Premier League

This article is about association football. For other uses, seePremier League (disambiguation).

ThePremier Leagueis a professionalassociation footballleague inEnglandand the highest level of theEnglish football league system.Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system ofpromotion and relegationwith theEnglish Football League(EFL). Seasons usually run from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches: two against each other team, one home and one away.Most games are played on weekend afternoons, with occasional weekday evening fixtures.

Premier League

Founded	20 February 1992(1992-02-20)
Country	England
Confederation	UEFA
Number of clubs	20(since1995–96)
Level on pyramid	1
Relegationto	EFL Championship
Domestic cup(s)	FA Cup FA Community Shield
League cup(s)	EFL Cup
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League
Current champions	Manchester City(8th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	Manchester United(13 titles)
Most appearances	Gareth Barry(653)
Top goalscorer	Alan Shearer(260)
TV partners	Sky Sports TNT Sports/Discovery+ Amazon Prime Video (live matches) BBC Sport (highlights) International: Broadcasters
Website	premierleague
Current:2024–25 Premier League

The competition was founded as theFA Premier Leagueon 20 February 1992, following the decision ofFirst Division(the top-tier league from 1888 until 1992) clubs to break away from the English Football League. However, teams are still relegated to and promoted from theEFL Championshipat the conclusion of each season. The Premier League is a corporation managed by achief executive,with member clubs acting as shareholders.The Premier League takes advantage of a £5 billion television rights deal, with Sky andBT Groupsecuring the domestic rights to broadcast 128 and 32 games, respectively.This deal will rise to £6.7 billion for the four seasons from 2025 to 2029.The league is projected to earn $7.2 billion in overseas TV rights from 2022 to 2025.Clubs were apportioned central payment revenues of £2.4 billion in2016–17,with a further £343 million insolidarity paymentsto EFL clubs.

The Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes, with a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.For the2023–24 season,the average Premier League match attendance was 38,375,second to the GermanBundesliga's 39,512,whilst aggregated attendance across all matches in a 38-game season is the highest of any association football league.Most stadium occupancies are near capacity.As of 2024,the Premier League is ranked first in theUEFA coefficient rankingsbased on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons, ahead of Spain'sLa Liga.The English top-flight has produced thesecond-highest numberofEuropean Cup / UEFA Champions Leaguetitles, witha record sixEnglish clubs having won fifteen European cups in total.

Fifty-one clubshave competed in the Premier League since its inception in 1992: 49from Englandand 2from Wales.Seven have won the title:Manchester United(13),Manchester City(8),Chelsea(5),Arsenal(3),Blackburn Rovers(1),Leicester City(1), andLiverpool(1).Only six clubs have played in every season to date: Arsenal, Chelsea,Everton,Liverpool, Manchester United, andTottenham Hotspur.

History

See also:List of Premier League seasons

Origins

Despite significant European success in the 1970s and early 1980s, the late 1980s marked a low point for English football. Stadiums were deteriorating, supporters endured poor facilities,hooliganismwas rife, and English clubs had been banned fromEuropean competitionfor five years following theHeysel Stadium disasterbetween the fans of Liverpool Football Club and the fans ofJuventusin 1985.TheFootball League First Division,the top level of English football since 1888, was behind leagues such as Italy'sSerie Aand Spain'sLa Ligain attendance and revenues, and several top English players had moved abroad.

By the turn of the 1990s, the downward trend was starting to reverse. At the1990 FIFA World Cup,England reached the semi-finals;UEFA,European football's governing body, lifted the five-year ban on English clubs playing in European competitions in 1990, resulting in Manchester United lifting theCup Winners' Cupin1991.TheTaylor Reporton stadium safety standards, which proposed expensive upgrades to createall-seaterstadiums in the aftermath of theHillsborough disaster;between the fans of Liverpool and the fans of Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, Yorkshire on 15 April 1989, was published in January 1990.

During the 1980s, major English clubs began to transform into business ventures, applying commercial principles to club administration to maximise revenue.Martin EdwardsofManchester United,Irving ScholarofTottenham Hotspur,andDavid DeinofArsenalwere among the leaders in this transformation.The commercial imperative led to the top clubs seeking to increase their power and revenue: the clubs in Division One threatened to break away from the Football League, and in doing so, they managed to increase their voting power and gain a more favourable financial arrangement, taking a 50% share of all television and sponsorship income in 1986.They demanded that television companies should pay more for their coverage of football matches,and revenue from television grew in importance. The Football League received £6.3 million for a two-year agreement in 1986, but by 1988, in a deal agreed withITV,the price rose to £44 million over four years, with the leading clubs taking 75% of the cash.According to Scholar, who was involved in the negotiations of television deals, each of theFirst Divisionclubs received only around £25,000 per year from television rights before 1986, this increased to around £50,000 in the 1986 negotiation, then to £600,000 in 1988.The 1988 negotiations were conducted under the threat of ten clubs leaving to form a "super league", but they were eventually persuaded to stay, with the top clubs taking the lion's share of the deal.The negotiations also convinced the bigger clubs that, in order to receive enough votes, they needed to take the whole of the First Division with them instead of a smaller "super league".By the beginning of the 1990s, the big clubs again considered breaking away, especially now that they had to fund the cost of stadium upgrades as proposed by the Taylor Report.

