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Top clubs consider overseas games:

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Top clubs consider overseas games

he English Premier League is considering playing some matches overseas, BBC Sport has learned.

At a meeting in London on Thursday, all 20 clubs agreed to explore a proposal to extend the season to 39 games.

Those 10 extra games would be played at venues around the world, with cities bidding for the right to stage them.

It is understood the additional fixtures could be determined by a draw but that the top-five teams could be seeded to avoid playing each other.

Premier League's foreign plan explained
Interview: Football Supporters Fed's Malcolm Clarke


This is a chance for the Premier League to showcase its product around the world

BBC sports editor Mihir Bose

More details may emerge later on Thursday, but it is unlikely any decision will be taken before the Premier League's annual summer meeting in June.

Should the proposal get the go-ahead, changes could come into effect for the 2010/11 season, with points from those extra games counting towards the final league table.

It is believed each chosen venue would host two matches over a weekend.

Cities in Asia, Middle East and North America are likely to show a strong interest in hosting the extra games.

BBC sports editor Mihir Bose says the Premier League's decision to explore such a move is a "logical" one.

"The growth of the Premier League has been impressive in the last 15 years thanks to the sale of television rights in this country," he said.

"But now the market in the United Kingdom is becoming saturated and it is the overseas market which is now the big target area."

The Premier League's income from the sale of overseas TV rights has already increased from £178m in 2001 to £625m for the current deal that runs until 2010.

Broadcaster NowTV paid around £100m for the rights to Hong Kong alone.

Premier League games are broadcast to over 600m homes in 202 countries worldwide, while an estimated 1bn people watched the Premier League game between Manchester United and Arsenal in November 2007.

A number of top-flight clubs already play matches around the world as they seek to capitalise on the huge global interest in the English game.

Manchester United have millions of fans in China
Man Utd make regular visits to Asia and are proving a big hit in China

Manchester United are regular visitors to Asia, Middle East and America while other clubs are beginning to follow their lead.

"This is a chance for the Premier League to showcase its product around the world," added Bose.

"Some fans may feel aggrieved, but their concerns will be outweighed in the eyes of the clubs by the financial advantages.

"The clubs will see this as a chance to make more money so they can invest in new facilities and better players."

However, the co-chairman of the Football Supporters Federation suggested there would be a huge backlash to the Premier League's plan.

"I'm fairly confident in predicting that the overwhelming majority of football supporters will be totally opposed to this proposal," Malcolm Clarke told the BBC.

"This is yet another case of the Premier League threatening the tradition of our game simply to follow money.

"The idea that teams can play a league game in a place where their supporters won't be able to go and watch them will be totally opposed by the vast majority of supporters.

"What I want to do is put a challenge to the Premier League to abandon this completely if the majority of supporters turn out to be against it."

Former Fulham and Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez added that it might not be just supporters who were upset by the Premier League initiative.

"Other national associations won't be happy about the Premier League coming into their game, taking sponsors, taking advertising, taking revenue from their game," he said.

Nevertheless, there is likely to be a big scramble for the right to host the extra games.

"It will be like cities bidding for the Olympic Games or the World Cup," explained Bose.

The Premier League's proposal mirrors moves in other sports, notably American Football.

Miami Dolphins and New York Giants met at Wembley in October, the first competitive NFL game outside the Americas.

I know this has been discussed before, but I've always felt it was highly speculative. Now there is some official interest and ideas on how to make it work as groundwork for that speculation.

So...?

I love the idea. Having all teams have an alloted amount of games needed to be played elsewhere eliminates the problem that some clubs face (United) when trying to have an oversea game. The globalization of the sport/league is going to make this, to some degree, inevitable, in my opinion. Again, I love it, but for very selfish reasons. What do you guys think?

Gold praises Premier League plan

BBC SPORT | Football | Premier League | Gold praises Premier League plan

Birmingham co-owner David Gold says the Premier League should be praised for its proposal to take matches overseas.

"We are making history," he told BBC Sport. "The Premier League, which is the greatest league the world has ever known, is being adventurous.

"It is looking forward and is looking to take an English brand global. The idea is very worthy of consideration. I find this amazingly exciting."

But Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn said the idea was still in its infancy.

"We have only agreed to explore something, nothing more than that," he said.

"When we find out more I'll be able to tell you if it is a good idea. We really are at step A and not step B or C.

"There is a load to look into. There are a lot of positives and negatives to come, but we don't really know. It's at a very, very early stage."

Reaction from fans in the UK has been swift, with many appearing unhappy about the idea.

The BBC's 606 website has been inundated with posts, with the majority of nearly 2,000 comments so far critical of the proposals.

Malcolm Clarke, co-chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation, told BBC Sport: "I'm fairly confident in predicting that the overwhelming majority of football supporters will be totally opposed to this proposal.

"This is yet another case of the Premier League threatening the tradition of our game simply to follow money," he claimed.

"The idea that teams can play a league game in a place where their supporters won't be able to go and watch them will be totally opposed by the vast majority of supporters.

"What I want to do is put a challenge to the Premier League to abandon this completely if the majority of supporters turn out to be against it."

And Andy Mitten, editor of Manchester United fanzine 'United We Stand', said this move could set a "worrying precedent".

"What if it is a big success? What if Manchester United play a game once a year in Osaka, Melbourne or Dubai and then it becomes more attractive?" he told BBC News 24.

"It is one thing playing a pre-season friendly in Korea, it's another playing Fulham in Seoul in a league match.

"Some Manchester United fans will think it is great but the vast majority will be concerned that football is becoming ever more commercial and that Man Utd, as opposed to Bolton or Fulham, will be forced to trek across to different parts of the world to play games.

"There will be considerable concern among the fans if there is a trend that leads to the team playing more games away from Old Trafford."

Former Fulham and Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez added that it might not be just supporters who were upset by the Premier League initiative.

"Other national associations won't be happy about the Premier League coming into their game, taking sponsors, taking advertising, taking revenue from their game," he said.