Last month, it was reported that the value of the overseas broadcasting deals entered into by the English Premier League (‘EPL‘) nudged past the £5 billion threshold for the 2022-25 rights cycle, whilst also surpassing the value of domestic deals for the same cycle for the first time. Given these substantial investments, it is no … Continue Reading
Football’s handball law has been under scrutiny from pundits, players and fans alike for some years now. Last year, Sports Shorts assessed the controversy of the new handball law, which has continued to depend on interpretation with little uniformity in its application across world football.… Continue Reading
On Sunday evening, a clash of heads between David Luiz and Raul Jimenez in the Premier League match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers gave public attention (again) to the issue around concussion protocols in football. Alan Shearer considers it a matter of “life and death” as he urged the sport to change the rules on … Continue Reading
The Premier League resumed on 12 September 2020 and initially plans had been in place for an October return for fans to be allowed in stadia, with home fans only. Yesterday, following an announcement from the government of a spike in coronavirus cases in the UK, those plans were put on hold indefinitely. Back in … Continue Reading
With less than one week to go until the Premier League resumes, English football fans are going to have the opportunity to watch every game for the first time ever. On 3 April 2020 UEFA announced that it had accepted a request from the Premier League to suspend the 3pm blackout rule which has prevented … Continue Reading
The ban on mass gatherings in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the cancellation or postponement of sporting fixtures and live events globally. This includes the English Premier League that had to postpone all fixtures following the lockdown. On 10 May 2020, Boris Johnson announced that, as part of the UK government’s … Continue Reading
Over the course of the last two months professional football across Europe has ground to a halt. In an attempt to lend some shape and certainty to the European football landscape, UEFA announced in April that all its European members had until 25 May to make a decision about their respective leagues. Some leagues have … Continue Reading
As the world of traditional sports has ground to halt, esports has garnered much media attention, certainly in respect of those esports that operate within the purview of traditional sports. The esports industry was already thriving before the pandemic, attracting billions of pounds in revenues and huge viewing audiences. With the world on lockdown and … Continue Reading
The pulling power of the Premier League has attracted a portfolio of sponsors targeting global markets. With clubs battling for market share in the Far East and in a unique position to benefit from GDPR, there appears to be only one direction for the value of commercial partnerships. We share our perspectives in this video.… Continue Reading
Sunday saw one of the most anticipated games of the 19/20 Premier League season as Liverpool FC hosted Manchester City at Anfield. Liverpool came away with the three points, however the victory was not without controversy. There were a number of decisions, which left Manchester City fans feeling aggrieved and the general football community becoming … Continue Reading
Between 2016 and 2019 the Premier League was paid a record breaking £5 billion for UK rights by broadcasters for 168 games a season. A new deal, effective from 2019 to 2022, will see the Premier League make at least £4.46 billion from the UK rights to broadcast matches (with one broadcaster not disclosing how … Continue Reading
In 2015, it was announced that Nike had agreed an apparel deal with the NBA, beginning with the 2017-2018 season. At the time, Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner, stated that: “This partnership with Nike represents a new paradigm in the structure of our global merchandising business. As our exclusive oncourt apparel provider, Nike will be … Continue Reading
In May 2017, Sports Shorts covered the first ‘live’ blocking injunction ordered by the High Court in favour of the Premier League – a decision which represented a win not only for rightsholders but also, unusually, for the defendant ISPs in their capacity as Premier League rightsholders. The order, which applied during the final weeks … Continue Reading
In January of this year Sports Shorts wrote about the possibility of the introduction of a retrospective diving ban. At the time of writing it was unclear whether the FA would be able to convince its various stakeholders this was a good idea. Ahead of the culmination of the Premier League season on Sunday, the … Continue Reading
In the immortal words of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Premier League season is now reaching “squeaky-bum time”. While Sunderland and Middlesbrough have both been relegated, virtually everything else remains up for grabs. The title has not yet been won (though that must surely be only a matter of time), the third relegation spot has not … Continue Reading
In the week following Valentine’s Day, the much-vaunted romance of the FA Cup appeared to experience something of a rekindling. While the fire in the loins of the world’s oldest football competition was subsequently dampened by “Pie-gate” (as to which, Sports Shorts’ thoughts are here), the FA Cup quarter-finals will see their first non-league representative … Continue Reading
It has been reported this week that, from the beginning of the 2017/2018 season, Premier League football clubs will be allowed for the first time to have sponsors on their shirt sleeves. While details have yet to be finalised, it has been reported that the Premier League badge will remain on the left sleeve of … Continue Reading
Sports Shorts recently wrote about the England rugby Elite Player Squad’s (“EPS”) autumn training camp during which a number of injuries were picked up by players looking to cement their place in Eddie Jones’s (as yet still unbeaten) starting England XV. The cost for those missing out on playing in these matches has been highlighted … Continue Reading
On two days every year football fans up and down the country get lost in the chaos of transfer deadline day. The rumour mill goes into overdrive and otherwise financially prudent clubs can lose all perspective in last minute bids to buy players they may otherwise not have been interested in. The present transfer window … Continue Reading
