League games abroad, a slippery slope

[coldel]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqxg...

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Everyone seems to think this'll be the end of the world, but i don't have an issue with it. It would be great for fans of PL clubs in the far east or wherever to have a chance to see their team.

[coldel]

They do every summer break when they go there to sell shirts.

I presume then also that teams will reduce their season ticket prices by the number of games unavailable to fans living locally.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

coldel said:

I presume then also that teams will reduce their season ticket prices by the number of games unavailable to fans living locally.

Yes, apart from Man Utd, who don't have any fans living locally.

[Leicester Loyal]

Be some protests against that I'd imagine.

I do think eventually all those fans like myself who go week in week out will end up following non league clubs or something, especially if football carries on the way it's going.

[Murph7355]

wky money grabbing idea that will eventually backfire.

Keep reaming the TV rights and ticket prices for tourists. Keep playing abroad in the off season (but then quit moaning about too many games). But there's a limit to how far the milking should go before you lose the essence of what made the game in the first place (arguably already done including locally).

[Ezra]

Is the environmental impact an issue with this? Surely, it's just flight travel for 100's (1000's if potential fans included too) for no reason. Well, no reason other than....money, obvs.

[48k]

It was inevitable. It started with half and half scarves and snowballed from there. This summer we've seen the first ever North London Derby played in Asia (albeit a pre-season friendly). As we move through successive generations of supporters, the ethos of each club is getting gradually lost in the mists of time, and its relationships with its own community and its tensions with rival clubs are diluting. Top level football is an entertainment event like a west end show. It's a product to be commoditised and exported to different venues for different live audiences. From "Starlight Express...see the west end show now on Broadway" we'll have "Tottenham vs Arsenal - from North London now in Los Angeles this January. It's blues verses reds. Pick a colour and cheer your team". The stable door is open and the horse has bolted. I fully expect to attend overseas Premier League games in my lifetime. And even the concept of supporting a club itself is being eroded - there is a new breed of fan who support a player not a club, and will follow that player from club to club. I expect to see far fewer Koreans at the Tottenham Stadium this season.

[coldel]

48k said:

It was inevitable. It started with half and half scarves and snowballed from there. This summer we've seen the first ever North London Derby played in Asia (albeit a pre-season friendly). As we move through successive generations of supporters, the ethos of each club is getting gradually lost in the mists of time, and its relationships with its own community and its tensions with rival clubs are diluting. Top level football is an entertainment event like a west end show. It's a product to be commoditised and exported to different venues for different live audiences. From "Starlight Express...see the west end show now on Broadway" we'll have "Tottenham vs Arsenal - from North London now in Los Angeles this January. It's blues verses reds. Pick a colour and cheer your team". The stable door is open and the horse has bolted. I fully expect to attend overseas Premier League games in my lifetime. And even the concept of supporting a club itself is being eroded - there is a new breed of fan who support a player not a club, and will follow that player from club to club. I expect to see far fewer Koreans at the Tottenham Stadium this season.

The far east tours, US tours etc. have been going on for years. Manyoo saw the opportunity years ago to tap into an Asian supporter base. When the money started pouring into the newly formed PL it was obvious where the priorities were.

I can see people following players for sure, but they have to be exceptional, that said I don't see many kids around here wearing Al Nasser shirts with Ronaldo on the back...I do though see kids doing what has been happening for ages, they support the successful teams regardless of their location. There is a whole group of Man City fans in their mid to late teens now spread across the country.

What shouldn't be underestimated is the effect a toxic environment at a club can do, when the fans turn on boards, managers and players. Yes, the fan income on matchday is a fraction of the marketing income, but on the day on the pitch, the fans can have a serious impact on many things that are key to a club functioning successfully. Which if it does have a negative effect on results, will in turn affect income.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Ezra said:

Is the environmental impact an issue with this? Surely, it's just flight travel for 100's (1000's if potential fans included too) for no reason. Well, no reason other than....money, obvs.

Surely tickets will be restricted to fans in or near where the game is being played. No point in Man U playing a match in Hong Kong, and thousands of fans travelling over from the UK. The whole idea is for the fans who live in or close to HK to see their team.

[coldel]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Ezra said:

Is the environmental impact an issue with this? Surely, it's just flight travel for 100's (1000's if potential fans included too) for no reason. Well, no reason other than....money, obvs.

Surely tickets will be restricted to fans in or near where the game is being played. No point in Man U playing a match in Hong Kong, and thousands of fans travelling over from the UK. The whole idea is for the fans who live in or close to HK to see their team.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of fans travelling to it. Mate of mine goes to every Chelsea away game in Europe he doesn't think twice about the cost / holiday leave. I know he would definitely use it as an excuse for a holiday somewhere exotic.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

coldel said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Ezra said:

Is the environmental impact an issue with this? Surely, it's just flight travel for 100's (1000's if potential fans included too) for no reason. Well, no reason other than....money, obvs.

