Premier League, synonymous with its name, has been one of, if not the best, leagues in the footballing world for the past two decades. It has inspired a revolution amongst the youth ranks of English football, providing them with ample exposure and amenities, which have significantly helped in strengthening the England National Team squad. It is interesting, however, to note that this legacy of English football has very diverse origins.

Premier League as a tournament was established in 1992, before which the English Football League, formed in 1888, was considered the First Division of football in England. However, this cannot be considered an isolated event in time, marking the onset of Football in England, as even before the Football League commenced, there were hundreds of clubs in existence all across Great Britain.

Premier League History

The “Beautiful Game” was already adopted by people from all walks of life, as it suited the elite classes as well as those destitute of resources due to its minimalist requirements. The game was so domesticated that it was only after the revelation of its various chaotic interpretations that the Football Association was created to regularize the game with a standard set of rules in 1863. This overwhelming love for football meant that many clubs were left disappointed at their exclusion from the 12-club roster of the English Football League.

To cater to the demands of these shunted clubs, the Football Alliance was inaugurated in 1889, consisting of previously rejected and not invited club teams, including the likes of well-respected clubs, such as Crewe, who had reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1888. Thus, the Football Alliance, Crewe Alexandra’s secretary, J.G. Hall's brainchild, theoretically became the second division for the English Football League. These changes brought about a systematic structure to the chaotic scene of the English footballing tapestry, where the norm was for the clubs to arrange their own fixtures, with simultaneous cup competitions being held, concentrating the fandom and player development locally. These systematic structures allowed managers to take the reins of major clubs and provide a vision to the aimless structure of running the clubs until now, with a set goal in mind. Some of the most influential managers of the Premier League at that time were:

• Joe Royle- He guided Everton to a landmark victory against Manchester United in the FA Cup final of 1994.
• Ron Atkinson- He won the League with Aston Villa in 1994, and obtained the second place, missing marginally in the first Premier League season of 1992.
• Sir Alex Ferguson- Winning 11 major trophies with Manchester United, he is regarded as the greatest manager in the Premier League.

English Football League (1888-1992)

The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world and was the top-level football league in England until 1992, when major clubs (22) split to form the English Premier League (EPL). The initiative to establish a unified football league, with a specified format, was taken up by the then Aston Villa director and a pioneer in English footballing history, William McGregor. His initial advances began on 2nd March 1888, when he wrote to the committee of some prevalent football clubs like Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, Stoke, West Bromwich Albion and his club Aston Villa, suggesting the creation of a league competition that would provide several guaranteed fixtures for its member clubs each season.

After the initial proposal, a meeting was held at Anderon's Hotel in London on 23 March 1888, ironically on the eve of the FA Cup Final, where the formal proceedings for the inauguration of the league were sorted out. Finally, on 17 April at the Royal Hotel, the name Football League was decided upon by the committee for their venture, on the suggestion of Major William Sudell, the representative of Preston. The first season of the Football League began a few months later on 8 September with 12 member clubs from the Midlands and North of England namely, Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke (renamed Stoke City in 1926), West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Four seasons later, it absorbed some members of the parallel league Football Alliance, and this influx of clubs resulted in the Football League splitting into two tiers.

Premier League (1992-Present)

The English Premier League was founded as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992, following the dissolution of the Football League by its 22 prominent member clubs in favour of a more refined and lucrative competition. The rise of Premier League saw the old Football League relegated to the status of the second division, which is still prevalent in modern football, as now the relegated teams from the Premier League fall to compete in the Championship.

Premier League Formulation

The formulation of Premier League came about at a precarious moment in time when there was major disorder in the English Footballing circle, which resulted in a subsequent decline in English teams' performances in European competitions after dominating the competition for a period of 7 years between 1977-1984. On top of that, English football was reeling with empty stadiums and rampant hooliganism, which also resulted in a European competition ban for them; the teams thus wanted a change of air, which could also bring in some monetary benefits and stand out amongst other competing leagues around the world which would subsequently prevent top English players from moving abroad.

So, on July 17, 1991, the top clubs got together and signed the Founder Members Agreement, which paved the way for them to rid themselves of the sanctions from Football League and the FA, allowing them to make their own commercial agreements and broadcast deals to propagate their product.

Premier League Clubs

English Premier League began in England with great pomp and prestige, restoring in fans the love for the game through its sheer exhilaration.

The inaugural season kicked off with 22 clubs, including big names like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United, along with other ancient clubs like Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Oldham Athletic, Coventry City, Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Aston Villa and Leeds United, which brought the history, culture and most importantly the fans of these clubs to the modern rendition of top-level football. Since its initial years, the Premier League has delivered what it had promised, as in just its first match played on Saturday, 15 August 1992, Brian Deane scored the first goal of the competition for Sheffield United against Manchester United, punctuating every awestruck fan's gasp in the stadium.

The entertainment factor for the Premier League went off the charts, with thrilling games every week, such as Liverpool vs Newcastle in 1996, a 4-3 thriller, Manchester United vs Ipswich in 1995, ending in a humiliating score of 9-0 and the subsequent irrefutable dominance of Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning the inaugural competition as well as 6 more of the first 9 seasons. The Premier League has since gone through a series of modifications, such as the initial 22 teams being reduced to 20 and some constant name changes from English Premier League to Barclays Premier League in 2007, to finally the most recent Premier League; however, its relevancy and world-renowned stature have been perennial.