In 1990, the managing director ofLondon Weekend Television(LWT),Greg Dyke,met with the representatives of the"big five"football clubs in England (Manchester United,Liverpool,Tottenham Hotspur,Everton,and Arsenal) over a dinner.The meeting was to pave the way for a breakaway fromthe Football League.Dyke believed that it would be more lucrative for LWT if only the larger clubs in the country were featured on national television and wanted to establish whether the clubs would be interested in a larger share of television rights money.The five clubs agreed with the suggestion and decided to press ahead with it; however, the league would have no credibility without the backing ofthe Football Association,and so David Dein ofArsenalheld talks to see whether the FA were receptive to the idea. The FA did not have an amicable relationship with the Football League at the time and considered it a way to weaken theFootball League's position.The FA released a report in June 1991,Blueprint for the Future of Football,that supported the plan for the Premier League, with the FA as the ultimate authority that would oversee the breakaway league.

Founding and Manchester United dominance (1990s)

See also:Foundation of the Premier League

1990s, foundations and early Manchester United dominance

Season	Champions	Runners-up
1992–93	Manchester United	Aston Villa
1993–94	Manchester United	Blackburn Rovers
1994–95	Blackburn Rovers	Manchester United
1995–96	Manchester United	Newcastle United
1996–97	Manchester United	Newcastle United
1997–98	Arsenal	Manchester United
1998–99	Manchester United	Arsenal
Double winners Treble winners

At the close of the 1990–1991 season, a proposal was tabled for the establishment of a new league that would bring more money into the game overall. The Founder Members Agreement, signed on 17 July 1991, by the game's top-flight clubs, established the basic principles for setting up the FA Premier League.The newly formed top division was to have commercial independence from the Football Association and the Football League, giving the FA Premier League licence to negotiate its ownbroadcastandsponsorshipagreements. The argument given at the time was that the extra income would allow English clubs to compete with teams across Europe.Although Dyke played a significant role in the creation of the Premier League, he and ITV (of which LWT was part) lost out in the bidding for broadcast rights:BSkyBwon with a bid of £304 million over five years, with theBBCawarded the highlights package broadcast onMatch of the Day.

Luton Town,Notts County,andWest Ham Unitedwere the three teams relegated from the old First Division at the end of the 1991–92 season, and did not take part in the inaugural Premier League season. They were replaced byIpswich Town,Middlesbrough,and Blackburn Rovers, promoted from the old Second Division.The 22 First Division clubs resigned en masse from the Football League in 1992, and on 27 May that year, the FA Premier League was formed as alimited company,working out of an office at the Football Association's then headquarters inLancaster Gate.The 22 inaugural members of the new Premier League were:

• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Blackburn Rovers
• Chelsea
• Coventry City
• Crystal Palace
• Everton
• Ipswich Town
• Leeds United
• Liverpool
• Manchester City
• Manchester United
• Middlesbrough
• Norwich City
• Nottingham Forest
• Oldham Athletic
• Queens Park Rangers
• Sheffield United
• Sheffield Wednesday
• Southampton
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Wimbledon

This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions; the Premier League would operate with a single division and the Football League with three. There was no change in competition format; the same number of teams competed in the top flight, and promotion and relegation between the Premier League and the new First Division remained the same as the old First andSecond Divisions,with three teams relegated from the league and three promoted.

The league held its first season in1992–93.It was composed of 22 clubs for that season (reduced to 20 in the1995–96 season). The first Premier League goal was scored byBrian DeaneofSheffield Unitedin a 2–1 win against Manchester United.

Manchester United won the inaugural edition of the new league, ending a twenty-six year wait to be crowned champions of England. Bolstered by this breakthrough, United immediately became the competition's dominant team, winning seven of the first nine trophies, two League and FA Cup 'doubles' and a European treble, initially under a team of hardened veterans such asBryan Robson,Steve Bruce,Paul Ince,Mark Hughes,andEric Cantona,before Cantona, Bruce, andRoy Keaneled a young, dynamic new team filled with theClass of 92,a group of young players includingDavid Beckhamwho came through the Manchester United Academy.

