The Premier League‘s chief executive, Richard Scudamore, has insisted it remains “quintessentially English” despite an influx of foreign players, managers and owners over the past two decades.
Appearing before a Lord’s committee looking into “soft power” and Britain’s diplomatic influence abroad, Scudamore said foreign owners, now in control at a majority of the 20 clubs, were attracted to the top flight precisely because it had a clear identity.
“We have a pretty sophisticated marketing machine at the Premier League …but anywhere outside this country it is known as the English Premier League,” he said.
“There is a huge association with it being quintessentially English. The overseas owners and players buy into that. They are buying something very authentic that has been there since 1888.”
The proportion of homegrown players in the Premier League has dropped to around a third, while 11 out of 20 Premier League clubs have foreign owners.
“You can’t have it all ways. David Cameron talks about Britain being open for business. If this country does business overseas, these people have to be able to do business here,” Scudamore said.
“I have been in the job 15 years and there is no distinction between an English owner and a foreign owner and whether they are good and bad. The only thing that matters to us is whether they are a decent owner.”
Scudamore told the Lord’s committee that the Premier League “gave away” £268m a year of its £1.9bn revenue –although that total includes parachute payments to relegated clubs – including £20m that is invested overseas.
“We are lucky that we are here producing the best. It is a common language where you can talk to taxi drivers or anyone you meet. It goes for any English sport and it’s quite powerful,” he said.
Scudamore conceded German football was doing “pretty well” but said he was confident that the Premier League would remain the most popular in the world.
“There is a theoretical and real possibility that others will grow and start to compete,” he said. “Will others get near us? I’m sure they will. But I don’t see any reason why, if we keep doing the right things and keep reinvesting, we can’t stay ahead of the pack.”
Scudamore called on the government to be more proactive against copyright infringement to safeguard the £1.9bn a year the Premier League earns from TV income.
“I find government far more happy to preach to the Chinese about IP than I do when we’re in Brussels or around both of these houses [in Westminster],” he said.
The England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, David Collier, also appearing before the House of Lords Soft Power and the UK’s Influence Committee, called for the government to introduce a Major Events Bill to make hosting sporting events easier.
“Areas such as ticket touting, betting and gaming could be easily covered under such legislation. We wouldn’t have to then go to the minister to seek the commitments required by governing bodies every time we bid for an event,” he said.
*http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNG3IuXWhN4Ro6wiiFa4_UxdlEF2vA&url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/19/premier-league-english-richard-scudamore
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