English Premier League
A Brief History of the Barclay’s Premier League
Currently recognized by most fans and commentators as the leading professional football league in the world, the Barclay’s Premier League traces its origins back to 1888 and the founding of England’s Football League. Known then as the First Division, it was the top tier of professional football in England for over 100 years.
Tough times had fallen on English football during the eighties, and television sponsorship became the key ingredient in the individual club’s survival, both domestically and in the lucrative European competitions. As television rights deals grew larger and larger at the end of the eighties, the top clubs began thinking of forming a new first division, independent of the Football League. Currently, monies generated from television deals were paid to and distributed by the Football League, so clubs who weren’t regularly appearing on television were benefiting from the clubs who were.
Forming of the Premier League
The discontent among the top clubs reached its peak in 1991 and 24 clubs signed an agreement stating their intent to withdraw from the Football League First Division and form the Premier League. Once formed, the League sold its television right to Sky Sports for the sum of £191 million over five years. That figure has grown to around £2.7 billion for three years today. Half of the money is divided equally among the clubs, with one quarter being divided according to league finish, and one quarter going to clubs to offset facilities costs for broadcast games. It is a structure that provides larges amounts of capitol to all the clubs, but favors those who finish in the top five as they get more money for their league finish as well as more money for playing in more televised games.
The inaugural season took place from August 1992 through May 1993 and was won by Manchester United, who would go on to dominate the Premiership, with a current total of ten championships. In fact, during its history, the league has only been won by three other teams. Arsenal places second with three championships, Chelsea with two, and Blackburn Rovers with one win. Those first three teams so dominate the league, that only eight other teams have even finished in second or third, with United never finishing lower than third place.
While commercially independent from the Football League, the promotion and relegation relationship has been retained, with the worst three teams in the Premiership being relegated to the Football League Championship Division and the best three teams from the Championship being promoted to the Premiership.
Overall, 42 teams have competed in the Premier League. Of the original signatories, seven have never been relegated and ten are participating in the Premier League this season, the other 24 are competing in various levels of the Football League, and two never joined the Premier League due to relegation at the end of the last season of the old First Division. There are currently 20 teams playing a 38 game schedule each season.
Premier League 2010-2011 season teams
Arsenal
Aston Villa
Birmingham City
Blackburn Rovers
Blackpool
Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea
Everton
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Stoke City
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United
Wigan Athletic
Wolverhampton Wanderers
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