Between 1993 and 1997,Blackburn RoversandNewcastle Unitedcame close to challenging Manchester United's early dominance; Blackburn won the1994–95 FA Premier Leagueand Newcastle led the title charge over United for much of the1995–96 season.As the decade closed,Arsenalreplicated Manchester United's dominance by winning the League and FA Cup double in1997–98,and together they would form a duopoly over the league between 1997 and 2003.

Emergence of the "Big Four" (2000s)

Results of the 'Big Four' during the 2000s

Season	ARS	CHE	LIV	MUN
1999–2000	2	5	4	1
2000–01	2	6	3	1
2001–02	1	6	2	3
2002–03	2	4	5	1
2003–04	1	2	4	3
2004–05	2	1	5	3
2005–06	4	1	3	2
2006–07	4	2	3	1
2007–08	3	2	4	1
2008–09	4	3	2	1
Top four	10	7	8	10
out of 10
League champions Champions League group stage Champions League third qualifying / play-off round Champions League first qualifying round UEFA Cup / Europa League

The 2000s saw the rise ofLiverpoolalongside the "Big 2", followed by Chelsea finally breaking the Arsenal–Man United duopoly by winning the league in2004–05.The dominance of the so-called"Big Four"clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United– saw them finish at the top of the table for most of the decade, thereby guaranteeing qualification for theUEFA Champions League.Only three other clubs managed to qualify for the competition during this period:Newcastle United(2001–02and2002–03),Everton(2004–05), andTottenham Hotspur(2009–10) – each occupying the final Champions League spot, with the exception of Newcastle in the 2002–03 season, who finished third.

Following the2003–04season, Arsenal acquired the nickname "The Invincibles"as they became the first and, to date, only club to complete a Premier League campaign without losing a single game.

In May 2008,Kevin Keeganstated that "Big Four" dominance threatened the division: "This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world."Premier League chief executiveRichard Scudamoresaid in defence: "There are a lot of different tussles that go on in the Premier League depending on whether you're at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom that make it interesting."

Between 2005 and 2012, there was a Premier League representative in seven of the eightChampions League finals,with only the "Big Four" clubs reaching that stage. Liverpool (2005), Manchester United (2008), and Chelsea (2012) won the competition during this period, with Arsenal (2006), Liverpool (2007), Chelsea (2008), and Manchester United (2009and2011) all losing Champions League finals.Leeds United were the only non- "Big Four" side to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, in the2000–01 season.There were three Premier League teams in the Champions League semi-finals in2006–07,2007–08,and2008–09,a feat only ever achieved five times (along withSerie Ain2002–03andLa Ligain1999–2000).

Additionally, between the 1999–2000 and 2009–10 seasons, four Premier League sides reached theUEFA Cup or Europa Leaguefinals, with only Liverpool managing to win the competition in2001.Arsenal (2000),Middlesbrough(2006), andFulham(2010) all lost their finals.

Although the group's dominance was reduced to a degree after this period with the emergence of Manchester City and Tottenham, in terms of all-time Premier League points won, they remain clear by some margin. As of the end of the 2021–22 season – the 30th season of the Premier League – Liverpool, in fourth place in the all-time points table, were over 300 points ahead of the next team, Tottenham Hotspur. They are also the only teams to maintain a winning average of over 50% throughout their entire Premier League tenures.

Emergence of the "Big Six" (2010s)

Main article:Big Six (Premier League)

Results of the 'Big Six' during the 2010s

Season	ARS	CHE	LIV	MCI	MUN	TOT
2009–10	3	1	7	5	2	4
2010–11	4	2	6	3	1	5
2011–12	3	6	8	1	2	4
2012–13	4	3	7	2	1	5
2013–14	4	3	2	1	7	6
2014–15	3	1	6	2	4	5
2015–16	2	10	8	4	5	3
2016–17	5	1	4	3	6	2
2017–18	6	5	4	1	2	3
2018–19	5	3	2	1	6	4
Top four	7	7	4	9	6	6
Top six	10	9	6	10	9	10
out of 10
League champions Champions League group stage Champions League play-off round Europa League

The years following 2009 marked a shift from the "Big Four" withTottenham HotspurandManchester Citybreaking into the top four places on a regular basis, turning the "Big Four" into the "Big Six".In the2009–10 season,Tottenham finished fourth and became the first new team to finish in the top four sinceEvertonfive years prior.Criticism of the gap between an elite group of "super clubs" and the majority of the Premier League has continued, nevertheless, due to their increasing ability to spend more than the other Premier League clubs.Manchester City won the title in the2011–12 season,becoming the first club outside the "Big Four" to win sinceBlackburn Roversin the1994–95 season.That season also saw two of the "Big Four" (Chelsea and Liverpool) finish outside the top four places for the first time since that season.

