Over the past week, talks of a 39th Premier League game being played overseas have resurfaced. The idea of ‘Game 39' was first brought into the public domain back in 2008 when an international round of fixtures was discussed by Premier League clubs.
Although several clubs were said to be keen on the idea, the plans were eventually parked in 2010 after backlash from certain managers and fan groups. However, the notion that Premier League games could one day be played abroad has never truly gone away.
Last week, a meeting between the top European Leagues took place where the Premier League CEO, Richard Masters said that “the door looks ajar” in relation to matches being played in the USA in the future. However, he did also claim that “it's not one of our current plans.”
NBC spark fears of Game 39
If Masters' comments brought the idea of Game 39 back on the agenda, then claims from NBC's President of Acquisitions, Jon Miller, yesterday have made the concept headline news once again. Miller said:
“We've had conversations with the Premier League and they've been very open and receptive to listening to me. We did the Premier League Summer Series (in pre-season) last year where we had six teams come over; Fulham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Brentford.
“We had nine games in seven days in five cities around America (and 265,000 fans were in attendance). It was great. At some point in the future, I would love to see a couple of Premier League games open the season here in big stadiums on our opening weekend.”
“I know that’s something that we’ll continue to push for because I think that there’s an American audience here that would like to see regular-season games.”
Football Supporters' Association vows to fight against Game 39
In light of the comments made by Richard Masters and Jon Miller, the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) have come out swinging in retaliation. The fan group, which fights the corner of match-going fans across the UK, posted on social media last night:
“We defeated Game 39 in 2008 and we’d attack any attempted revival with a full-blown, two feet off the ground, studs to the knee tackle.”
We defeated Game 39 in 2008 and we'd attack any attempted revival with a full blown, two feet off the ground, studs to the knee tackle. https://t.co/2Oimtg8v9C
— The FSA (@WeAreTheFSA) April 30, 2024