Abstract
This presentation uses new research to show how clubs in the EPL play more pre-season friendlies overseas than any other league in Europe or the world. Driven by individual aspirations to grow global brands, EPL clubs are cashing in on their popularity but also undermining their own competition. The research shows how PL clubs have bypassed the original opposition to an extra round of league matches overseas by creating a schedule of foreign fixtures that is worse than Game 39 with meaningless matches that differ greatly to the league fixtures that popularised their competition. Instead of competitive fixtures, PL clubs play matches with no value beyond blatant commercialisation to grab market share that damages their own brand and also offers up myriad opportunities for match-fixers to corrupt games seemingly with no value.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Play the Game 2015: Global Sport: Reform or Revolution. Aarhus, Denmark, October 25-29 2015 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |