| Direction of travel is clear 18:34 - Aug 11 with 2308 views | bluelagos |
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/aug/11/barcelona-villarreal-la-liga-mi
20 years ago - if you'd described the influence of TV and of overseas markets on kick off times etc you'd have been laughed at. FA Cup final being moved, more games kicking off outside of 3pm on a Saturday than at 3pm on a Saturday...
Well now the plans to play a La Liga game in the US are within touching distance. We don't know exactly how this plays out, but my money is on the Prem following this at some point.
And once we establish the playing of games in 3rd countries, who knows how many the likes of Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea would like to have each year... |  |
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| Direction of travel is clear on 22:12 - Aug 11 with 347 views | Trequartista |
For me, the English game was lost when there was no restriction on foreign players. It is now essentially a world league that happens to be based in England, so if they want to play Man City v Chelsea in Dubai, I couldn't care less. |  |
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| Direction of travel is clear on 22:19 - Aug 11 with 325 views | NedPlimpton |
| Direction of travel is clear on 19:40 - Aug 11 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Why does everyone care so much if there is one league game which (would probably also be one of the big 4 clubs) played in the US? We've literally had a Winter World Cup.
The International series of the NFL has been great. [Post edited 11 Aug 19:41]
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Because this quote doesn't work if you add in "take a flight to the US"
"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It's not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. It's the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It's a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father's hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love"
Sure, for now it's just one less game a season for the people of the actually town/city that club is in. But honestly, where does it stop? |  | | |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:21 - Aug 11 with 319 views | Kievthegreat |
It's difficult as I've attended overseas games in the MLB so I'd be a massive hypocrite if I was wholesale against it.
However the thing that would worry me is scale. The MLB have a handful of games every year outside USA/Canada, but there's 30 teams playing 150+ games each. It doesn't really touch the sides.
Thing is, will football just be the odd game? Or a full suite of 39th games? Could a team elect to play half a dozen home games out there? The amount of money on offer from gates would worry me that stateside becomes more of a priority for a club, especially if it's not a big club with a mega stadium in the UK, but could set up shop in one stateside.
In MLB/NFL/NBA the money on offer is a nice payday, but doesn't make sense to uproot a team for. In reverse though, I can see it being possible for a football team. [Post edited 11 Aug 22:22]
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| Direction of travel is clear on 22:31 - Aug 11 with 287 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:21 - Aug 11 by Kievthegreat |
It's difficult as I've attended overseas games in the MLB so I'd be a massive hypocrite if I was wholesale against it.
However the thing that would worry me is scale. The MLB have a handful of games every year outside USA/Canada, but there's 30 teams playing 150+ games each. It doesn't really touch the sides.
Thing is, will football just be the odd game? Or a full suite of 39th games? Could a team elect to play half a dozen home games out there? The amount of money on offer from gates would worry me that stateside becomes more of a priority for a club, especially if it's not a big club with a mega stadium in the UK, but could set up shop in one stateside.
In MLB/NFL/NBA the money on offer is a nice payday, but doesn't make sense to uproot a team for. In reverse though, I can see it being possible for a football team. [Post edited 11 Aug 22:22]
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NFL regular season has 8 or 9 home games and most teams cope once every 3-4 (or even 10) years. |  |
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| Direction of travel is clear on 22:32 - Aug 11 with 286 views | StNeotsBlue |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:12 - Aug 11 by Trequartista |
For me, the English game was lost when there was no restriction on foreign players. It is now essentially a world league that happens to be based in England, so if they want to play Man City v Chelsea in Dubai, I couldn't care less. |
What about if it we got promoted and they decided to throw us in the mix as a makeweight. This type of thing should be opposed at all levels. [Post edited 11 Aug 22:36]
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| Direction of travel is clear on 22:35 - Aug 11 with 268 views | Trequartista |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:32 - Aug 11 by StNeotsBlue |
What about if it we got promoted and they decided to throw us in the mix as a makeweight. This type of thing should be opposed at all levels. [Post edited 11 Aug 22:36]
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I thought the clubs were in agreement, so if that's not the case, yeah i care more again. | |
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| Direction of travel is clear on 22:38 - Aug 11 with 251 views | NedPlimpton |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:31 - Aug 11 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
NFL regular season has 8 or 9 home games and most teams cope once every 3-4 (or even 10) years. |
Forgive my lack of knowledge as I'm not particularly fussed about the NFL, but don't teams regularly move cities anyway? It's not like they've been in the heart of the same city for 125 years, is it? | | | |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:48 - Aug 11 with 226 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Direction of travel is clear on 22:19 - Aug 11 by NedPlimpton |
Because this quote doesn't work if you add in "take a flight to the US"
"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It's not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. It's the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It's a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father's hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love"
Sure, for now it's just one less game a season for the people of the actually town/city that club is in. But honestly, where does it stop? |
The chance of seeing your team play a meaningful game abroad would be exciting I'd imagine, especially for many clubs that haven't played one in 20+ years! Although I doubt that would be us, unless we had a PL game at one of the big 4 that they decided to take over or something.
