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Home , Black Country derby, Bruce Buck, Chris Hughton, David Gold (businessman), Dean Court, Eddie Howe

Premier League, 2018–2019

“The is one of the most difficult in the world. There's five, six, or seven clubs that can be the champions. Only one can win, and all the others are disappointed and live in the middle of disaster.”

—Jurgen Klopp

Hello Delegates!

My name is Matthew McDermut and I will be directing the Premier League during WUMUNS 2018. I grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, a town not far from New City. I am currently in my junior year at Washington University, where I am studying psychology within the pre-med track. This is my third year involved in Model UN at college and my first time directing. Ever since I was a kid I have been a huge soccer fan; I’ve often dreamed of coaching a real Premier League team someday. I cannot wait to see how this committee plays out.

In this committee, each of you will be taking the helm of an English Football team at the beginning of the 2018-2019 season. Your mission is simple: climb to the top of the world’s most prestigious football league, managing cutthroat competition on and off the pitch, all while debating pressing topics that face the Premier League today. Some of the main issues you will be discussing are player and fan safety, competition with the world’s other top leagues, new rules and regulations, and many more.

If you have any questions regarding how the committee will run or how to prepare feel free to email me at [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you all at WUMUNS in October!

All the best,

Matthew McDermut

Contents

Committee Mandate……………….…………..……………………… 5

Historical Background…….……………………………...…………. 6

Early Football…..…………………..…….…………………………….……. 6

Rise of and Diversification of Leagues…………..…….…………….……………………………….……..…. 6 Expansion of English Football ……………………………………..….. 7 English Football Struggles Emerge ….…….…….…………...... …. 7

The Founding of the Premier League ………………………...... 8 Top Team Dominance………………………………………….…………. 9

Vocabulary…………………………………………………………….……. 10

Topic A: Player and Fan Safety………………………………….. 11 Topic B: Rules and Regulations...... 12 Topic C: Overall Financial Issues……………………………… 13

Delegate Positions………………………………………………………. 14 Appendix………………………………………………………..……………. 24 Bibliography……………………………………………….………………. 26

Image Credit: 101 Great Goals Committee Mandate Dear chairmen and esteemed advisors of the Premier League, As you know, the 2018-2019 season of the English Premier League is upon us. It is thus time to reconvene and discuss the present and future of our beloved league. Joining us for our meeting will be the chairmen of the twenty teams that make up this league, plus the other five management positions that are essential to the success of this body. While decision-making power is rooted firmly in you, remember that all actions taken by this committee must be approved by the Football Association, represented by the myself, the sitting Chairman. While the committee collectively presides over the Premier League, twenty of the delegates here assembled also control a team in the league. As always, I must remind all team chairmen to do the best they can by their teams. Competition and growth of the parts is good for the growth of the whole. While you work to further the prosperity of your team, keep the interests of the league in mind – our body cannot function or succeed without cooperation. The other five delegates here assembled must attempt to balance out the jealousies and rivalries that may emerge between our power-hungry chairmen. You are the watchmen against the bias that may corrupt and hinder our league. The world of professional football is a dynamic one. Team chairmen have the opportunity to bolster the talent in their squads during two transfer windows during the course of the season. Every new player signed or moved must be reviewed by the five management members of committee. Chairmen will be able to communicate with teams in other leagues around the world and with the other chairmen present in committee to organize the buying, selling, and trading of their players. Team chairmen will find more out about the status of the players on their teams when they arrive to committee. The five advisors can also communicate with the outside world for information that may help the committee as a whole or inform teams regarding their transfers. It is important to not neglect the status of your team as every chairman will be held responsible for his team’s success in the various matches and fixtures. Every team in committee will be competing in the standard Premier League season, the FA Cup tournament, and the English (EFL Cup) tournament. Your performance in these settings may earn you the privilege of competing in some of Europe’s most prestigious tournaments: the EUFA Champions League and the

5 UEFA Europa Cup. In addition, the winners of the 2018-2019 Premier League and FA Cup will compete in the Community Shield to kick off the season. Since you all will be locked up in committee deciding the fate of the Premier League for most of the season, you can expect updates on your teams’ form so that you can stay up to date with how the season is playing out. Please remember, the overall goal of the committee is to help the Premier League continue to be the most successful club football league in the world!

