European Super League

This European super League isn't such a bad idea so long as the league authorities and UEFA beat the top club's to it as replacement for Champions League today.

Champions League fails at the moment to maximise revenue as it only gives max 13 games if you enter group stage and win. This could be increased and if set up by UEFA and the national leagues they could create a revenue sharing that passes much more down through the game than if they standby and let the top club's dictate. They can also ensure no permanent membership.

Closest equivalent model I would suggest is the like NFL but with annual qualification, so you finish with regional divisions which makes up half your regular season games. so if there are 6 regions, 3 regions in each of 2 divisions, 6 teams in each region, this might mean a 20 game season, 10 inter region, say and then you get 5 other divisional games and 5 against the other division. You could play back to back non-regional away games to make travel less of an issue to open up non European or when this becomes a world club competition. The games against teams in your own national division critically count for both competitions which limits the number of domestic games i.e. say Liverpool v Man Utd counts for EPL and Super League.

Region winners + best 3 ranked teams in each division go into playoffs, top 2 getting a bye, so in effect 4 play-off single match rounds.

In total, possible 24 games, importantly more guaranteed per team and so many more for tv, compared to 13 if the winner starts at the group stage, 23 if you started at the preliminary round.

The key though is for leagues and UEFA to structure these as a Franchise, which they rent out each year to clubs. Rather than Liverpool getting all the income, the FA would get a franchise share of all TV and sponsorship revenues and pay a fixed fee to any team that wants take a position. The club then gets a fixed amount plus gate receipts plus the benefit for their own commercial activities. Take it or leave it.

It's not far away from today but time for the national FAs to stitch up the top club's and take back power. It would be a brave owner who thinks that taking his or her club into a completely rival new league is worth the risk especially if players find themselves excluded from the World and European Championship.
 
Assume this is why “big picture” was so generous re future tv deals as the value of these would drop markedly when top clubs leave for this super league?

For me, it’s time to wave cheerio to the top 6 or 7 and set up a new more open premier league. Lots of decent clubs to compete for the title - ie the teams that often won things before the prem came into being. No doubt less wealth around but still a very exciting competition.
 
ChampagneCherry said:
This European super League isn't such a bad idea so long as the league authorities and UEFA beat the top club's to it as replacement for Champions League today.

Champions League fails at the moment to maximise revenue as it only gives max 13 games if you enter group stage and win. This could be increased and if set up by UEFA and the national leagues they could create a revenue sharing that passes much more down through the game than if they standby and let the top club's dictate. They can also ensure no permanent membership.

Closest equivalent model I would suggest is the like NFL but with annual qualification, so you finish with regional divisions which makes up half your regular season games. so if there are 6 regions, 3 regions in each of 2 divisions, 6 teams in each region, this might mean a 20 game season, 10 inter region, say and then you get 5 other divisional games and 5 against the other division. You could play back to back non-regional away games to make travel less of an issue to open up non European or when this becomes a world club competition. The games against teams in your own national division critically count for both competitions which limits the number of domestic games i.e. say Liverpool v Man Utd counts for EPL and Super League.

Region winners + best 3 ranked teams in each division go into playoffs, top 2 getting a bye, so in effect 4 play-off single match rounds.

In total, possible 24 games, importantly more guaranteed per team and so many more for tv, compared to 13 if the winner starts at the group stage, 23 if you started at the preliminary round.

The key though is for leagues and UEFA to structure these as a Franchise, which they rent out each year to clubs. Rather than Liverpool getting all the income, the FA would get a franchise share of all TV and sponsorship revenues and pay a fixed fee to any team that wants take a position. The club then gets a fixed amount plus gate receipts plus the benefit for their own commercial activities. Take it or leave it.

It's not far away from today but time for the national FAs to stitch up the top club's and take back power. It would be a brave owner who thinks that taking his or her club into a completely rival new league is worth the risk especially if players find themselves excluded from the World and European Championship.
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Whilst you’ve argued that side of the debate rather well, personally, any time you have to lead with the idea of an NFL set up and use the word “franchise”, it’s a flawed concept in European football.

This is nothing more than a power play by clubs and FIFA, who want to elbow their way into the football money pot which they’ve been on the sidelines for in regards to anything but the World Cup.

The Club World Cup concept is what they should be looking to develop, not a European Super League which is basically trying to kill off the UEFA Champions League.

The no relegation for 20 years idea would leave English football with basically B sides in its top division, doing enough to not be relegated but with a focus on the new European project.
 
It won't work ! Football is crucifying itself at the top level...

ChampagneCherry said:
This European super League isn't such a bad idea so long as the league authorities and UEFA beat the top club's to it as replacement for Champions League today.

