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La Liga matches to be played in USA/Canada (Merged)


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Global audiences and TV coverage are what they want.

Consider this, the NFL has started to have regular games played in the UK now. The regular season for NFL is 16 games, so that's 8 home games, 8 away games, so if your team has to play abroad in London England, you lose 12.5% of your home games to watch!

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21 minutes ago, phantom said:

Honestly think there would be more of a backlash from supporters in this country to prevent it ever happening

Agreed. Incredibly unfair on the majority of Man Utd fans if they elect to play in the US before they've played somewhere in Dorset.

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1 hour ago, phantom said:

Honestly think there would be more of a backlash from supporters in this country to prevent it ever happening

It was put forward in 2008 - the 39th game, as it was billed.

Never happened - so far - for exactly those reasons. No doubt it will be put forward again fairly soon.

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1 hour ago, Im_over_ere said:

Global audiences and TV coverage are what they want.

Consider this, the NFL has started to have regular games played in the UK now. The regular season for NFL is 16 games, so that's 8 home games, 8 away games, so if your team has to play abroad in London England, you lose 12.5% of your home games to watch!

Completely fair point and I do agree, but it's also worth bearing in mind that American sports culture is completely different to here. We have a lot more of a local identity here, whereas they are used to having franchises up and move all the time. 

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The world cup is soon to be played in USA, Canada and Mexico. Thousands of miles between games, personally I think it's ridiculous and IMHO just doesn't sit right.

The Euros seem to be leading the pack in terms of tournament bastardisation. Instead of having a host country, 2020 will be played across an abundance of country's, with Wembley hosting the final.

Personally, I prefer the traditional layout and tournament set up. How long until the FA CUP Final gets played in Dubai?!?

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3 hours ago, nebristolred said:

Completely fair point and I do agree, but it's also worth bearing in mind that American sports culture is completely different to here. We have a lot more of a local identity here, whereas they are used to having franchises up and move all the time. 

That’s not strictly true in my experience. Many US sports fans have a fierce loyalty to local teams and Hell would freeze over before they’d let their team go elsewhere. Crowds in college football even in rural states put a lot of English football clubs to shame.

Cities where franchises chop and change tend to be places where everyone is from somewhere else (LA, Phoenix spring to mind).

As someone who has lived out here for quite a while I don’t detect the phenomenon you see back home where a lot of people from a certain locale decide to snub their local side and support a team from the other end of the country just because they’re successful.

Although you could argue that supporting team a few hundred miles away is a bit less ridiculous than one a few thousand miles away and in a totally alien weather climate. Could.

 

14 minutes ago, YorkshireSection said:

The world cup is soon to be played in USA, Canada and Mexico. Thousands of miles between games, personally I think it's ridiculous and IMHO just doesn't sit right.

The Euros seem to be leading the pack in terms of tournament bastardisation. Instead of having a host country, 2020 will be played across an abundance of country's, with Wembley hosting the final.

Personally, I prefer the traditional layout and tournament set up. How long until the FA CUP Final gets played in Dubai?!?

I think (hope) the multi-country Euros is a one-off to mark the tournament’s anniversary. The trouble is that the ridiculous decision to expand the Euros to 24 teams, never mind the implications for quality of games, means the pool of potential hosts has shrunk even further than it did with 16 teams. Other than Germany, Spain, Italy, France and us I think every bid will need to be a joint bid in the future. Imagine something like Sweden ‘92 happening today? Not a chance.

Ditto the WC becoming an elephantine 48-team affair. The list of potential suitable hosts in their own right is vanishingly small. Although I think the US is one of the few countries that could’ve handled the tournament of such epic proportions on its own. 

Interested to hear why you think so poorly of the decision to award the competition to the Americans again? (Bolting on Mexico - which has already hosted the WC twice - is unnecessary and undesirable, I’ll grant you)

Domestic air travel in the US is a breeze so I don’t think the distances between venues is a big concern. And the US has an almost unlimited array of super stadia that are up to the job. Our local college team’s ground is bigger than Old Trafford! 

Attendances in 94 were the best ever and the game stateside is immeasurably more popular than it was then. WC Fever was in overdrive here despite the Americans missing out for the first time in 32 years. 

So all things considered I think the US will be a great host - after the debacle of Qatar I was certain the berks at FIFA would select Morocco instead.

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5 hours ago, Im_over_ere said:

Global audiences and TV coverage are what they want.