Yours truly, Greg Clarke Chairperson of the Football Association

Historical Background Early Football in has a long and illustrious history. Since its origins in Football the 13th century, English influence has shaped the sport of Football around the world. Early football was often violent; in fact, the first record of a game resembling soccer in 1280 resulted in a stabbing. Football slowly gained popularity in England throughout the early modern era before exploding in popularity in the 19th Century. In 1848, the publication of the Cambridge Rules marked the first-ever codification of the rules of football. Regional variants, such as the more violent Rules (which would ultimately form the bases of the Rugby Union in 1878), persisted throughout the following decades. Ultimately, a combination of the Sheffield and Cambridge rules was adopted as the overarching rules of football when the Football Association (FA)—the only national football body in the world at the time—was founded in 1863. The rules state that each game of football has two 45-minute halves, with injury time based on the amount of stoppages during the half added to each at the discretion of the referee. Games can end in ties depending on the competition, but if it is necessary to determine a winner then two 15-minute halves of extra time are played. If the teams are still tied at the end of this period, they enter a tie-breaker known as a penalty shootout. Here, a single player squares of against a goalkeeper in a one- on-one penalty shot attempt. Each team usually takes five shots, but this can be extended if they are still tied after five penalties. These rules are still enforced by the Football Association, the ruling football body in England. In 1862, the oldest existing league club, Notts County F.C., was founded. The following year, the first football tournament, the Youdan Cup, was played. These developments catalyzed the modernization of the game as it started to develop into the sporting phenomenon recognized by millions of fans world-wide today.

Rise of the Football The Football Association has continued to be the most important Association and organization in English Football as it oversees both the English Premier League Diversification of (EPL or PL) and the English National teams. While both the EPL and teams have some degree of autonomy, at the end of the day the FA has Leagues final say on all matters. The Football Association further cemented their

6 importance by establishing the Football Association Cup in 1871. The FA Cup is the longest running football tournament in the world. It features over 700 competitors, each English teams from the Premier League down to the 10th Division of English Football (the top four being professional and the bottom six being semiprofessional. Around the same time, the FA also organized the first ever international football match and hosted it in England. Then, in 1888, the predecessor to the Premier League, known at the time as the Football League, was founded. Growth led to the Football Association expanding into a second league, Division Two, four years later. The establishment of the second league was especially important because it paved the way for the system in place today. This allowed for the introduction of relegation and promotion in 1965. This system characterizes Modern English football. Many tiers of leagues currently exist in England. Teams can travel between leagues via promotion and relegation at the end of each season. This ability for teams to rise and fall through the ranks based on their skill and failures is one of the factors that makes the Premier League so successful. When a team is promoted, their position in a higher league entails prestige and monetary. Teams that suffer relegation may take a hit to their pride and bottom line, but have an added impetus to fight their way back to the top of the table next year. This fluid dynamism provides an incentive for teams to keep working hard no matter where they are on the league table.

Expansion of In the year 1904, FIFA, the international governing body for all of football English was founded. FIFA regulates all of world football and keeps the rules of transfers, Football seasons, and management somewhat consistent. England made strong efforts to stay a major player as football grew to a worldwide craze. English clubs became regular competitors in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Winners’ Cup, a prominent European football tournament. In 1963, a - based club, Tottenham Hotspur, won the entire competition. It was only the third year after the tournament was established. Another domestic cup, the Cup (EFL Cup), began in 1960, thereby increasing the amount of silverware that could be won by English teams. The EFL became the fourth domestic trophy in England. Although it is considered less important than the Premier League title and the FA Cup, it remains more important than the Community Shield. Since 1908, this game has been the kick-off of every season and is played between the previous FA Cup winner and the champion of the Premier League in the previous season.

English Football English football was marred with scandal in the 1970’s and 1980’s as Struggles violence and rowdiness, known as “hooliganism,” surged in the fan-base. Emerge Hooliganism occurs when the supporters of the clubs engage in dangerous and potentially life-threatening activities. These can range from violence between supporters to massive , which used to happen frequently in past times where featured more standing room. The rise of hooliganism coincided with a time where stadiums were aging and falling into disarray. Supporters of

7 the sport were generally unhappy. These struggles came to a head when English club teams were banned from any European competition (besides those based solely in England) from 1985-1990 due to the Heysel Disaster. This disaster happened before a -Juventus match when the Liverpool supporters stormed the Juventus fans leading to 39 deaths and 600 injured. This ban lead to other leagues such as the Spanish and the Italian Serie A becoming more desirable options for the top players weighing contract options. This period led to a decrease in amount of revenue that the Football League brought in compared to other leagues.

The Founding of In July of 1991, the Premier League was founded by some of the top clubs the Premier in England (primarily United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, and League Everton). This deal was made to bring in more money for the teams that competed in the Premier League so that they could again rise to the top of European football. The origin of this new league resulted in the swift downfall the Football League. Soon, the EPL was the top league in England, with the Football Leagues (consisting of three divisions—the Championship, League One, and League Two) under it. In its first season, the Premier League had 22 clubs, but that number was decreased to 20 in 1995 due to a mandate passed down from FIFA.

Founding Members

Image Credit: The Sunday Times

Since the inception of the Premier League, England’s top flight has regained its status as the top professional football league in the world. Part of their success comes from lucrative TV deals that they sign, which are the some of the main sources of revenue for the league. The PL’s success has attracted many of the world’s best footballers so that nearly all the best players aspire to play in the Premier League at some point in their careers. It has continued its competitive structure with its season starting in August and ending in May.

