Delaunay Euro 2008 trophy as well as the Barclays Asia Trophy.
Every season the Barclays Premier League issues a 500-page handbook. A key component of this is the rules and regulations for taking part in the League. Here are a few ‘did you know’ facts from the Handbook:
- Before the start of the season, four dates are agreed between the Barclays Premier League and the FA for international matches.
- The bit where the teams come out together before kick-off is officially called the ‘processional entry’.
- Team sheets must be handed to the referee and media at least one hour before kick-off.
- No more than three substitutes from each club can warm up along the touchline at the same time.
- Dressing rooms have to be at least 30m², not including showers, baths and toilets.
Every season brings new records to the Premier League: here are just a few of statistics from 18 seasons, from the most to least, youngest to oldest, fastest to longest, and just plain best.
- 5 minutes – time of first-ever Premier League goal, scored by Brian Deane for Sheffield United v Manchester United on 15 August 1992
- 10 seconds – time of the fastest goal, scored by Ledley King for Tottenham Hotspur v Bradford City in December 2000
- 6 seconds – fastest goal by a substitute after coming on – Nicklas Bendtner for Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur in December 2007
- 16 years 271 days – youngest top flight scorer – James Vaughan for Everton v Crystal Palace in April 2005
With some of the world’s top stars going head to head each week in sport’s most exciting club competition, all eyes across the globe are now on the Barclays Premier League.
It used to be a national obsession. Not anymore. The Barclays Premier League is now the world’s league. It has become a global addiction, inspiring passion and emotion from Los Angeles and Lagos to Mumbai and Melbourne. The statistics tell their own story. The Barclays Premier League is now screened in 211 overseas territories around the world.