Consider this, the NFL has started to have regular games played in the UK now. The regular season for NFL is 16 games, so that's 8 home games, 8 away games, so if your team has to play abroad in London England, you lose 12.5% of your home games to watch!

Green BAy have stated they will never give up a home game to play anywhere!

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The day that the EFL play any City game outside of this country, assuming I'm still alive, is the day I give up City and find a more local non league team to support.

The English Football League is what it says on the label. For English clubs playing in their home town against other English teams.

(I do acknowledge that the four senior Welsh Clubs, Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport are allowed to play in it)

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15 minutes ago, WessexPest said:

Yes, there’d be a complete insurrection if that happened. Nigh on impossible to get tickets for their games.

You're telling me. ST's sold out since 1960 and a 30-year, 100,00-name waiting list for one!

Luckily, my son and I got in to see a game on a corporate jolly.

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I think we’re on - rightly or wrongly - an inevitable journey to exactly this. Regular season Prem games, a cup final here and there, all being “showcased” around the world in the name of taking the game to the people. Let’s face it there’s more Man Utd fans in China than the UK so why would they be bothered where they play their games!? 

Now a competitor brand has stolen a march on the PL I’m sure they’re discussing exactly this and how to expand the PL’s reach in these overseas markets. 

 

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The way Spurs’ stadium debacle is unfolding - and due to Wembley conflicts ironically because of NFL games - they might be playing every “home” game abroad this season!

Too bad this trend didn’t start thirty years ago - instead of Bath the Rent Boys might’ve buggered off to Ullan Bataar or somewhere else far-flung.

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The NFL is a rather different organisation to the EFL/Premiership, or indeed other European leagues. However, they all have a similar outlook in that the dollar sign is the one that gets in the way of the game. Therefore the opportunity exists to 'enhance the profile and spread the passion for the game'. Oh yes, we all know what that could mean.

But in America, the NFL is seen as a high-value asset for a given city. Those city fathers are keen to attract a franchise, like a hotel trying to bring in the punters. NFL team owners are given many incentives to pitch their tent, usually including a new stadium and the prospect of hosting a Superbowl in the future. Fans are indeed pretty fierce in their support in many cases, but if the team is not performing well then they can become immensely fickle. Lots of 'cellar dwellers' have played to more unoccupied seats than fans for seasons. Culture is different in that respect.

The International Series here at Spurs' reserve ground Wembley usually provides two teams that are not short odds for the big game - as some fans loudly note. Some of the more popular teams (by official supporters' clubs in the UK) only attend if they are the 'away' side - The Packers, Cowboys and a few others will not treat their fans to a home game some 3,000 miles or more distant. Never. On the (perennial but ethereal) subject of an NFL franchise coming here, that would only happen if an owner could see a bigger income than he gets at his current wasteland; it is a massive gamble at present and highly unlikely.

So we have a half-way-house with regular season NFL games coming here. Doubtless the reverse is just as easy and so taking a European fixture to America (or another continent) is not a big hurdle. Whether the effort is rewarded with a juicy cheque or a fortune garnered from new fans is the real question. That same question applies to football matches going west over the pond. As we've read recently, the actual fan in a seat is no longer the sign of a successful outfit.

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16 minutes ago, Erithacus said:

The NFL is a rather different organisation to the EFL/Premiership, or indeed other European leagues. However, they all have a similar outlook in that the dollar sign is the one that gets in the way of the game. Therefore the opportunity exists to 'enhance the profile and spread the passion for the game'. Oh yes, we all know what that could mean.

But in America, the NFL is seen as a high-value asset for a given city. Those city fathers are keen to attract a franchise, like a hotel trying to bring in the punters. NFL team owners are given many incentives to pitch their tent, usually including a new stadium and the prospect of hosting a Superbowl in the future. Fans are indeed pretty fierce in their support in many cases, but if the team is not performing well then they can become immensely fickle. Lots of 'cellar dwellers' have played to more unoccupied seats than fans for seasons. Culture is different in that respect.

The International Series here at Spurs' reserve ground Wembley usually provides two teams that are not short odds for the big game - as some fans loudly note. Some of the more popular teams (by official supporters' clubs in the UK) only attend if they are the 'away' side - The Packers, Cowboys and a few others will not treat their fans to a home game some 3,000 miles or more distant. Never. On the (perennial but ethereal) subject of an NFL franchise coming here, that would only happen if an owner could see a bigger income than he gets at his current wasteland; it is a massive gamble at present and highly unlikely.