Or even if it was, you could just watch one game on TV that you might have gone to otherwise if you're a Season ticket holder. I doubt it's going to be the end of the world.
We literally give Ed a shirt number to increase global sales (I assume that's the reason?). So all clubs want to drive exposure, revenue and increase their fanbase globally. It's not like any of those concepts are particularly new and none of this should be surprising in a sport that constantly changes everything and invents competitions to make money.
Or we could go back to our twitter announcing Tomas Holy from Gillingham while the West Stand roof is in disrepair.
Just like loads of other things in life, sport has gone global and usually the residents of the country that it's visiting enjoy the chance to to be a part of a competitive game as a fan. | |
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| Direction of travel is clear on 23:21 - Aug 11 with 192 views | skinnybob72 |
Imagine getting up on matchday, looking out your scarf, heading to the pub to meet your mates - and then remembering that Town are actually playing in f***ing Dallas, or New York, or some far Eastern city - all so that the PL can squeeze even more money from the 'product'.
If the big clubs want to play overseas then the can f*** off and not come back. Expel them from English football for good. |  | | |
| Direction of travel is clear on 23:43 - Aug 11 with 169 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Direction of travel is clear on 23:21 - Aug 11 by skinnybob72 |
Imagine getting up on matchday, looking out your scarf, heading to the pub to meet your mates - and then remembering that Town are actually playing in f***ing Dallas, or New York, or some far Eastern city - all so that the PL can squeeze even more money from the 'product'.
If the big clubs want to play overseas then the can f*** off and not come back. Expel them from English football for good. |
What do you think about all that foreign money that's corrupted our family community club from the Cobbold days? They've just exploited a depreciated asset to turn a profit, surely?
Why is this the thing that's triggered everyone so much?
Hate how money hungry the game has got but loved the last few years, cake and eat it springs to mind! | |
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| Direction of travel is clear on 06:21 - Aug 12 with 79 views | bluelagos |
| Direction of travel is clear on 23:43 - Aug 11 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
What do you think about all that foreign money that's corrupted our family community club from the Cobbold days? They've just exploited a depreciated asset to turn a profit, surely?
Why is this the thing that's triggered everyone so much?
Hate how money hungry the game has got but loved the last few years, cake and eat it springs to mind! |
Few points.
First off, I think your suggestion that because we have been the beneficiary of (so far) positive overseas ownership means we aren't allowed to (or are hypocritical to) raise concerns is frankly ridiculous. Not one of us had a say in the take over and in any case, it's possible to be happy with our owners and unhappy with the actions of other owners (if they happened) at the same time.
Second point, I half agree with you - except I don't believe for one moment it would stop there. One game, chance to see town overseas for some, chance to engage overseas fans, club to make some money.
But my point - in the title of thread and OP - is that we all know it doesn't stop there. The whole point of owners who have invested with the intention of making money - is that they will do all they can - to make money.
Overseas owners looks at the Prem as a chance to make hundreds of millions from club ownership and it is perfectly reasonable to be wary of what lays down the road.
Leave them to it - and we could well end up with a city by city bidding for matches - just as the F1 do - and the show tours the world feeding the egos of petro-states or the vast fan base in Thailand or China.
Of course for the super rich that's great - even the well to do brits - a chance to fly to Qatar for a weekend of posh hotels, sun and footie - what's not to like eh?
Except it will be totally inaccessible for the ordinary fan other than from an armchair and satellite tv. Maybe a couple of games a season back in the UK (after all we invented the game) but the majority of games following the money.
Will it happen? Who knows but as I said in the OP - it's not that long ago that the first ever live TV match was shown and we were promised it would only ever be 1 game a week... [Post edited 12 Aug 6:23]
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