Bringing the EPL to the States

The NFL has been playing games in England for a couple years now. In 2009, the New England Patriots beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35 to 7 at the prestigious Wembley Stadium. These games have been incredibly successful which is a reason to continue them, and they will. It helps with branding of the teams, the league and the sport itself in England. So who says England can't do the same with English football (soccer) here in the states? It's almost already layed out for us.

With the success of pre-season tours and international friendlies here on American soil, it only seems natural that the English Premier League try to bring the thrill and action of regular season games to this side of the pond. Huge international names like Manchester United, Real Madrid & FC Barcelona have already begun to tap into the US during their pre-season in preparation for their new seasons. That could be just a taste of things to come. With the growing number of American owners in the Premiership, and partnering marketing firms both here and overseas, I don’t see how this has not happened yet. Boston Red Sox owners Fenway Sports Group, also owns Liverpool. The Glazer Family owns The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United. The Glazers did it one way, why not try it the other?

Imagine living a heated Manchester Derby in a packed Seattle, LA, NY or Houston stadium. Or a youthful Arsenal, taking on the likes of Drogba and co. in Chicago, Dallas or D.C. Without a doubt these games would sell out and give these teams and their league, exposure they regularly wouldn’t have. Giving existing fans a chance to see their idols live while creating new fans at the same time. Sure, EPL games are broadcast in the States, but with afternoon kick-off times due to time differences they don’t have the chance to capture the maximum amount of viewers. Have double headers with MLS games. See if that won't help build the sport in America and excite fans across the board. Maybe I’m dreaming, in a fantasy world or maybe, just maybe, I've stumbled upon a really good idea.