Champions League fails at the moment to maximise revenue as it only gives max 13 games if you enter group stage and win. This could be increased and if set up by UEFA and the national leagues they could create a revenue sharing that passes much more down through the game than if they standby and let the top club's dictate. They can also ensure no permanent membership.

Closest equivalent model I would suggest is the like NFL but with annual qualification, so you finish with regional divisions which makes up half your regular season games. so if there are 6 regions, 3 regions in each of 2 divisions, 6 teams in each region, this might mean a 20 game season, 10 inter region, say and then you get 5 other divisional games and 5 against the other division. You could play back to back non-regional away games to make travel less of an issue to open up non European or when this becomes a world club competition. The games against teams in your own national division critically count for both competitions which limits the number of domestic games i.e. say Liverpool v Man Utd counts for EPL and Super League.

Region winners + best 3 ranked teams in each division go into playoffs, top 2 getting a bye, so in effect 4 play-off single match rounds.

In total, possible 24 games, importantly more guaranteed per team and so many more for tv, compared to 13 if the winner starts at the group stage, 23 if you started at the preliminary round.

The key though is for leagues and UEFA to structure these as a Franchise, which they rent out each year to clubs. Rather than Liverpool getting all the income, the FA would get a franchise share of all TV and sponsorship revenues and pay a fixed fee to any team that wants take a position. The club then gets a fixed amount plus gate receipts plus the benefit for their own commercial activities. Take it or leave it.

It's not far away from today but time for the national FAs to stitch up the top club's and take back power. It would be a brave owner who thinks that taking his or her club into a completely rival new league is worth the risk especially if players find themselves excluded from the World and European Championship.
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And....Who £ucking Cares in Dorchester ?
 
It's all about the top clubs owning their own TV rights and there will certainly be more than 6 teams breakaway. They know that supporters would quickly tire of watching the same teams over and over so the English clubs want at least 10 teams in their own domestic league, with the rest of the games made up by the European Super League and lucrative exhibition games. That was always the end game. The money currently received from being in the Premier League will be dwarfed by what can be received from streaming worldwide. Already some owners who were publicly against the idea are privately right up for making up the numbers. Forget the idea of it just being six, it will be at least 10 and probably more.
 
I haven't been following the debate that closely. Is the plan for the Premier League to breakaway from the Premier League and form a Premier League. : )
Only this time it'll be the No Bournemouth, Burnley, Watford or any other club we deem not capable of attracting enough TV viewers Premier League : )
 
table said:
I haven't been following the debate that closely. Is the plan for the Premier League to breakaway from the Premier League and form a Premier League. : )
Only this time it'll be the No Bournemouth, Burnley, Watford or any other club we deem not capable of attracting enough TV viewers Premier League : )
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That's about the shape of it. In about 10 years, all you'll ever be able to see on TV will be the same 8-10 big clubs endlessly playing each other in a succession of dreary matches in fake cup competitions, made-for-global TV leagues, and meaningless exhibition games.

The mega-brands, the sponsors and advertisers, will - of course - love it.
 
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davidwhitehead said:
That's about the shape of it. In about 10 years, all you'll ever be able to see on TV will be the same 8-10 big clubs endlessly playing each other in a succession of dreary matches in fake cup competitions, made-for-global TV leagues, and meaningless exhibition games.

The mega-brands, the sponsors and advertisers, will - of course - love it.
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A great way to devalue a sport. There is no proper league competition without relegation as we can see from the North American example.
 
beds cherry said:
Spot on. It will be boring - I just can't see any proper fans of the clubs involved going for it.
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Indeed - but in the global scheme of things, the "proper" fans, i.e. the fans that actually go to games and support their team through thick and thin - they are of dwindling importance to the moneymen that rule the game.

With global audiences in the hundreds of millions, and the advertising and sponsorship riches that go with it, who'll care if Bert Jones from Salford doesn't get down to Old Trafford anymore ?
 
DJ said:
Whilst you’ve argued that side of the debate rather well, personally, any time you have to lead with the idea of an NFL set up and use the word “franchise”, it’s a flawed concept in European football.

This is nothing more than a power play by clubs and FIFA, who want to elbow their way into the football money pot which they’ve been on the sidelines for in regards to anything but the World Cup.

The Club World Cup concept is what they should be looking to develop, not a European Super League which is basically trying to kill off the UEFA Champions League.

The no relegation for 20 years idea would leave English football with basically B sides in its top division, doing enough to not be relegated but with a focus on the new European project.
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easy - don’t let them compete in domestic league


Maybe this is why they want b teams in lower leagues in readiness for this change?
 
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