8 Throughout the season there are some breaks so that players can join their countries for international games. During the season, all the teams will compete in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, and the top four teams from the previous season compete in the UEFA Champions League and the fifth best team UEFA Europa League which are both run by UEFA, the analog of the FA for all of Europe. The organization of English Football as it stands today is a complicated one. While the Premier League is the most important of all the leagues, and the Football League below it consists of three divisions (the Championship, League One, and League Two), this is not even close to the extent of English football. The (levels 5-11) consists of hundreds of teams that compete in the FA Cup alongside the teams in the Football League and the Premier League. While the National League System teams compete in the FA Cup, only the top four flights compete in the League Cup.

Top Team Despite its success, some fans feel that most of the power in the league is Dominance fixed in a handful of teams. In the 2000’s, there was what many called the “Big Four” dominance as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool would take the top four spots which also came with UEFA Champions League Qualification nearly every year. Since the turn of the decade, the “Big Four” has expanded into the “Big Six” consisting of the original big four and Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Although the expansion of the Big Four into the Big Six meant that more teams were competing for top spots, this actually made the Premier League less competitive as now every European spot in the Premier League (the top four going to the Champions League and the fifth going to the Europa League) goes to the same six teams. Occasionally “ teams” will break through the dominance of the top teams, as was the case in City’s unprecedented success in the 2015-2016 season. Like in other sports, these surge teams generate tremendous amounts of fervor and profit in England and abroad, but occur far less frequently than in other major professional sports around the world. During the 2011-2012 season, the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations were instated. The reason behind their introduction was to make sure that teams were bringing in as much money as they were spending so that they would not hurt themselves financially by going into debt. It also was meant to help even the playing field so that teams with more money could not spend as much and so that smaller teams did not threaten their future with poor financial decisions. The effectiveness of FFP has been debated at length, but it appears that it has not made a huge impact as many of the cases against teams who violate FFP end up in court slowing down the process of doling out punishments.

9 Vocabulary Aggregate – The sum score of multiple games between two teams (see Leg).

Away goal rule – A rule used in some competitions where if a team has scored more away goals than their opponents, in the case of a tie after two legs they will move onto the next round.

Booking – A yellow or red card.

Extra time – .

Injury time – (aka stoppage time) Time added at the end of halves to make up for lost time.

Goal difference – Goals scored in a competition minus goals against. Is used as a tied breaker in some competitions.

Leg – In some competitions, a round is decided by two teams playing two games (or legs) and the winner is whoever wins on aggregate.

Match – A game.

Pace – Refers to the speed and quickness of a team or player.

Pitch – The field.

Pundit – An expert in a particular field (used to discuss journalists, commentators, or other people knowledgeable about football).

Skipper – The captain (can also refer to the coach).

Tiki-taka – A style of play where a team makes many passes instead of dribbling.

To concede – To let up a goal.

10 Topic A: Player and Fan Safety

With thirty-eight matches in a Premier League season—not including matches played in the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Champions/Europa League, and international friendlies—the time between August and May can be a grueling one for football players. Football is a dangerous sport in and of itself, but having one to two games a week for nine months makes it almost impossible to go through a season completely unscathed. In fact, during the 2016-2017 season, Premier League clubs averaged 57.5 injuries during a season, with 25.7 of those lasting for over 14 days. Football fans have seen the likes of Thomas Rosicky, Daniel Sturrige, , Marco Reus, and so many others never realize their full potential as injuries constantly keep them on the bench. This plague of injuries that affects all the teams in the league has led to many coaches and fans calling for reforms to better protect their players. One aspect of the Premier League that makes it more dangerous than other leagues is its lack of a winter break. Many of the top leagues in Europe including leagues in Spain, Germany, Italy, and France all have a break in the middle of their seasons so that players can get some much-needed rest and recovery time. Meanwhile, England does not give their players a winter break and this has angered many people around the league. , the manager of Manchester City, went as far as calling the congested schedule a “disaster” and suggested allowing more recovery time between games. Another hot topic regarding injuries is the fact that football players are particularly susceptible to head injuries. Just as the National Football League (NFL) in America is making an effort to better protect players’ heads, the general trend in football (non-American) around the world is to protect our players’ brains. It was always known that the risk of concussions was high for football players however it was really brought to light in the 2014 World Cup Final when German player Christoph Kramer got a concussion, was allowed to continue playing, and then proceeded to approach the referee and ask him “Is this the final?” Since then football supporters everywhere have called for better concussion protocol, especially at the youth levels. Just as important as player safety is the safety of the fans. Within the current geopolitical situation, it is more important than ever to keep out fans out of harm’s way from terrorist attacks, as Premier League matches draw incredible crowds. As recently as 2015, there was a bombing outside of a stadium in France while an international friendly was being played. The unpredictability of these attacks makes policing matching incredibly difficult. That said, this is one of the most important topics that the Premier League must address. In addition to the risk of outside attacks, fans can be a danger to themselves as well. Hooliganism, which began in the 1960’s, has led to the injuries and even deaths of many fans. It has been such an issue in the past that it caused Premier League teams to miss out on playing in European tournaments during the 1985-

11 1990 seasons. While this has gotten somewhat better recently it is still important to keep our fans’ actions in mind throughout committee.

