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

[General Zod]

I always thought that the Charity Shield would be a good game to take abroad as a one off as it’s a slightly more meaningful game than a friendly. Probably would have to be played a week or so earlier though.

[phantom]

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.

The big difference with the NFL is they up and move teams around America frequently so many teams don't have a long history of playing in a specific city

[nebristolred]

9 minutes ago, phantom said:

The big difference with the NFL is they up and move teams around America frequently so many teams don't have a long history of playing in a specific city

That's what I thought too but @WessexPest made a good post above saying that this is not necessarily always the case.

[The Constant Rabbit]

Not just major sports.

Australian Rules has now been played (for genuine league points) in New Zealand and China.

Next Season - China and India so far.

For a 'local' sport like AFL to do it, the TV revenue must be worth it, not to mention the Chinese/Australian, Indian/Australian business meetings at 'the Footy'.

Quite a few deals have been done at these games.

And of course, there has been a hybrid International Rules series V Ireland for decades.

Of course English football games will be played overseas for actual points - and very soon.

It's just a question of what the clubs can gain from it to decide the venue - that can be extra TV revenue, shirt sales, or simply business contacts meeting, and using the sport as an excuse.

Does no-one remember Botswana?

 

[handsofclay]

MLB will be played in London next year for the first time when the Yankees meet the Red Sox. As others have mentioned, spectators at the stadium are of decreasing importance to the finances of the game. TV calls the shots. The spectator in attendance has little influence now and it is dwindling all the time. It wasn't too long ago that spectators were up in arms about football being played at other times over an extended weekend rather than all occurring at the traditional 3pm Saturday kick off, but It is now the norm. The powers that be cared diddly squat about consideration for the fans.

This will happen. It is inevitable. 

[elhombrecito]

4 hours ago, phantom said:

The big difference with the NFL is they up and move teams around America frequently so many teams don't have a long history of playing in a specific city

Some do.

There are plenty of teams that have never, and will never move. Green Bay, Dallas, San Francisco, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago to name just a few, but there are plenty of other teams that have not moved in their entire history.

In fact, apart from the Raiders (moving back and forth between Oakland and LA and now Las Vegas), and the recent moves of the Chargers and Rams to LA, there's hardly been a team moving in the recent past. The Titans moving from Houston to Tennessee being the only other example in the past 30-40 years.

[elhombrecito]

2 hours ago, handsofclay said:

MLB will be played in London next year for the first time when the Yankees meet the Red Sox. As others have mentioned, spectators at the stadium are of decreasing importance to the finances of the game. TV calls the shots. The spectator in attendance has little influence now and it is dwindling all the time. It wasn't too long ago that spectators were up in arms about football being played at other times over an extended weekend rather than all occurring at the traditional 3pm Saturday kick off, but It is now the norm. The powers that be cared diddly squat about consideration for the fans.

This will happen. It is inevitable. 

I think MLB is slightly different in that each team plays at least 81 home games per season, so the Yankees and Red Sox both losing a single home game isn't such a big deal. 

[handsofclay]

24 minutes ago, El Hombrecito said:

I think MLB is slightly different in that each team plays at least 81 home games per season, so the Yankees and Red Sox both losing a single home game isn't such a big deal. 

Good point, in fact I'm surprised they manage to attract the crowds they do playing about 4 times as many home games as an English league football team does each season.

[samo II]

7 hours ago, El Hombrecito said:

Some do.

There are plenty of teams that have never, and will never move. Green Bay, Dallas, San Francisco, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago to name just a few, but there are plenty of other teams that have not moved in their entire history.

In fact, apart from the Raiders (moving back and forth between Oakland and LA and now Las Vegas), and the recent moves of the Chargers and Rams to LA, there's hardly been a team moving in the recent past. The Titans moving from Houston to Tennessee being the only other example in the past 30-40 years.

While I agree with the initial point made, and the fact the NFL more or less IS the professional game in the states does give them more influence and powers over the scheduling, you’re right that there aren’t as many franchise moves as might be expected.

Just look at the uproar over the Cleveland Browns move/reactivition - Other than perpetual nomads like the Raiders, it’s not quite as changeable as is sometimes thought.

[Up The City!]

On 16/08/2018 at 14:07, 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.

I never saw an issue with the 39th game idea and still don't. The reason I don't is because it's an extra game so it makes all the arguements invalid imo. 

