2012/13 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON REVIEW WELCOME 01 02 THE INTRODUCTION THE FOOTBALL Foreword by Sir Alex Ferguson 4 Gareth Bale – Interview 10 Chief Executive – Working at full capacity 6 The Season – High five 12 TO THE Forward thinking with Alan Shearer 14 Elite Player Performance Plan 16 Southampton – From support centre to supporters 18 The Games Programme 20 Making history in Ypres 22 2012/13 Safeguarding the future 23 Andre Marriner – Four seasons 24 SEASON Mike Riley – Improving standards of refereeing 26 81 2.8 REVIEW GOALS GOALS PER GAME SCORED IN THE 90TH MINUTE OR find out FOR THE THIRD SEASON IN A ROW. find out LATER BY SIR ALEX FERGUSON’S more on BEFORE 2010/11, NO SEASON HAD more on SIDES IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE p3 REACHED THIS AVERAGE p9 Cover picture Dream weaver: His players stand back to allow Sir Alex Ferguson to hold aloft the Barclays Premier League trophy for the 13th time. It is a sight we will never see again as the Manchester United boss retired from management at the end of the 2012/13 season. 03 04 05 THE SUPPORTERS THE COMMUNITY THE BUSINESS Karren Brady – West Ham United’s double bubble 30 Juan Mata – Community matters 44 Huw Jenkins – Liberty, equality and fraternity 54 Reading – Making away fans feel at home 32 Premier League Community Facility Fund – Maria Miller – Why the Premier League is great Sky Sports News – Broadcasting nous 34 Uniting Newcastle in sports participation 46 for British business 56 The weekend starts (and ends) here 36 Delivering on the legacy of 2012 48 Collective responsibility 58 Lewis Wiltshire – #Two-way tweet 38 Neil Taylor – The green green grass shoots Sustaining success 60 EA Sports – It’s in the partnership 40 of Kolkata Goalz 50 Football Foundation – Building healthy grassroots 62 Global shirt sales 41 Where the money goes 63 Final score 64 95.3% 843 £192m SEATS SOLD CLUB PROJECTS REDISTRIBUTED BEATING THE find out RUN IN ENGLAND AND find out OUTSIDE OF THE find out PREVIOUS BEST OF more on WALES AS A RESULT OF more on PREMIER LEAGUE more on 94.7% IN 2003/04 p29 PREMIER LEAGUE FUNDING p43 IN 2012/13 p53 2012/13 • SEASON REVIEW 1 01 INTRODUCTION Mission accomplished SUNDAY 12 MAY, 2013 After lifting the Barclays Premier League trophy for the 13th time, Sir Alex Ferguson says goodbye to the Old Trafford supporters that he has given so many memories. Typically there was room for one last bit of drama, with Rio Ferdinand scoring a late winner in a 2-1 victory over Swansea City. 2 SEASON REVIEW • 2012/13 THE INTRODUCTION SIR ALEX FERGUSON · THE FACTS 1 KNIGHTHOOD Fergie time: Manchester United Premier League goals in five minute 1.4m sections of the 90 minutes: TWEETS ON THE RETIREMENT 01 – 05 59 46 – 50 77 OF SIR ALEX FERGUSON 06 – 10 70 51 – 55 90 IN JUST ONE HOUR 11 – 15 70 56 – 60 100 16 – 20 78 61 – 65 97 21 – 25 78 66 – 70 98 26 – 30 69 71 – 75 86 Crowd pleaser: The average attendance at 80% 31 – 35 68 76 – 80 106 Old Trafford in 1991/92 was 42,061. The average ATTENDANCE INCREASE AT 81 36 – 40 73 81 – 85 105 during 2012/13 was 75,530, an 80% increase OLD TRAFFORD SINCE THE GOALS SCORED IN TH 41 – 45 81 86 – 90 80 since the Premier League began. PREMIER LEAGUE BEGAN THE 90 MINUTE 45th min 61 90th min 81 The average attendance in the top flight in 1991/92 was 21,622. The average during 2012/13 was 35,906, a 66% increase since MATCHES the Premier League began. 810 HIS RECORD NUMBER OF PLAYERS PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES, AND TITLES WON PLAYERS USED United nations: 211 players used by 13 BY SIR ALEX Sir Alex Ferguson from 33 countries: POSITION 1 FERGUSON, TITLES FROM 33 100 England 13 COUNTRIES 5 40 British Isles ex. England Northern Ireland, POSITION 2 Father figure: Of the 524 players used Republic of Ireland, in the Barclays Premier League during Scotland and Wales the 2012/13 season, 240 were not born 3 1500 71 Rest of the world when Sir Alex was named United boss 240 (28 nationalities) POSITION 3 on November 6, 1986. MATCHES FINISHING POSITION NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN PREMIER LEAGUE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGED FOR That includes 13 of the Manchester FROM 92/93 – 2012/13 BORN AFTER SIR ALEX MANCHESTER FERGUSON WAS FIRST UNITED United’s title winning squad: APPOINTED MANCHESTER David De Gea, Rafael, Phil Jones, UNITED MANAGER Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling, Anderson, Javier Hernandez, Nani, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Nick Powell, Shinji Kagawa, Alexander Büttner. THE INTRODUCTION 2012/13 • SEASON REVIEW 3 4 SEASON REVIEW • 2012/13 THE INTRODUCTION 01 