Given that it is the most watched soccer league in the world its actually strange to think that the English Premier League was only launched on August 15th 1992.
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Of course English soccer is far older than that but as English football began to decline in the 1980s – hooliganism, crumbling stadiums, clubs in financial trouble – it was obvious that something needed to be done.
The final straw came in 1989 after the Hillsborough disaster when 96 Liverpool FC fans were killed, crushed during an FA Cup semi final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The inquiry into the tragedy, led by Lord Taylor recommended a complete rethink and restructuring of the way soccer stadiums in England were set up and soccer clubs were managed.
The cost of implementing all the recommendations, which included making all soccer grounds all seater stadiums, irked clubs and some talked of breaking away from the Football League. That did happen when all of the the then First Division clubs resigned from the Football League and the Premier League was established as a private company.
In the beginning there were 22 clubs in the Premier League but that has since been reduced to just 20. Every season three clubs are promoted from the Coca Cola Championship League (the old second division) to what is now officially called the Barclays Premier League and three are demoted to make way for them.
The most successful club in EPL history is the mighty Manchester United, as led by Sir Alex Ferguson. Since 1992 the club has won an unprecedented 12 league titles and have never, in the history of the EPL finished lower than third.
In the 2011-2012 EPL season the make up of the English Premier League is as follows:
Arsenal
Aston Villa
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea
Everton
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Norwich City
Queens Park Rangers
Stoke City
Sunderland
Swansea City
Tottenham Hotspur
West Bromwich Albion
Wigan Athletic
Wolverhampton Wanderers
EPL Viewing Figures
English Premier League soccer is broadcast in 202 counties across the world, drawing a regular viewership of over 180 million.
EPL and Foreign Players
In the 1980s and early 1990s to have a foreign player on an English First Division club was a rarity. Since the inception of the EPL that has changed significantly. In the 2011-2012 season there are more than 250 of them. In addition the EPL has attracted foreign managerial talents who brought a different style of play to the EPL and to English soccer in general.
The EPL and Merchandising
In addition to TV and ticket revenues EPL clubs draw a significant part of their incomes from licensed merchandise of all kinds. This blog is designed to highlight the best of that merchandise, uncover some hidden gems you may not see in stores and keep you up to date on new merchandise as it appears.