With only four UEFA Champions League qualifying places available in the league, greater competition for qualification now exists, albeit from a narrow base of six clubs. In the five seasons following the 2011–12 campaign,Manchester UnitedandLiverpoolboth found themselves outside of the top four three times, whilst Chelsea finished 10th in the 2015–16 season. Arsenal finished 5th in2016–17,ending their record run of 20 consecutive top-four finishes.

In the2015–16 season,underdogsLeicester Citywon the Premier League. With 5000/1 odds of winning the league at the beginning of the season, Leicester became the first club outside the "Big Six" to win the Premier League sinceBlackburn Roversin the1994–95 season.

Off the pitch, the "Big Six" wield significant financial power and influence, with these clubs arguing that they should be entitled to a greater share of revenue due to the greater stature of their clubs globally and the attractive football they aim to play.Objectors argue that the egalitarian revenue structure in the Premier League helps to maintain a competitive league which is vital for its future success.The2016–17Deloitte Football Money Leaguereport showed the financial disparity between the "Big Six" and the rest of the division. All of the "Big Six" had revenues greater than €350 million, with Manchester United having the largest revenue in the league at €676.3 million. Leicester City was the closest club to the "Big Six" in terms of revenue, recording a figure of €271.1 million for that season – helped by participation in the Champions League. The eighth-largest revenue generator,West Ham– who did not play in European competition – had revenues of €213.3 million, less than half of those of the club with the fifth-largest revenue, Liverpool (€424.2 million).A substantial part of the clubs' revenue by then came from television broadcast deals, with the biggest clubs each taking from around £150 million to nearly £200 million in the 2016–17 season from such deals.InDeloitte's 2019 report, all the "Big Six" were in the top ten of the world's richest clubs.

Number of top 6 finishes during 2010s

Club	Top 6 finishes
Manchester City	10
Tottenham Hotspur	10
Arsenal	10
Chelsea	9
Manchester United	9
Liverpool	6
Everton	2
Leicester City	1
Newcastle United	1
Southampton	1
Aston Villa	1

Manchester City dominance (2020s)

Results of the 'Big Six' during the 2020s

Season	ARS	CHE	LIV	MCI	MUN	TOT
2019–20	8	4	1	2	3	6
2020–21	8	4	3	1	2	7
2021–22	5	3	2	1	6	4
2022–23	2	12	5	1	3	8
2023–24	2	6	3	1	8	5
Top four	2	3	4	5	3	1
Top six	3	4	5	5	4	3
out of 5
League champions Champions League Europa League Conference League

From the2019–20 season,video assistant refereeswere used in the league.The 2019–20 season saw Liverpool win their first Premier League trophy, their first top-flight trophy in 30 years.

Project Big Picturewas announced in October 2020 that described a plan to reunite the top Premier League clubs with theEnglish Football League,proposed by leading Premier League clubsManchester UnitedandLiverpool.It has been criticised by the Premier League leadership and the UK government'sDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport.

On 26 April 2021, play was stopped during a match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace to allow playersWesley FofanaandCheikhou Kouyatéto breakRamadan fast.It is believed to be the first time in Premier League history that a game was paused to allow Muslim players to eat and drink after the sun had set in accordance with the rules of the faith.

The2022–23 seasonwas the first to take a six-week break between November and December 2022 to allow for thefirst winter World Cup,with a return for theBo xing Dayfixtures.The Premier League players decided to take the knee at selected "significant moments". They assured to "remain resolutely committed to eradicate racial prejudice".That season was notable forNewcastle UnitedandBrighton & Hove Albionbreaking the traditional "Big Six" as they finished fourth and sixth, respectively, whilst "Big Six" teamsTottenhamand Chelsea finished eighth and twelfth.Meanwhile, 2015–16 champions Leicester City were relegated, becoming the second league-winning club to suffer relegation since 1992, afterBlackburn Roversin the2011–12 season.

In the2023–24 season,Manchester City won the Premier League for the sixth time in seven years to become the first top-flight team to win four consecutive league titles in English football history.Meanwhile, non-Big Six clubAston Villafinished fourth and qualified for the2024–25 UEFA Champions League.