Surely tickets will be restricted to fans in or near where the game is being played. No point in Man U playing a match in Hong Kong, and thousands of fans travelling over from the UK. The whole idea is for the fans who live in or close to HK to see their team.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of fans travelling to it. Mate of mine goes to every Chelsea away game in Europe he doesn't think twice about the cost / holiday leave. I know he would definitely use it as an excuse for a holiday somewhere exotic.

They'd have to find a way of prohibiting entrance to the game in those circumstances. If UK fans are going to be able to attend a game in the far East being played so fans in the far East can see their team play, then the whole exercise is just pointless.

[coldel]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

coldel said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Ezra said:

Is the environmental impact an issue with this? Surely, it's just flight travel for 100's (1000's if potential fans included too) for no reason. Well, no reason other than....money, obvs.

Surely tickets will be restricted to fans in or near where the game is being played. No point in Man U playing a match in Hong Kong, and thousands of fans travelling over from the UK. The whole idea is for the fans who live in or close to HK to see their team.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of fans travelling to it. Mate of mine goes to every Chelsea away game in Europe he doesn't think twice about the cost / holiday leave. I know he would definitely use it as an excuse for a holiday somewhere exotic.

They'd have to find a way of prohibiting entrance to the game in those circumstances. If UK fans are going to be able to attend a game in the far East being played so fans in the far East can see their team play, then the whole exercise is just pointless.

I'm not sure that will go down well, banned from your own teams games, especially season ticket holders. I really don't think clubs have thought this through fully. There will need to be a lot of suppression of negative press if that were the case.

[48k]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

coldel said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Ezra said:

Is the environmental impact an issue with this? Surely, it's just flight travel for 100's (1000's if potential fans included too) for no reason. Well, no reason other than....money, obvs.

Surely tickets will be restricted to fans in or near where the game is being played. No point in Man U playing a match in Hong Kong, and thousands of fans travelling over from the UK. The whole idea is for the fans who live in or close to HK to see their team.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of fans travelling to it. Mate of mine goes to every Chelsea away game in Europe he doesn't think twice about the cost / holiday leave. I know he would definitely use it as an excuse for a holiday somewhere exotic.

They'd have to find a way of prohibiting entrance to the game in those circumstances. If UK fans are going to be able to attend a game in the far East being played so fans in the far East can see their team play, then the whole exercise is just pointless.

What an odd take. Plenty of UK fans and expats watch the pre season games abroad. When the Champions League final is held in a particular country they don't ban "foreigners" from buying tickets. Similarly we don't ban foreign fans from buying tickets and coming to the UK to watch games. It's not a "them and us" thing. Just because a Premier League game might be held in, say, Miami, doesn't mean that only American citizens should be allowed to attend a match.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

48k said:

What an odd take. Plenty of UK fans and expats watch the pre season games abroad. When the Champions League final is held in a particular country they don't ban "foreigners" from buying tickets. Similarly we don't ban foreign fans from buying tickets and coming to the UK to watch games. It's not a "them and us" thing. Just because a Premier League game might be held in, say, Miami, doesn't mean that only American citizens should be allowed to attend a match.

It's well established that a pre season tour is a way of foreign fans to see the team and UK fans to have a summer holiday abroad following their team. As for a CL Final, that just a ridiculous comparison. That's just a neutral venue. Of course they actually want fans from the teams' home countries travelling to the venue.

But surely the whole point of a PL game in Miami is for American fans to have one competitive match where they can see their team, not to miss out of tickets because UK fans have bought them in.

[48k]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

48k said:

What an odd take. Plenty of UK fans and expats watch the pre season games abroad. When the Champions League final is held in a particular country they don't ban "foreigners" from buying tickets. Similarly we don't ban foreign fans from buying tickets and coming to the UK to watch games. It's not a "them and us" thing. Just because a Premier League game might be held in, say, Miami, doesn't mean that only American citizens should be allowed to attend a match.

It's well established that a pre season tour is a way of foreign fans to see the team and UK fans to have a summer holiday abroad following their team. As for a CL Final, that just a ridiculous comparison. That's just a neutral venue. Of course they actually want fans from the teams' home countries travelling to the venue.

But surely the whole point of a PL game in Miami is for American fans to have one competitive match where they can see their team, not to miss out of tickets because UK fans have bought them in.

Demand is always going to outstrip supply for the major clubs but even if every single possible season ticket holder travelled to a Premier League game in, say, Miami, there would still going to be plenty of availability for locals to buy tickets. Of course, its never going to happen that every single season ticket holder would travel, so there would be even more availability. Infact I daresay when it happens there will be two tiers of season ticket one for 18 games one for 19.

Edited by 48k on Tuesday 12th August 21:29