THE INTRODUCTION ootball has been my life and I have had the privilege to be involved in an Fabsolutely fantastic football club in Manchester United. The fans, the players, Manchester United has symbolised the transformation of my staff – all of them have contributed to something truly remarkable. The trophies the English game during the Premier League years. The club’s we have won, the wonder goals from the wonderful players, the amazing matches commitment to investment at every level shines through. we have been involved in, and those dramatic Top class players, both purchased and developed; wonderful comebacks I remember so fondly now – all of them have to be set in the context facilities at Old Trafford and Carrington for players and fans; of the club and the contribution it has made to English football. community programmes that place us at the heart of Many things have changed in the game since my arrival from Aberdeen in November the community.” 1986, not least the levels of interest and scale of SIR ALEX FERGUSON exposure. At times it is unbelievable the amount of column inches generated from one incident facilities at Old Trafford and Carrington for Performance Plan will deliver. There are in a match or during the course of a season. players and fans; community programmes that talented boys throughout this country and But on the whole English football is in a place us at the heart of the community locally given the right training, environment and much better place than it was 27 years ago. and farther afield – the club has set a standard opportunity there is no reason why the Across the leagues, stadiums weren’t what they in the Premier League that others strive to whole English game can’t benefit from the should have been, the development of players better. Sometimes they manage to! hard work and investment of the clubs. was nowhere near as advanced as it is now, Those challenges, season after season, I have enjoyed my last season, and not those controlling the game couldn’t give the spur the best on to be better. In my time, just because we won the Premier League TV rights away, fans weren’t treated properly challengers have come and gone. Some have for the thirteenth time. But there was no luck and what interest there was in football from remained and some have even returned for in the way in which we secured the title. We did government was negative. another go. But competition is healthy and it the right way: good young players combining it is what sets this league apart from others with and learning from some of the best the in Europe. You know that no team is going Barclays Premier League has ever seen; strong to give you an easy match. team performances and a never say die attitude The quality and entertainment of the – it says something that we came from behind football in the Premier League has increased to win 29 points this season. year on year. It was always getting harder to And the crowds – absolutely tremendous. FOREWORD go out and win the title, to find the right mix The send-off I received at The Hawthorns on By Sir Alex Ferguson of players – youth, experience and attitude. the final season was great, but my final match There are some with rose-tinted glasses who After the trophies, both domestic and at Old Trafford is something neither I nor my think football was great a generation ago, but European, my proudest achievement is the family will ever forget. The Premier League nostalgia plays strange tricks with the mind. culture of youth development that we created is known the world over for the passion and Back then, football’s role in the cultural makeup in the best traditions of Matt Busby’s vision for knowledge of its fans as well as the atmosphere of the country was arguably in decline. It was the club. Wonderful players like Ryan Giggs, in the grounds. Not just Old Trafford – the trips a great shame given the joy and life-affirming Paul Scholes and Gary Neville set the standard, to Goodison, St. James’, Anfield and White Hart attributes it gives to me and thousands of but there have been and will be plenty more. Lane amongst others always produced fantastic others, week in, week out. There has been a Manchester United support. It’s part of the history and tradition of Manchester United, perhaps more than any Academy graduate in every one of my teams. the English game that drives its success today. other club, has symbolised the transformation Our Under-21s won the inaugural Barclays U21 I will miss all of it. But I will enjoy watching of the English game during the Premier League Premier League this season with eight players the Barclays Premier League continue to develop, years.