Number of top 6 finishes during 2020s

Club	Top 6 finishes
Liverpool	5
Manchester City	5
Manchester United	4
Chelsea	4
Arsenal	3
Tottenham Hotspur	3
Leicester City	2
Aston Villa	1
Brighton & Hove Albion	1
Newcastle United	1
West Ham United	1

Corporate structure

The Football Association Premier League Ltd (FAPL)is operated as a corporation and is owned by the 20 member clubs. Each club is ashareholder,with one vote each on issues such as rule changes and contracts. The clubs select a chairman, chief executive, and board of directors to oversee the daily operations of the league.The Football Association is not directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the Premier League, but has veto power as a special shareholder during the election of the chairman and chief executive and when new rules are adopted by the league.

The current chief executive isRichard Masters,who was appointed in December 2019.The chair is currentlyAlison Brittain,who took over the role in early 2023.

The Premier League sends representatives to UEFA'sEuropean Club Association,the number of clubs and the clubs themselves chosen according toUEFA coefficients.For the2023–24 season,the Premier League has 13 representatives in the Association: Arsenal, Aston Villa,Brighton & Hove Albion,Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.The European Club Association is responsible for electing three members to UEFA's Club Competitions Committee, which is involved in the operations of UEFA competitions such as theChampions LeagueandUEFA Europa League.

Office holders

Office	No.	Name	Tenure
Chief Executive	1	Rick Parry	1991–1997
	2	Richard Scudamore	1999–2018
	3	Richard Masters	2019–
Chair	1	Sir John Quinton	1991–1999
	2	Dave Richards	1999–2013
	3	Anthony Fry	2013–2014
	4	Richard Scudamore	2014–2018
	5	Gary Hoffman	2020–2022
	6	Alison Brittain	2023–

Criticism of governance

The Premier League has faced criticism of itsgovernancedue to an alleged lack oftransparencyandaccountability.

Following the Premier League's blocking of theattempted takeover of Newcastle United by a PIF-backed consortiumthrough the league'sOwners' and Directors' test,many MPs,Newcastle Unitedfans and related parties to the deal denounced the Premier League for its perceived lack of transparency and accountability throughout the process.On 6 July 2021, consortium memberAmanda Staveleyof PCP Capital Partners said that "fans surely deserve absolute transparency from the regulators across all their processes – to best ensure that they act responsibly. They (the Premier League) are performing a function like that of a government regulator – but without the same systems for accountability."

On 22 July 2021,Tracey Crouch MP– chair of the fan-led review into the UK's football governance – announced in the review's interim findings that the Premier League had "lost the trust and confidence" of fans. The review also recommended that a new independent regulator be created to oversee matters such as club takeovers.

Premier League chief executiveRichard Mastershad earlier spoken out against the implementation of an independent regulator, saying in May 2021, "I don't think that the independent regulator is the answer to the question. I would defend the Premier League's role as regulator of its clubs over the past 30 years."

Competition format

[The Premier League] is very tough and is different. If you compare this league to another league, it's like playing another sport.

–Antonio Conte,on the competitiveness of the Premier League.

In [The Premier League] you never really know what is going to happen, there is very little between the teams.

–Luis Suarez

Competition

There are 20 clubs in the Premier League. During the course of a season (from August to May) each club plays the others twice (a doubleround-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for 38 games. Teams receivethree points for a winand one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams arerankedby total points, thengoal difference,and then goals scored. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, the head-to-head record between the tied teams is taken into consideration (points scored in the matches between the teams, followed by away goals in those matches.) If two teams are still tied, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.

Promotion and relegation

A system ofpromotion and relegationexists between the Premier League and theEFL Championship.The three lowest placed teams in the Premier League are relegated to the Championship, and the top two teams from the Championship promoted to the Premier League,with an additional team promoted after a series of play-offs involving the third, fourth, fifth and sixth placed clubs.The number of clubs was reduced from 22 to 20 in1995,when four teams were relegated from the league and only two teams promoted.The top flight had only been expanded to 22 teams at the start of the1991–92 season– the year prior to the formation of the Premier League.

On 8 June 2006,FIFArequested that all major European leagues, including Italy'sSerie Aand Spain'sLa Liga,be reduced to 18 teams by the start of the2007–08 season.The Premier League responded by announcing their intention to resist such a reduction.Ultimately, the 2007–08 season kicked off again with 20 teams.

Video Assistant Referee

Video assistant referee(VAR), was introduced to the Premier League at the beginning of the2019–20 season.It uses technology and officials to assist therefereein making decisions on the pitch.However, its use has been met with mixed receptions from fans and pundits, with some praising its accuracy whilst others criticise its impact on the flow of the game and consistency of decision-making.

The on-field referee still makes the final decision, but VAR can assist the referee in the decision-making process. VAR can only be used for four types of decisions: goals,penaltydecisions, directred cardincidents, and cases of mistaken identity. VAR officials review the video footage and communicate with the on-field referee via a headset. The VAR officials are located in a central control room, which is equipped with multiple camera angles and the ability to replay footage at various speeds.

