THE EPL IS HERE TO STAY

Gbovuga, another super Sunday dawns the new season of the English Premier League (EPL) this weekend as the two Manchester teams battle for the bragging right and for the summit of the log. It shall be a return to the sweet madness of men, and will showcase a lot of ego and a rivalry of testosterone boost from players, managers and supporters who will want to have their names and teams decorated with the title and all the goodies that comes with being called a champion.

Many Ghanaian football loving fans have fallen in deep obsession about the EPL and has become a sought of escape through which we channel all our frustrations, we might as well discuss it the way we would weigh the merits and demerits of a companion whose embrace we run to when things are tough. And you know what I mean?

So Gbovu, I think the EPL standout from the numerous leagues in the world. Although it arguably the best in the world but it is also a fact that the EPL had not been so popular and dominative until recently. So the question what changed the dormant league to become all of a sudden the world most followed leagued?

I have really been asking myself what exactly is the EPL best at. It has neither evidence of impressive technical development nor even the highest attendance averages, that crown belongs to the German Bundesliga with an average of 41,904 fans trooping to the stadiums to watch the games. So what is it really good at? In my opinion, the EPL demonstrates the role marketing plays in the subconscious mind in deciding what we buy or consume.

In simple terms the decision to consume anything is not necessarily rational. Marketers anticipate, identify and satisfy costumers’ needs by studying consumers’ adaptation process, segment them, position themselves and finally brand something that is not easily resistible. For instance, a marketer will sell to you a purple shoe even if you already have 12 pairs of very functional black shoes. They will say black is unexciting and purple is best. They will get Rooney to wear a purple pair splash it in the newspapers and television in the form of an advertisement  and before long you will make a grand entrance  with a very gay looking purple pair because.....well Rooney has it.

That is what the EPL has been clever at. Those marketers at its inception in 1992 must have realised that they could create a very lucrative perception about the game and get away with it and the money, of course. They hoped this would in turn attract the biggest stars, and generally grow the viewership figures. The stars came, and even if it was never due to the superiority of the game, they have hooked us all folks. They re-branded to keep up with the more glamorous leagues of Spainand Italy of the time.

Gbovu, the EPL uses exposure as one of it keen marketing strategy. The EPL and the English FA put most of their resources into ensuring that all games are live to watch all over the world. They feed on this strategy and the commercials advantages are clearly physical to see. Most football fans can mention many names of players who play in the EPL than any other league. Gbovuga, who wears the number three jersey for Eleven Wise? It is hard huh!

Gbovu, the exposure is great with all the major television and news networks carrying magazine shows on the games played, coupled with player profiles, history of clubs  and expert analyzes of each game just makes the EPL mouth watering.

Gbovu, with such media attention it is therefore, not surprising that the  English Premier League is not only the favored destination of football talent from the  academies, but one of the most fancied leagues of some of the greatest football players on Earth. Premier League status for  clubs is very lucrative and competitive when it comes to teams generating cash funds, cup competition prize money, higher crowd attendance, higher ticket prices and sponsorship all help clubs compete on the soccer player transfer list.

Most Premier League clubs have a sugar daddy of sorts who will invest cash into the club so that they can compete with the best in the League. Even some of the less recognised teams in the Premier League attract big name players because of financial clout and team ambition.

There is a lot of pride and jubilation in reaching the giddy heights of the Premier League, and at the same time there is heartbreak for players and soccer fans of teams that are relegated out of the Premiership. Gbovu, I still don’t understand how Blackpool were relegated since they played so well in the league last season.
Big clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea command massive global franchises, with products from these clubs such as club football kits. There is media frenzy where ever they play in the world especially in countries such as China, Japan, Spain and Italy. Fans from these countries go ballistic to see there idols in the flesh, and will often be seen camped outside hotels that visiting teams are staying at. An example is this year’s pre- season games that Chelsea played in Malaysia and Hong Kong.
 

Gbovu, did you know that to be able to play in the premier league as a foreign player you need to have played 70 per cent of football for any side of your national team? It means that the standard is very high and the desire to win is purely on the bases of personal determination and motivation.

Gbovu, the contrast of the EPL is what we have in this country although strives have been made to improve the game locally in this country. The standard of play in our league is poor and the business aspect of the game is not really respected or considered here.

Sport marketing is an area that our football administrators can explore if we start viewing clubs as business entities and not as family properties. On that, I think I have to congratulate Accra Hearts of Oak for formally off loading some of it shares to the public and supporters to be part of the growth of the club.

Hearts has shown the way once more for other clubs in the country to follow