Some questions to consider: • What should be done about the increased calls for more attention to player safety in the Premier League? • How can we cultivate an environment where fans can express their love for their teams in a safe manner? • How can we bolster safety in stadiums around the league?

Topic B: Rules and Regulations

The rules of football, while having many key parts that are essential to the game, are fluid and must constantly be amended to keep up with changes in the culture of the sport. While this committee does not have the power to change all of football as we know it, it has the power and the responsibility to mold the Premier League so that it can remain the most exciting league in the world. One of the most important parts of running the Premier League is keeping it up to date with the new developments around the world and to make progressive changes to keep the game exciting. One new and controversial piece of technology is the or VAR. Bearing many similarities to instant reply technology in other sports, the VAR is a controversial new technology. It was recently accepted to be used in the World Cup, but has not yet been approved for use in the Premier League. While it can be incredibly helpful, it slows down the pace of the game and many fans feel that it should not be used to overrule calls made in real-time on the pitch. In addition, this committee must continue to think of new ideas that would make the Premier League even more interesting that it already is. One idea that has been considered in the past is sin bins, which are a way of penalizing players that commit fouls, similar to the system used in hockey. Another idea was changing the lay-out of end of game penalty shoot-outs by having the penalty taker dribble up to the goalie before shooting. This might make the shootout more dynamic than the current system where the penalty taker simply shoots from the penalty spot. Foreign fans have also called for more games played abroad, in countries like the United States. While many Premier League fans abroad are in favor of this, our fans in England would rather keep our games in the United Kingdom. These are just three examples of new rules the Premier League has discussed in the past and could still implement, but the possibilities are endless. Furthermore, many pundits have complained about the regular dominance of the Big Six. It falls on the shareholders of the PL to look for solutions to this. Since the founding of the Premier League, only six teams have been lucky enough to raise the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.

12 Since the 1994-1995 season when the Rovers won the Premiership, only one team outside of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City has lifted the trophy. This is on top of the fact that a team outside of the Big Six is rarely seen finishing in the Champions League or Europa League qualification spots. While the way ahead may be unclear, it is up to the shareholders to figure out how to better regulate the top teams to make sure that they no longer have a stranglehold on the rest of English football. As some leagues, such as the MLS, move toward expansion some have considered it for the Premier League as well. While not many are in favor of expanding the Premier League as it was just recently cut down from 22 teams to 20. There is some support for allowing Scottish teams to compete. Specifically, the , which refers to Celtic FC and Rangers FC both originating in , Scotland. These two teams have been dominating the Scottish Premier League for years and have truly made their case for being given a chance to get some better competition.

For an overview of the changes made before the 2017-2018 season check out the following link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/new-premier- league-laws-introduced-10971866.

Some questions to consider: • What are ways that the Premier League can be made more exciting for fans and players alike? • What can we do to keep the Premier League as the top destination for the world’s best footballers? • How can we “even the playing field” so that smaller teams can compete with the “Big Six”?

Topic C: Overall Financial Issues

As shareholders of the Premier League it is important to remember that above all else, the Premier League is a business. It cannot continue to prosper, or even provide the most basic entertainment for its fans if it cannot succeed financially. One of the biggest sources of revenue for the Premier League are the massive TV deals it signs. For the 2018-2019 season, the PL gave a lion’s share of the rights to games to as it has done in the past with BT coming in second. While working with the large TV sports channels has been and continues to be incredibly profitable for the PL, times are changing. Less people are turning on their TV’s to watch anything, and they are turning to websites like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube. It is up to the shareholders to decide if they want to allow companies like Amazon or Facebook to acquire the rights for more games, or if they want to continue to allow the sports channels to have most of the control. One practice that must be stopped is the illegal streaming of games. When games

13 are played for free online, it takes money away from those who are buying subscriptions to TV channels and thus money away from the Premier League. Two other important ways to make money are sponsorships and expanding the use of stadiums. Sponsorships are important from supporting our stadiums all the way to funding our Cups and thus relationships with our sponsors must be upheld. For years, the sponsor of the Premier League was Barclays, but now there is no sponsor of the entire league and the shareholders must decide if they would like to look for a new one or not. In addition, the sponsor of the League Cup right now is Carabao. Meanwhile, the NFL is trying to expand its fan base and has been trying to play games every season in England. At the moment, they are using our stadiums and this relationship can be continued. Furthermore, corruption has been running rampant in football and has even occurred at FIFA’s highest level, as former President Sepp Blatter is currently serving out a six-year ban from the sport due to corruption. The delegates of this committee must be on the lookout for possible corruption so that the Premier League does not receive any harsh punishments from the FA or FIFA.

Some questions to consider: • How can we better monitor the spending of teams to ensure that they are abiding by Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations? • Should the Premier League stick to allowing the TV channels to own the largest packages of games or should it start branching out. • How can we make sure that the Premier League stays corruption free?

Delegate Positions

Jeff Mostyn, Jeff Mostyn is the Chairman of A.F.C. Bournmouth, passionately known by their Chairman of fans as The Cherries. The Cherries play at in the A.F.C. Neighborhood of , and have been in the Premier League since 2015. Bournemouth They can thank their coach for their recent success. Under his tutelage the Cherries have risen from League Two all the way to the Premier League. Jeff Mostyn, a wise man with regards to football, recognizes Howe’s success and is very much in support of the manager and publicly backed him even after the Cherries’ winless start to 2017. Motsyn, along with owner Maxim Demin and coach Eddie Howe, has been striving to create a young core to build around and has prioritized younger players over all other players. In addition, his relationship with chairman, Ralph Krueger, is rocky at best as the two teams are fierce rivals as the two members of what is known as the New Forest Derby.

Ground: Dean Court Owner: Maxim Demin

14 Manager: Eddie Howe

Sir Chips Sir Chips Keswick is the chairman of one of the most well-known club teams in Keswick, the world of football, Arsenal F.C. Also known as the Gunners, they play at the Chairman of located in , London. Arsenal has had an incredibly successful history as can be seen in its many Premier League Titles and FA Cup Arsenal F.C. trophies. In fact, during the 2003–2004 season, Arsenal won the Premier League without losing a single game. They also are founding members of the Premier League. However, times have been tough as of late. Two of Arsenal’s biggest games during the season are always against Tottenham Hotspur (their rivals in the Derby) and Chelsea. The Gooners (Arsenal’s devout fans) have voted Chelsea as the team they hate the most and thus Sir Chips Keswick will do anything in his power to make sure Chelsea do not get their way and he does the same thing with Tottenham.

Ground: Emirates Stadium Owner: Arsenal Holdings plc Manager:

Tony Bloom, is the chairman of and Albion F.C. of the Chairman of neighborhood of Brighton. Albion, nicknamed the Seagulls, Brighton and play their home games at . As recently as the 2015-2016 season, the Seagulls were still in the Championship, but after a successful season they Hove Albion were promoted to the Premier League. Manager was able to F.C. convince Bloom to splurge the summer before the 2017-2018 season and they bolstered their squad with some new signings. Brighton had a successful season and Bloom changed his usually stingy tune a bit after seeing the success of his purchases and is now more willing to spend money for the good of the team. Bloom was able to become the owner of Brighton due to the money he made from professional . Due to their extended period of time in the lower flights of English football Brighton has not made many rivals who frequent the PL, however their two biggest rivals are AFC Wimbeldon (currently in Football League One) and Crystal Palace.

Ground: Falmer Stadium Owner: Tony Bloom Manager: Chris Hughton

Mike Garlick, Being the chairman of the team whose home is the smallest town in the history of Chairman of the Premier League is no easy task, but Mike Garlick has performed marvelously. He has taken a team rich with history, from the small town of Burnley, and Burnley F.C. brought them just a few points out of a Europa League spot. The Clarets have played at since February 17th, 1883 and happened to be one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888. Unfortunately for football fans, Burnley’s main rival—the Blackburn Rovers—are not in the Premier League

15 at the moment, however their rivalry was voted the best in English Football. Garlick has a lot of ambition and believes that Burnley can be the next team to break into the Big Six and is ready to make an attempt at buying more top level players.

Ground: Turf Moor Owner: Mike Garlick Manager:

Bruce Buck, Bruce Buck, is the chairman of Chelsea F.C., located in Fulham, London. Chelsea, Chairman of or “the Blues” as they are affectionately called, are a member of the Big Six and Chelsea play their home games at Stamford Bridge. They are one of the six teams that F.C. have won the Premier League since its inception and have become even more successful after Roman Abramovic bought them in 2003 and provided them with a large influx of money. While many fans feel that money is ruining the beautiful game, Chelsea has spent large amounts nonetheless and has been reaping the benefits. They are the first London football club to ever win the UEFA Champions League, which they did in 2012 and they won the Premier League in the 2016– 2017 season. While Chelsea fans of course resent Arsenal, they voted their biggest rival to be Liverpool, and Buck often tries to stifle ’s ideas.

Ground: Stamford Bridge Owner: Roman Abromovic Manager:

Steve Steve Parish enjoyed a fairly successful season as the Chairman of Crystal Palace Parish, last season. After being near the relegation zone they were able to pull off a mid- Chairman of table finish and are looking for more this year. They are also in possession of one Crystal of the most sought-after players in the Premier League, . It will be important for Parish to decided early whether he wants to ship him out to raise Palace F.C. some funds for his team, or if he wants to keep him as he is one of the more talented forwards in the league. Crystal Palace—aka the Eagles—are members of the M23 Derby with Brighton and Hove Albion. Being in London also leads to them have slight rivalries with the rest of the London teams. In the history of the M23 Derby, both teams are tied with 38 wins so this season will be big in the eyes of the fans as a way of determining who is the better team.