A study evaluating fan reception of VAR in the Premier League was made by Otto Kolbinger and Melanie Knopp and was done by analysingTwitterdata.The researchers used sentiment analysis to measure the overall positive or negative attitudes towards VAR, as well as topic modelling to identify specific issues that fans are discussing related to VAR. The study found that the reception of VAR on Twitter is largely negative, with fans expressing frustration and criticism of the technology's impact on the flow of the game and the inconsistency of decisions. The researchers also identified specific issues, such as handball and offside decisions, that fans are particularly critical of. The study concludes that VAR has not been well received by fans in the Premier League, and that efforts to improve the technology and increase transparency in decision-making are needed to address these concerns.

Clubs

Main article:List of Premier League clubs

See also:Performance record of clubs in the Premier LeagueandAll-time Premier League table

Fifty-one clubs have played in the Premier League from its inception in 1992, up to and including the2023–24season.

Champions

See also:List of English football champions

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning seasons
Manchester United	13	7	1992–93,1993–94,1995–96,1996–97,1998–99,1999–2000,2000–01,2002–03,2006–07,2007–08,2008–09,2010–11,2012–13
Manchester City	8	3	2011–12,2013–14,2017–18,2018–19,2020–21,2021–22,2022–23,2023–24
Chelsea	5	4	2004–05,2005–06,2009–10,2014–15,2016–17
Arsenal	3	8	1997–98,2001–02,2003–04
Liverpool	1	5	2019–20
Blackburn Rovers	1	1	1994–95
Leicester City	1	0	2015–16

Titles won by club (%)

Manchester United – 13 (40.6%)

Manchester City – 8 (25.0%)

Chelsea – 5 (15.7%)

Arsenal – 3 (9.4%)

Liverpool – 1 (3.1%)

Blackburn Rovers – 1 (3.1%)

Leicester City – 1 (3.1%)

Italicsindicate former Premier League champions that are currently outside the Premier League.

2024–25 season

Twenty clubs are competing in the2024–25 season– top seventeen from theprevious seasonand three promoted from theChampionship.

2024–25 Club	2023–24 Position	First season in top division	First season in Premier League	Seasons in top division	Seasons in Premier League	First season of current spell in top division	No. of seasons of current spell in Premier League	Top division titles	Most recent top division title
Arsenal	2nd	1904–05	1992–93	108	33	1919–20 (99 seasons)	33	13	2003–04
Aston Villa	4th	1888–89	1992–93	111	30	2019–20 (6 seasons)	6	7	1980–81
Bournemouth	12th	2015–16	2015–16	8	8	2022–23 (3 seasons)	3	0	–
Brentford	16th	1935–36	2021–22	9	4	2021–22 (4 seasons)	4	0	–
Brighton & Hove Albion	11th	1979–80	2017–18	12	8	2017–18 (8 seasons)	8	0	–
Chelsea	6th	1907–08	1992–93	90	33	1989–90 (36 seasons)	33	6	2016–17
Crystal Palace	10th	1969–70	1992–93	25	16	2013–14 (12 seasons)	12	0	–
Everton	15th	1888–89	1992–93	122	33	1954–55 (71 seasons)	33	9	1986–87
Fulham	13th	1949–50	2001–02	30	18	2022–23 (3 seasons)	3	0	–
Ipswich Town	2nd (EFL)	1961–62	1992–93	27	6	2024–25 (1 season)	1	1	1961–62
Leicester City	1st (EFL)	1955–56	1994–95	56	18	2024–25 (1 season)	1	1	2015–16
Liverpool	3rd	1894–95	1992–93	110	33	1962–63 (63 seasons)	33	19	2019–20
Manchester City	1st	1899–1900	1992–93	96	28	2002–03 (23 seasons)	23	10	2023–24
Manchester United	8th	1892–93	1992–93	100	33	1975–76 (50 seasons)	33	20	2012–13
Newcastle United	7th	1898–99	1993–94	93	30	2017–18 (8 seasons)	8	4	1926–27
Nottingham Forest	17th	1892–93	1992–93	59	8	2022–23 (3 seasons)	3	1	1977–78
Southampton	4th playoffs (EFL)	1966–67	1992–93	47	25	2024–25 (1 season)	1	0	–
Tottenham Hotspur	5th	1909–10	1992–93	90	33	1978–79 (47 seasons)	33	2	1960–61
West Ham United	9th	1923–24	1993–94	67	29	2012–13 (13 seasons)	13	0	–
Wolverhampton Wanderers	14th	1888–89	2003–04	70	11	2018–19 (7 seasons)	7	3	1958–59

• Luton Town,BurnleyandSheffield Unitedwere relegated to theEFL Championshipfor the2024–25 season,whilstLeicester City,Ipswich Town,andSouthampton,as winners, runners-up and play-off final winners, respectively, were promoted from the2023–24 season.
• Only two clubs have remained in the Premier League since their first promotion:BrentfordandBrighton & Hove Albion,who have been in 4 and 8 season(s) (out of 33), respectively.

