Werner and Henry at odds as Liverpool decision makers broach global PL ambitions
As per The Athletic, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner expressed his desire for a Premier League game to take place in New York City and envisioned matches being held in various global locations. While there are currently no official arrangements for games outside of England during the season, there is significant interest from American broadcasters to make it a reality.
In April, Jon Miller, a prominent figure at NBC Sports, the network that airs the Premier League in the United States, expressed his enthusiasm for the idea, stating to The Athletic that he “would love to see” it and will persist in advocating for it. NBC made a significant investment of $2.7 billion (£2.2bn) for a six-year contract to exclusively broadcast all Premier League matches from 2022-23 to 2027-28.
Werner suggested providing affordable flights and lodging for local fans, acknowledging the possible criticism, as a means to facilitate English Premier League matches being played overseas. However, despite Werner’s suggestions, Liverpool owner John Henry remarked in the same interview that his colleague’s proposal for a match in New York was “not something that I support or find particularly appealing.”
In recent years, Premier League clubs have embarked on pre-season tours to the United States, with Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal scheduled to compete against each other this summer. Last summer saw the debut of the Premier League Summer Series in the U.S., featuring Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Newcastle United, Fulham, and Aston Villa. Matches were hosted in various cities including Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, New Jersey, and Maryland. However, this event will not take place this year due to various complications, but organizers are considering resuming the series in 2025.
Any such decision to play a few Premier League games in the U.S. could backfire for the owners. As seen with the backlash to the idea of a Super League, fans of the beautiful game in Europe will not be too happy with such a development. It would mean a loss of identity for the league as we know it. Also, season ticket holders might not be able to travel to the U.S. to watch a game even if ticket costs are subsidized due to time constraints.
Playing few games in the U.S. would also add to the travel burden of players during the season at a time when most managers are already calling for better scheduling of games due to too many matchdays in different competitions. Another issue would be deciding which games will be played in the U.S. which will lead to unfair scheduling as some teams might have to give up their home games to play in the U.S. in front of a foreign crowd and in a new stadium and setting. Although it is understandable why premier owners would want to play in the U.S. It is the biggest market in the world in terms of generating commercial revenue and would be a game changer for Premier League clubs in order to increase their overall revenue.
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