Ground: Owners: Steve Parish, Joshua Harris, David S. Blitzer Manager:

Bill Kenwright, Bill Kenwright is the chairman of Everton F.C., one of the founding members of Chairman of the Premier League. While they do not often challenge for the top spots in the Everton F.C. Premier League, Everton is one of the few teams that has never been relegated. Everton—also known as the Toffees—play at in Liverpool. They

16 used to share with Liverpool F.C. leading to a fierce rivalry between the two teams. While they have not been experiencing much success in recent years, Manchester United and English legend came back to Everton before the 2017–2018 season and shocked England by leaving Crystal Palace to coach Everton. As pundits are starting to believe in Everton more, Kenwright feels that it is time to make a push for more rotation players to bolster their squad and add some depth.

Ground: Goodison Park Owners: Farhad Moshiri, Bill Kenwright, Jon Woods Manager:

Shad Khan, Shad Khan is the Chairman of Fulham FC, one of the three teams to be promoted Chairman of to the Premier League this season. Fulham is located in the Fulham Fulham F.C. neighborhood of London along with Chelsea. Along with one of their counterparts, Wanderers, they were quite active in the transfer market this summer adding a good amount of talent to an already promising team. Khan is also the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, so he has a good relationship with the NFL is would like to see Premier League stadiums being used for NFL games being played in England. Due to also being located in London, Fulham regard Chelsea as their biggest rivals. Chelsea have been known to not take this rivalry as seriously as Fulham given that Chelsea has enjoyed far more success recently, but The Cottagers (another name Fulham goes by) is looking strong coming into this season and could make a statement by showing Chelsea why they should not be disregarded.

Ground: Owner: Shad Khan Manager: Slaviša Jokanović

Dean Hoyle, Dean Hoyle has a difficult task ahead of him as the ’s chairman. The Chairman of team was promoted before the 2017-2018 season and then spent the entire Huddersfield season in the middle of the pack. While they were never in danger of getting Town A.F.C. relegated, the fans were disappointed with the lack of excitement in their first season. There is a lot of pressure on Hoyle and coach David Wagner to have more success now that they have had a season to acclimate to the pressures of the Premier League. While not many fans can say they lived through the thick of their rivalry, they all have some animosity towards Manchester City, as the two teams used to duke it out in the lower leagues before Man City made the jump to the Prem.

Ground: Stadium Owner: Dean Hoyle Manager: David Wagner

17 Vichai Vichai Srivaddhanaprapha is the Chairman of Leicester City F.C. (also known as Srivaddhanaprapha, the Foxes). Leicester plays their home matches in . The Chairman of Foxes are one of six teams who have won the Premiership and did so in an Leicester City F.C. unbelievable fashion. At the beginning of the 2015-2016 season, the odds of Leicester lifting the trophy were 5000-1, the same as the odds of Elvis Presley turning up alive. Yet at the end of the season, it was none other than the Foxes raising that famous trophy proudly. Football fans all around the world could not help but root for them as the season winded down as many saw it as a triumph of a smart organization over big money. However, not all was well after the win as teams took notice of the skilled players and the following summer tore apart their roster. With many of their key pieces gone, Leicester suffered in the Premier League and the players turned on coach and got him fired. The coach now is , but it is unclear if the players can be trusted to have his, or the organization’s back.

Stadium: King Power Stadium Owner: King Power International Group Manager: Claude Puel

Tom Werner, Being the chairman of Liverpool F.C., with some of the most active supporters in Chairman of the Premier League is no easy task, but Tom Werner has done the job admirably. Liverpool F.C. Liverpool, or the Reds, has an incredibly rich history and is widely considered one of the two most successful teams in English history along with Man U. This fact is one of the contributing factors to the massive rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool, known as the North West Derby. Their coach, Jürgen Klopp, has had a lot of success in his career but was thought to be underwhelming until last season when he led the Reds to a Champions League qualification spot with a potent attack. Protecting his fans is one of Werner’s main concerns as Liverpool supporters have been involved in two major tragedies, the , and the . Furthermore, their stadium, Anfield, is one of the best-known stadiums in England, and it used to be shared with Everton F.C. leading to a rivalry between those two clubs.

Stadium: Anfield Owner: Manager: Jürgen Klopp

Khaldoon Al Khaldoon Al Mubarak is the Chairman of Manchester City F.C., a team that has Mubarak, been incredibly successful as of late but has also come under a lot of scrutiny. Chairman of They won the Premiership in the 2011-2012 and again last season, but many Manchester critics do not like that they were never able to find success until they became one of the highest spending teams in the world. Nevertheless, they are now an City F.C. international force and look like they are in it for the long haul. Coach Pep

18 Guardiola has done wonderfully with his position and thus has a good relationship with Chairman Al Mubarak. The Citizens, play at the City of Manchester Stadium and due to their proximity have a rivalry with Manchester United. They are also rivals with Huddersfield Town as the two teams had many exciting games in the lower levels of English football.

Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Owner: Manager: Pep Guardiola

Avram Glasser, For this meeting of the Premier League, Avram Glasser, co-chairman of Chairman of Manchester United, stepped up to sit in on the committee as his brother Joel is Manchester busy back in the States with the National Basketball Associations’s (NBA) United F.C. Milwaukee Bucks. Mr. Glasser has a massive job as the chairperson of Manchester United as they are the world’s most valuable football club. It’s easy to see why when they have a record 20 league titles and are one of the most widely supported clubs on Earth. Man U, also known as the Red Devils are one of the founding members of the Premier League. As any successful team knows, great success brings criticism as well. But, Manchester United does not concern themselves with every team that feels they have the right to hold a grudge. Their two biggest rivals are Liverpool due to their history and Manchester City as they battle for supremacy in Manchester.

Stadium: Owner: Manchester Unite plc Manager: José Mourinho

Derek Derek Llambias works with his partner Mike Ashley as chairmen for Newcastle Llambias, United F.C., however Ashley, as the owner of the club, has more pressing issues Chairman of to deal with than the mundane day to day of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Newcastle Derek Llambias is very involved in the Premier League and his team and expects bigger things from the Magpies as they made the jump back to the Premier United F.C. League last season and then barely escaped relegation. There is a lot of pressure from him on coach Rafael Benítez because Llambias was disappointed in the form of his team last season. Llambias also cares very much about his team’s supporters as they are considered some of the best in the Premier League. Newcastle’s stadium, St. James Park, is regularly filled up by fans itching to see their team out on the pitch.

Stadium: St. James Park Owner: Mike Ashley Manager: Rafael Benítez

Ralph Krueger, Coming off a rough 2017–2018, Ralph Krueger knows that it is do or die time for Chairman of Southampton. They finished just three points above the relegation zone and the Southampton F.C. 19

pressure is mounting for them to be more successful, or they may quickly find themselves back down in the Championship. As a former hockey player and coach Krueger has come under some scrutiny, with fans questioning if he has the football knowledge necessary to improve The Saints’ standing in the Premier League. In addition, Krueger is a member of the which is a Swiss nonprofit organization whose goal is to improve the state of the world. If you ask any Southampton fan they will tell you that their biggest Premier League rival is Bournemouth and Krueger has often been known to care too little about the rivalry in the eyes of the fans.

Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium Owner: Gao Jishend and Katharina Liebherr Manager:

Daniel Levy, Under Daniel Levy, Tottenham Hotspur went from a team with a rich history in Chairman of the Premier League (including being one of the founders) but not much success Tottenham in terms of silverware to one of the best teams in the Premier League. In the Hotspur F.C. 2010s the Spurs started to be considered a member of the Big Six after some success in the late 2000s. While many supporters and teams around the world are starting to realize Tottenham’s worth, they are still criticized for not winning silverware at the same pace as the rest of the Big Six. Daniel Levy is notoriously difficult to make transfers with as he is not willing to let players leave his club without a hefty sum. However, the Spurs continue to churn out some incredibly skilled players that have left the club because of the massive sums of money that were offered for them. They are now in a good place with the perfect combination of stars and prospects and Daniel Levy is determined to hold onto the core components of his squad. If you ask any Spurs fan who their biggest rival are they will tell you it is their North London neighbors, Arsenal. However, one cannot forget about the rivalry they share with (who are also located in North London).

Stadium: Owner: ENIC International Ltd. Manager:

Scott Duxbury, Scott Duxbury, Chariman for Watford F.C. has been very vocal regarding the fact Chairman of that he wants to change Watford’s reputation. They have long been known as an Watford F.C. unstable club who go through manger after manager without a thought, but Duxbury is looking to change that. He has put his support behind current manager Javier Gracia and is hoping that he can stay around for a while. This newfound confidence in his manager may also stem from the prudent deals he made in the summer after their first Premier League season after their promotion (2015-2016) which has led to a wealth of youth on the squad. This has not gone unnoticed by other teams in the league as they are just waiting for the perfect time to pounce before making bids for some of the more talented plates on the

20 roster. The Hornets also have a very opinionated fan base who Duxbury looks to please.

Stadium: Owner: Gino Pozzo Manager: Javier Gracia

Terry Brown, Terry Brown is one of three Chairmen for West Ham, along with David Gold and Chairman of David Sullivan. However, Gold and Sullivan are both owners of the club and West Ham therefore have delegated the task of sitting in for the shareholders meeting of the Premier League to their fellow chairman Terry Brown. Brown has been adamant United F.C. that West Ham needs to step up their game as he hopes to bring them back to their former glory. They were promoted back to the PL for the 2011–2012 season and have spent a lot of time in the top league. Before the 2017–2018 season they brought in some talented players and expected to be successful and then finished bottom of the table, so the organization and their fans are hungry for more. If you ask any fans of the Irons they will tell you that their biggest rivals in the Prem are Tottenham and Arsenal because they are all competing for supremacy of North London.

Stadium: Owner: David Sullivan, David Gold, Albert “Tripp” Smith Manager:

Jeff Shi, Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of the newly promoted teams this year and Chairman of after a busy offseason and finishing first in the Championship they are looking Wolverhampton incredibly promising. No newly promoted team in recent memory has such high Wanderers F.C. expectations as the Wolves do. While Jeff Shi is incredibly excited about the prospects of his team, he is a practical man and realizes that these expectations must stay within reason. However, he is ready to go all in his team as he proved by being very active in the transfer market this season. While they take part in the Albion, which is one of the oldest rivalries in football, West Brom was relegated last season so their fiercest rivalry in the Premier League is with Leicester City.