London

Aston
Villa

Bournemouth

Brighton &
Hove Albion

Ipswich Town

Leicester City

Everton

Liverpool

Manchester City

Manchester United

Newcastle United

Nottingham Forest

Southampton

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Londonteams:
Arsenal
Brentford
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Fulham
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the 2024–25 Premier League clubs

Arsenal

Brentford

Chelsea

Crystal Palace

Fulham

Tottenham Hotspur

West Ham United

class=notpageimage|

Location of clubs around Greater London for the 2024–25 Premier League

Non-English clubs

See also:List of association football clubs playing in the league of another country

In 2011, afterSwansea Citygained promotion, a Welsh club participated in the Premier League for the first time.The first Premier League match to be played outside England was Swansea City's home match atLiberty StadiumagainstWigan Athleticon 20 August 2011.The number of Welsh clubs in the Premier League increased to two in 2013–14, asCardiff Citygained promotion,but they were relegated after their maiden season.Cardiff were promoted again in2017–18but the number of Welsh clubs remained the same for the2018–19 Premier Leagueseason, as Swansea City had been relegated from the Premier League in 2017–18.Following Cardiff City's relegation after the 2018–19 season, there are currently no Welsh clubs participating in the Premier League.

Because they are members of theFootball Association of Wales(FAW), the question of whether clubs likeSwanseashould represent England or Wales in European competitions has causedlong-running discussionsinUEFA.Swansea took one of England's three available places in theEuropa Leaguein 2013–14 by winning theLeague Cupin 2012–13.The right of Welsh clubs to take up such English places was in doubt until UEFA clarified the matter in March 2012, allowing them to participate.

Participation in the Premier League by some Scottish or Irish clubs has sometimes been discussed, but without result. The idea came closest to reality in 1998, whenWimbledonreceived Premier League approval torelocate to Dublin, Ireland,but the move was blocked by theFootball Association of Ireland.Additionally, the media occasionally discusses the idea that Scotland's two biggest teams,CelticandRangers,should or will take part in the Premier League, but nothing has come of these discussions.

International competitions

Qualification for European competitions

See also:UEFA coefficient § Men's association coefficient

Qualification criteria for 2024–25

See also:2024–25 UEFA Champions League § Association team allocation

The top four teams in the Premier League qualify automatically for the subsequent season'sUEFA Champions Leagueleague phase. The champions of the Champions League andUEFA Europa Leaguemay earn an additional qualification for the subsequent season's Champions League league phase if did not finish in the top four. If this means six Premier League teams qualify, then the fourth-placed team in the Premier League is instead entered in the Europa League, as any single nation is limited to a maximum of five teams in the Champions League. However, starting from the2024–25 UEFA Champions Leaguethere are additional berths for the two best associations in the previous season's ranking, which may result in a maximum of six teams from one association in the Champions League.

The fifth-placed team in the Premier League, as well as the winners of theFA Cup,qualify for the subsequent season's Europa League league phase, but if the winner of the FA Cup also finishes in the top five places in the Premier League or has won one of UEFA's major tournaments, then this place reverts to the team that finished sixth. The winner of theEFL Cupqualifies for the subsequent season'sUEFA Conference League,but if the winner had already qualified for a UEFA competition via their performance in another competition, then this place reverts to the team that finished sixth in the Premier League, or seventh if the FA Cup result had already caused the sixth-placed team to qualify.

The number of places allocated to English clubs in UEFA competitions is dependent upon the position the country holds in the UEFA coefficient rankings, which are calculated based on the performance of teams in UEFA competitions over the previous five years. Currently, England is ranked first, ahead of Spain.

