ABSTRACT
Changes to the organization of, and commercialism in, the Barclay’s Premier League in England have made clubs attractive to international investors. Recently, in particular, there has been a rapid increase in American ownership of Premier League teams with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United owned by Americans and a large minority shareholder at Arsenal is American. Beyond directorship/ownership issues, North American organizational and marketing structures of professional sport have increased their influence within the Premier League. These include a focus on diverse revenue streams including media rights, luxury seating, commodification and branding of clubs and their heritage, and diversified services as well as differing patterns of club ownership and administration. Although these have merged with English traditions within professional football, there is no doubt that North American influences have begun to change the nature of marketing within the game and have also made leading English clubs attractive to North American and other international investors. The result of the increasing ‘Americanization’ of English professional football (soccer) marketing and management strategies has clashed with English traditions of organization as well as supporters’ consumption of the game itself.