Stadium: Owner: Fosun International Coach: Nuno Espíritu Santo

Richard Craig Richard Scudamore has been the Executive Chairman of the Premier League Scudamore, since June 2014. As Executive Chairman, it is his job to be on top of negotiating Executive the contracts with sponsors and broadcasters that allow the Premier League to be so profitable. Under his leadership, the TV rights for the Premier League have Chairman risen to 5.134 billion pounds for the 2013-2016 season. Up from 1.2 billion for the

21 2001-2004 season. In addition, he is a founding member of the Football Foundation, which is a grassroots football charity. The Executive Chairman is also granted the power to veto a transfer if two of the other four non-shareholder positions agree (Treasurer, Head Physician, Legal Consultant, and Liaison to Parliament).

Jordan Mr. Whitwell-Mak graduated from UCL at the age of 18 and immediately made Whitwell-Mak, an impact in the banking world. He got a job over in the United States and made Treasurer his first million by the age of 20. He was worth $25 million by the age of 25 and by the time he hit 30 he was bored of making money and donated 95% of his fortune to charity. He then decided to follow his true passion, football. He applied for a position in the mailroom of the office of Richard Scudamore and the two instantly hit it off. Within two years he had already became the Treasurer for the Premier League and he recently said in an interview with BBC that he is “finally happy with his life”. Mr. Whitwell-Mak has access to all of the Premier League teams’ finances and is able to put a stop to transfers that would leave a team in debt.

Major Tuppence Drinkwater was formerly a medic in the British Armed Forces. Her family’s roots Drinkwater, spread deep into the history of war in the country as the earliest documented Retired, Drinkwater was a General in the American War of Independence. She recently left the army after heroically dragging one of her squad members a mile to safety Head Physician during a tour in Iraq. Now she gives medical advice as needed, and is currently acting as the Head Physician for the Premier League. She is chiefly concerned with the safety of players and is looking to push the league to make more steps in guaranteeing the safety of their players. Drinkwater also has access to all of the player’s medical records and can disclose that information to teams as needed during transfers.

Imogen Poots, Imogen Poots is one of the most successful lawyers of her time. She has her own Legal practice and yet regularly takes down massive firms that have endless wealth and Consultant resources. She practices corporate law and has taken down many corrupt companies and scores massive pay outs for her clients. Recently however, her friend Tuppence Drinkwater began working for the Premier League and asked Imogen if she would be interested in the opening for the legal advisor job, and the rest is history. She has now been protecting the league for four years and uses her wealth of knowledge about law to get the Premier League out of even the stickiest situations using her mind and the friends she made over the years. Furthermore, Poots has access to the legal records of all players and can disclose that information during transfers. Poots, along with Sir Hugh Tittensor, is responsible for making sure that players can get their work permits and are allowed to come from abroad to play in the Premier League.

Sir Hugh Tittensor, Sir Hugh Tittensor is the liaison to parliament for the Premier League. He is Liaison to currently a member of the House of Lords in the British Parliament and thus has Parliament

22 many friends both in the House of Lords and House of Commons. His direct line to the English government has come in handy as the Premier League is getting more intertwined with the English government as it becomes more important. Tittensor also has the important job of informing the committee when/if players that are coming from abroad have been granted work visas so that they can live in England with their team. Tittensor must also work with Imogen Poots to assure that when foreign players come to the league, they are able to get their work permits and are not locked out of the league.

Team Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

23 Appendix

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

24 Image Credits: Yahoo Sports

25 Bibliography

About the Premier League - Organising Body of the Competition.” FC Statistics | Premier League, www.premierleague.com/about. Conn, David. “Premier League Finances: the Full Club-by-Club Breakdown and Verdict.” , Guardian News and Media, 1 June 2017, www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/01/premier-league-finances-club-by-club. . “Medical Expert Agrees with Pep Guardiola That Player Safety Should Be Priority.” Eurosport, Eurosport, 3 Jan. 2018, www.eurosport.com/football/premier- league/2017-2018/medical-expert-agrees-with-pep-guardiola-that-player-safety- should-be-priority_sto6461294/story.shtml. How Soccer Originated. Soccer History. www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-soccer- football.htm. Isaacs, Marc. The New Premier League Laws Introduced for the 2017/18 Season. Mirror.co.uk, 11 Aug. 2017, www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/new-premier- league-laws-introduced-10971866. Morgan, Richard. “10 Ways to Make the Premier League More Competitive.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 27 Sept. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/1561827-ten- ways-to-make-the-premier-league-more-competitive. Sholl, Jason. “Summary of Changes to the 2017-18 Laws of the Game: the Official Soccer Rules.” Summary of Changes to the 2016 Laws of the Game: the Official Soccer Rules, blog.proreferee.com/summary-of-changes-to-the-2017-2018-laws-of-the-game-the- official-soccer-rules.

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