So we have a half-way-house with regular season NFL games coming here. Doubtless the reverse is just as easy and so taking a European fixture to America (or another continent) is not a big hurdle. Whether the effort is rewarded with a juicy cheque or a fortune garnered from new fans is the real question. That same question applies to football matches going west over the pond. As we've read recently, the actual fan in a seat is no longer the sign of a successful outfit.

Sadly I can see the day when an English league game is played in some objectionable foreign city (and I don’t mean Cardiff...) being inevitable as many have mentioned.

The key for me will be when the domestic TV money bubble bursts (and it seems that day might not be all that far off) and the overseas TV rights are the main gravy train - I don’t think the big clubs would bat an eyelid and say “how far?” if the TV networks said jump.

NBC has done a commendable job of covering the Premier League for American viewers these past five years (compared to the amateur effort reminiscent of Eurosport from Fox Soccer before that) - mostly erudite English commentators and pundits and Rebecca Lowe is very polished as a presenter. Robbie Mustoe is very astute as the in-studio expert, although negated somewhat by local nonentity Kyle Martino and Robbie Earle whose only contribution is to say “The football club” about 16 million times per episode of Match of the Day.

But overall Americans seem to like the “product”, helped by the relative unpredictability of the league in contrast to Germany, Italy, Spain (Leicester’s surprise success - they love an underdog more than Darrell Clarke) and the appetite is there.

Of course, once a game is staged abroad you open the door to all sorts of travesties rearing their heads again like Glasgow’s Gruesome Twosome trying to con their way into the English league or an end to relegation - I shudders at the thought of it, I does!

Part of me wishes the whole TV house of cards would come crashing down right now - obviously that would mean major, major trauma for all clubs including ours, but long term we’d get the game back again. I feel like we’re hurtling inexorably down the road to something a great deal worse. :(

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9 hours ago, ScottishRed said:

It was put forward in 2008 - the 39th game, as it was billed.

Never happened - so far - for exactly those reasons. No doubt it will be put forward again fairly soon.

Nah, the idea was rejected by the FA in 2008 - the premier league needed their support to proceed - it was nothing to do with a backlash from supporters... 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7254528.stm 

The idea was revisited in 2014 but the premier league decided not to pursue it and as recently as a year ago, Scudamore said a 39th game was not on the premier league’s agenda... 

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/10954809/premier-leagues-39th-game-abroad-not-on-richard-scudamores-agenda

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I can see it happening - as an American Football fan and player, am off to see Eagles vs Jaguars at Wembley in October, and while I recognise the impact this has on the US/home town fans, it is a privilege to be able to see a competitive game without traveling to the states.

I think the Premier League may very well try to move a game abroad, though the only thing that might stand against it is the fact there are local teams (I’m thinking USA here) that are of a half-decent standard, unlike American Football here (and I say that as a second tier player).

Do think it’s a matter of time now.

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Having been to numerous NBA and NFL games in London (as well as over the pond)  it’s just not the same when played here. The atmospheres are terrible, almost like a celebrity charity football match you see on tv and the players look knackered. The long flight and the many many press conferences, appearances, interviews with clueless British “experts”, community work (visiting schools to interact with children who have literally no idea who they are) and other tedious tasks they are obligated to carry out for sponsors. By the time the game comes around they are knackered and just want to get home. And don’t get me started on the ticket prices and the fiasco that goes with it. In my opinion, if any of these sports associations want to take their teams abroad then it should just be for friendly tournaments in the off season. Absolutely no need for league fixtures to be played abroad at all. 

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9 hours ago, samo II said:

I can see it happening - as an American Football fan and player, am off to see Eagles vs Jaguars at Wembley in October, and while I recognise the impact this has on the US/home town fans, it is a privilege to be able to see a competitive game without traveling to the states.

I think the Premier League may very well try to move a game abroad, though the only thing that might stand against it is the fact there are local teams (I’m thinking USA here) that are of a half-decent standard, unlike American Football here (and I say that as a second tier player).

Do think it’s a matter of time now.

That's a very valid concern, and one that few people seem to be picking up on. America already has their own domestic league, albeit a franchise, but I imagine La Liga would kick up a fuss if the Premier League were to say "alright, 38th game takes place in Madrid next year".

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