There are 20 clubs involved in Premier League's dynamics. The following clubs are currently involved in the modern-day Premier League structure:

Premier League Format

EPL is the top professional football league in England, consisting of 20 teams battling it out amongst themselves, each team playing a total of 38 matches, where 19 matches are played at home, i.e., in the teams' respective stadiums and for 19 matches they travel away to their opponents' stadiums. The season begins around mid-August and goes on till May of the following year, with other cup matches and European competitions also occurring in between this schedule. The league follows a standard points system, wherein each win leads to an addition of three points, a draw amounts to only 1 point for both teams, and the losing side goes home with 0 points under their belt. Despite this, if there is any ambiguity in the points table, i.e., if two teams draw with the same points in the league table, there are three predefined statistics that are observed to ascertain the better-placed team. In such scenario, the team with the better goal difference will succeed its competitor, if this metric is also not able to define the winner, then the team with more goals scored is considered to be the better of the lot, finally if this factor is also not able to settle the record, both the teams' head to head fixture history is analyzed, giving the team with more wins the go ahead to climb above their rivals. For more information about Premier League's hierarchical structure-Click Here.

English Premier League Prize Money

English Premier League has achieved all the heights that it set out for when its formulation was being contemplated. Today, the Premier League is the biggest and most popular domestic competition in the world, attracting spectators worldwide thanks to both its in-stadium matches and its seamless broadcast to all countries through reliable TV and media partnerships. This has allowed Premier League a metaphorical free hand in taking great care of the monetary needs of its member clubs, as can be seen in Premier League clubs' exorbitant expenditure and related player and fixture quality. The sum of money each club receives is based on:

• Where do they finish in the table
• How many of their games are shown on TV
• Commercial deals
• Other revenue streams

Naturally, it's common to see heavy monetary prizes for teams finishing in the top 4-5 spots in leagues all over the world, as they secure Champions League qualification while also representing their host league all over the world. All involved clubs receive a guaranteed some of money at the end of the season, known as the ‘equal share,’ which comes from the league’s domestic and international TV deals. In the 2023-24 season, every club received £31.2 million from the UK broadcast deal and £55.7 million from international rights. On top of that, each team got £8.2 million from the league’s central commercial revenue. Altogether, that guaranteed every club at least £95.1 million, no matter where they finished in the table.

Premier League Prize Money Breakdown

Each Premier League club earns money from three main sources, firstly, equal shares where all 20 clubs get an equal amount from domestic and international TV rights and commercial deals, secondly, comes the merit payment, based on where a team finishes in the league where higher positions earn more money, lastly, some facility fees is given as extra payments to clubs that had more of their matches shown live on TV in the UK. This Premier League system of awarding the top performers in the league more handsomely provides great incentive for teams to perform better to conquer the cut-throat competition.

The three major ways in which Premier League clubs earn money are as follows:

• Equal Shares – All 20 clubs get an equal amount from domestic and international TV rights and commercial deals.
• Merit Payment: Based on where a team finishes in the league. Higher positions earn more money.
• Facility fees: Extra payments given to clubs that had more of their matches shown live on TV in the UK.

List of Premier League Winners

Premier League has developed into an intense competition between its member clubs, who can afford better quality players, stadiums and facilities due to the relative prosperity of the league. Premier League amassed around 7 billion in broadcasting numbers, which comes as no surprise, especially because each year, stronger contenders for the title appear, to overthrow any incumbent tyrant club, making for an enthralling watch for the viewers, be it in the packed stadiums or at the leisure of their home. It has been widely acknowledged that the Premier League has a more open competition for the top 4 spots amongst top European Leagues like La Liga and Serie A, which are prone to fall into a repeated pattern of table toppers. Below is a table highlighting the previous winners of the Premier League since its inaugural in 1992. Premier League has seen a total of 7 unique winners since its commencement, with Manchester United clinching the maximum number of titles, i.e., 13.

Winners of the English Football League

English Football League is seen as a pioneer in propagating football in England. Despite its inevitable flaws, it bore the fruits of the Football Association's labour by developing and channelizing a passion for the game in the masses that has since been passed on through generations. The English Football League provided its host teams with regular playing fixtures, allowing the resident players to develop their game. This was particularly important in the 1950s period when other European Nations promoted a joint venture to construct a European Competition where top teams from all over Europe could compete against each other. Manchester United was the first team to qualify for the European Championship in 1956, subsequently, after which clubs like Wolves, Burnley, Ipswich Town, Everton and many more regional giants gained invaluable European experience.

English Premier League Sponsors

English Premier League sponsors and broadcasters played an integral part in the rapid ascent of the Premier League to the status of the best and most prosperous league in the world. Upon its formation, the first breakthrough that the Premier League got was its groundbreaking £304 million deal with Sky Sports and BBC, which allowed Premier League to reach mass audiences, simultaneously ensuring that the hype around their project did not die down.

Sky Sports introduced Monday Night Football, with in-depth analysis, multiple camera angles, and engaging commentary that elevated the viewing experience, which led to an exponential increase in viewer demand. Subsequently, as the Premier League gained traction, important brands like Barclays, Coca-Cola, Guinness, etc., signed major contracts with the League. Below, we explore various partners and sponsors of English Premier League in its most evolved stage yet.