Now if we were talking about losing a home game a season then I'd have an issue but an extra game that would bring in extra money and exposure to a new audience and helping to raise the profile of the league on that country, I don't have a problem with that.

[North London Red]

18 minutes ago, Up The City! said:

I never saw an issue with the 39th game idea and still don't. The reason I don't is because it's an extra game so it makes all the arguements invalid imo. 

Now if we were talking about losing a home game a season then I'd have an issue but an extra game that would bring in extra money and exposure to a new audience and helping to raise the profile of the league on that country, I don't have a problem with that.

Isn't the main issue with the 39th game that it messes with the whole principle that in a fair league system, each team plays every other team twice?

Introduce a 39th game and suddenly one of the teams has to play the league winners three times instead of twice. What if that team ends up finishing 18th and getting relegated, whereas the club who survive in 17th only survived because they played a weaker side three times?

Apply it to this season (theoretically) and say Huddersfield's extra game is against Manchester City, and Fulham's extra game is against Cardiff. The points gained in the 39th game could make the difference between relegation and survival, and in that instance, Huddersfield would be arguably unfairly disadvantaged compared to Fulham or Cardiff.

[Davefevs]

5 hours ago, North London Red said:

Isn't the main issue with the 39th game that it messes with the whole principle that in a fair league system, each team plays every other team twice?

Introduce a 39th game and suddenly one of the teams has to play the league winners three times instead of twice. What if that team ends up finishing 18th and getting relegated, whereas the club who survive in 17th only survived because they played a weaker side three times?

Apply it to this season (theoretically) and say Huddersfield's extra game is against Manchester City, and Fulham's extra game is against Cardiff. The points gained in the 39th game could make the difference between relegation and survival, and in that instance, Huddersfield would be arguably unfairly disadvantaged compared to Fulham or Cardiff.

This 

Ruins the integrity for me.  Now, if it was one of your 38 games, that’s different.  In fact it would have to be 2 of your 38 games, one home game away, and one away game away-away (cue Mickey Flanagan).  Or else it would be unfair.  But, how do you decide which home game and which away game goes abroad.

What is the la liga proposal in terms of the fixture?

[Up The City!]

7 hours ago, North London Red said:

Isn't the main issue with the 39th game that it messes with the whole principle that in a fair league system, each team plays every other team twice?

Introduce a 39th game and suddenly one of the teams has to play the league winners three times instead of twice. What if that team ends up finishing 18th and getting relegated, whereas the club who survive in 17th only survived because they played a weaker side three times?

Apply it to this season (theoretically) and say Huddersfield's extra game is against Manchester City, and Fulham's extra game is against Cardiff. The points gained in the 39th game could make the difference between relegation and survival, and in that instance, Huddersfield would be arguably unfairly disadvantaged compared to Fulham or Cardiff.

I got to be honest I never thought of it like that. 

Whilst you make a really valid point I'm sure there must be a way to work it.

[phantom]

The objections have started

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45269974

[fishy]

Nice to see that the players taking a stance.  https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45269974

[Vincent Vega]

55 minutes ago, fishy said:

Nice to see that the players taking a stance.  https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45269974

The players just want more money, and they'll get it.

[Undy English]

Yeah heard about this, great news. And for once I don't think it's about the players getting more money - think the Spaniards are genuinely passionate about keeping the league in the country, and good on'em on I say.

[Ian M]

So the first proposed game is Girona vs Barcelona.

The options for Girona STHs are:

• 1500 free flights with choice of overnight for the weekend or coming straight back
• 5000 free tickets to the Barcelona away game PLUS 20% off their ST.
• 40% off their ST.

To be fair, those compensation packages are pretty decent, I was fully expecting it to be like it or lump it, you can have one game discount.

Say we got to the PL and home game vs Man Utd or City was moved to the States, would you be prepared to take one of those packages?

[Coxy27]

26 minutes ago, Ian M said:

So the first proposed game is Girona vs Barcelona.

The options for Girona STHs are:

• 1500 free flights with choice of overnight for the weekend or coming straight back
• 5000 free tickets to the Barcelona away game PLUS 20% off their ST.
• 40% off their ST.

To be fair, those compensation packages are pretty decent, I was fully expecting it to be like it or lump it, you can have one game discount.

Say we got to the PL and home game vs Man Utd or City was moved to the States, would you be prepared to take one of those packages?

Two clubs some 60 odd miles apart playing each other in a domestic fixture nearly 5000 miles away. Hmmmm.

Do Barcelona's fans get anything?

