After an exciting summer of sport featuring Euro 2012 and the London Olympics, tomorrow sees the start of the 2012-13 Premier League Season. While there may be those who feel football has barely been away, millions more at home and abroad will be eagerly awaiting the chance to follow the fortunes of their favourite team.
Opening day fixtures include champions Manchester City at home to Premier League new boys Southampton, Arsenal v Sunderland, Fulham v Norwich and perennial strugglers Wigan Athletic against last season’s FA Cup and Champions League winners Chelsea.
Today the Premier League is a global brand and the amounts of money spent on transfers and player’s wages is astronomical. Money pours into the game from TV deals, sponsorship and marketing but it shouldn’t be forgotten that football clubs are deeply rooted in their communities and that local businesses and commercial properties can benefit greatly from match day spending.
Premier League football stadiums have come a long way from the days when fans stood on the terraces with a pie and a cup of Bovril. Today, they have a well-developed commercial side that not only includes catering and hospitality but other retail outlets and in some cases even hotels. Besides generating income from visiting spectators and the media, these provide jobs for local people and boost the economy.
Many of the new stadiums that have sprung up in recent years have led to significant commercial property development on formerly derelict land while, in the communities surrounding the stadiums, other businesses benefit from the game. The biggest winners are local pubs where fans traditionally gather to settle pre-match nerves and indulge in post-match analysis over a pint or two. Increasingly, nowadays pubs are showing live Premier League action and capturing fans for the entire match.
There are also wider benefits to consider. With a world-wide TV audience, the Premier League guarantees the kind of global exposure it would be difficult to achieve in any other way. This degree of awareness can lead to increased visitor numbers and make attracting inward investment into host cities easier.
So with another season about to kick off what are fans expecting? Chris, 20, is a Liverpool fan and is looking forward to his team’s opener against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. He says that while Liverpool have had a poor start in recent years he expects them to have the firepower to keep West Brom at bay. Asked about his hopes for the season he concedes a Champions League spot is a long shot but not out of the question.
He said; “Arsenal can play well but their additions scream of inconsistency and it’ll be interesting to see how they perform. Spurs currently have one striker and the style of play will be completely different to the way they played under Redknapp. If neither of them strengthen fourth becomes more of a possibility.”
Chris still regards Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s star player and says that his fitness will be crucial to his team’s fortunes. So what will the top four look like come the end of the season? Chris predicts that Manchester City will successfully defend their Premier League title followed by rivals United and big spending Chelsea. And that crucial fourth spot? With the optimism of a true fan Chris predicts this will go to none other than Liverpool.
Inconsistent? Podolski scored 18 goals in 29 games last season for a team that was relegated. Arsenal will easily finish in the top four.
I agree with Gary! We’ve got Podolski, Walcott, Cozorla and the Ox. More than enough firepower and much better than the likes of livepool and spurs!
With Wiltshire coming back soon forget about the top four! We’ll be focusing on winning the league.
Come on you Gooners!
You don’t even mention Stoke in this article. We are in the Prem as well you know.
But to be fair, I doubt we will finish near the top this season.
Come on Stoke, Come on Stoke!! 🙂