[JasonM88]

21 minutes ago, Coxy27 said:

Two clubs some 60 odd miles apart playing each other in a domestic fixture nearly 5000 miles away. Hmmmm.

Do Barcelona's fans get anything?

Away fan travel in Spain isn’t like it is here. Minimal Barcelona fans would have attended that game I’d have thought. 

[Natchfever]

On 16/08/2018 at 23:37, WessexPest said:

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.

I agree with you. It seems for all the money pumped into our game, we now win jack shit on the european stage, not that it bothers me as a City fan. I would far prefer for the so called elite to **** off into some european super league never to return and then millions of punters who support the other clubs in our country cancel their Sky and/or BT Sport subscriptions so the clubs can play their home games in Shanghai and Chicago..

I believe the Bundesliga would be better without Bayern, Ligue Un minus PSG Serie A minus Juve. Real and Barca can **** off out of La Liga too because I don't think the other clubs benefit much TV wise.

[phantom]

Real Madrid will not have to play a game abroad if they choose not to, according to La Liga, after the club "outright rejected" plans to stage a regular-season domestic game in the US.

Spain's top flight has agreed to play one game a season in the USA as part of a 15-year deal with a media company.

The Spanish FA and Spanish Footballers' Union have both previously criticised the plan.

"It's not compulsory, it's no problem," said La Liga chairman Javier Tebas.

Earlier this month, Barcelona and Girona - along with La Liga - asked the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for permission to move a match between the two Catalan clubs to Miami.

But the RFEF said it could not give authorisation until it received more information.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said last week the plan was "not in the interests" of clubs or fans.

"We won't go to the United States," he said.

"If Real Madrid don't want to come let them not come," Tebas said. "It's not a problem. How can you think that La Liga will make a club play in the USA? It's voluntary.

"There are some clubs interested in going, Barcelona among others. Therefore no, I don't see it as a problem."

[EnderMB]

So, it sounds like this is now the situation.

• Tebas signs a deal for select La Liga matches to be played in America, signing a deal for Barcelona and Girona to play in Miami.
• The presidents of Barcelona and Girona agree to this
• Both the La Liga players union and the Spanish FA have rejected this idea, with the former threatening to strike, and the latter saying that they will block any move alongside UEFA to play domestic matches abroad.
• Real Madrid's president rejects the idea, saying Real Madrid will never play a domestic league match outside of Spain.

Depending on who you believe, it sounds like the La Liga president has signed a contact that legally requires a La Liga match to be played in Miami without consulting the players, the fans, and the member clubs - all of whom have the power to stop this idea. This puts him, and the league, in a huge pickle. The US company that Tebas is working with has been promised a game, and not providing a game would put La Liga in breach of contract.

The best possible scenario is that the players refuse to play, and Tebas is forced to resign from his hole as president. In reality, I can't see either side backing down. 

[Atlanta_Red]

On 17/08/2018 at 08:37, handsofclay said:

Good point, in fact I'm surprised they manage to attract the crowds they do playing about 4 times as many home games as an English league football team does each season.

There are clearly less MLB teams over here than professional football clubs in England, and usually established in large cities where they are the only team (New York and Chicago are a couple of examples with two) so it's easy to see how the games attract big crowds with fewer teams to see and more people in the catchment area.  The Braves attract between 30k and 50k+ for each game, and often that can be over a seven-game consecutive day home stint.  Also, they have mid-day weekday games which staggers me in how they get so many people in there. 

[Atlanta_Red]

On 17/08/2018 at 05:30, handsofclay said:

MLB will be played in London next year for the first time when the Yankees meet the Red Sox. As others have mentioned, spectators at the stadium are of decreasing importance to the finances of the game. TV calls the shots. The spectator in attendance has little influence now and it is dwindling all the time. It wasn't too long ago that spectators were up in arms about football being played at other times over an extended weekend rather than all occurring at the traditional 3pm Saturday kick off, but It is now the norm. The powers that be cared diddly squat about consideration for the fans.

This will happen. It is inevitable. 

Just one game?  Normally the teams play a three or four game stint.

[Nomad]

Might as well let Amazon take over La Liga.... Look at this quote :  

"We are building our global brand... moving forwards and changing from being a football regulator into an entertainment provider," says Joris Evers, global communications officer for La Liga.

[handsofclay]

3 hours ago, Atlanta_Red said:

Just one game?  Normally the teams play a three or four game stint.

I believe they will play a two game series.