As of 26 September 2024, the coefficients for are as follows (onlytop five European leaguesare shown):

Ranking			Member association (L: League, C: Cup, LC: League Cup)	Coefficient						Teams	Regular places in 2026–27 season
2025	2024	Mvmt		2020–21	2021–22	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25	Total		CL	EL	CO	Total
1	1	–	England(L,C,LC)	24.357	21.000	23.000	17.375	4.857	90.589	7/7	4	2	1	7
2	2	–	Italy(L,C)	16.285	15.714	22.357	21.000	4.875	80.231	8/8
3	3	–	Spain(L,C)	19.500	18.428	16.571	16.062	4.571	75.132	7/7
4	4	–	Germany(L,C)	15.214	16.214	17.125	19.357	5.000	72.910	8/8
5	5	–	France(L,C)	7.916	18.416	12.583	16.250	5.214	60.379	6/7

Previous seasons

An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, afterLiverpoolwon theChampions League the season before,but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in thePremier League.UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers.The governing body subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that if the Champions League winners finished outside the top four in its domestic league, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team. At that time, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League.This occurred in 2012, when Chelsea – who hadwon the Champions Leaguethat summer, but finished sixth in the league – qualified for the2012–13 Champions Leaguein place ofTottenham Hotspur,who went into theEuropa League.

From2015–16,the Europa League champions qualify for the Champions League, increasing the maximum number of participants per country to five.This took effect in England in2016–17,when Manchester United finished sixth in the Premier League and won theEuropa League,giving England five Champions League entrants for2017–18.In these instances, any Europa League berth vacated is not handed down to the next-best Premier League finisher outside of a qualifying place. If both Champions League and Europa League winners are of the same association and both finish outside the top four, then the fourth-placed team is transferred to the Europa League.

Performance in international competition

Main article:English football clubs in international competitions

With 48 continental trophies won, English clubs are thethird-most successfulin European football, behind Italy (50) and Spain (67). In the top-tierUEFA Champions League,a recordsix English clubs have wona total of 15 titles and lost a further 11 finals,behind Spanish clubs with 20 and 11, respectively.In the second-tierUEFA Europa League,English clubs arethird,with nine victories and eight losses in thefinals.In the former second-tierUEFA Cup Winners' Cup,English teams won arecordeight titles and had a further five finalists.In the non-UEFAorganisedInter-Cities Fairs Cup,English clubs provided four winners and four runners-up, the second-most behind Spain with six and three, respectively.In the newly created third-tierUEFA Conference League,English clubs have won a joint-recordone titleso far.In the former fourth-tierUEFA Intertoto Cup,England won four titles and had a further final appearance, placing it fifth in therankings,although English clubs were notorious for treating the tournament with disdain, either sending "B" squads or withdrawing from it altogether.In the one-offUEFA Super Cup,England has ten winners and ten runners-up, thesecond-mostbehind Spain with 17 and 15, respectively.Similarly to the Intertoto Cup, English teams did not take the formerIntercontinental Cupseriously enough, despite its international status of theClub World Championship.They a made a total of six appearances in the one-off competition, winning only one of them, and withdrew a further three times.English clubs have won theFIFA-organisedClub World Cupfour times,tied for thesecond-mostwith Brazil, and behind only Spain, with eight.

Sponsorship

See also:English football sponsorship

After an inaugural season with no sponsorship, the Premier League was sponsored byCarlingfrom 1993 until 2001, during which time it was known as the FA Carling Premiership. In 2001, a new sponsorship deal withBarclaycardsaw the league rebranded the FA Barclaycard Premiership, which was changed to the FA Barclays Premiership in time for the 2004–05 season.

For the 2007–08 season, the league was rebranded the Barclays Premier League.

Period	Sponsor	Brand
1992–1993	No sponsor	FA Premier League
1993–2001	Carling	FA Carling Premiership
2001–2004	Barclaycard	FA Barclaycard Premiership
2004–2007	Barclays	FA Barclays Premiership
2007–2016		Barclays Premier League
2016–present	No sponsor	Premier League

Barclays' deal with the Premier League expired at the end of the 2015–16 season. The organisation announced on 4 June 2015 that it would not pursue any further title sponsorship deals for the Premier League, arguing that they wanted to build a "clean" brand for the competition more in line with those ofmajor U.S. sports leagues.

Nike"Maxim" ball used in the Premier League in 2012

As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Premier League has a number of official partners and suppliers.The official ball supplier for the league isNikewho have had the contract since the 2000–01 season when they took over fromMitre.Under itsMerlinbrand,Toppsheld the licence to produce collectables for the Premier League between 1994 and 2019 including stickers (for theirsticker album) andtrading cards.Launched in the 2007–08 season, Topps' Match Attax, the official Premier League trading card game, is the best selling boys collectable in the UK, and is also the biggest selling sports trading card game in the world.In October 2018,Paniniwere awarded the licence to produce collectables from the 2019–20 season.The chocolate companyCadburyhas been the official snack partner of the Premier League since 2017, and sponsored theGolden Boot,Golden GloveandPlaymaker of the Seasonawards from the 2017–18 season to 2019–20 season.The Coca-Cola Company(under itsCoca-Cola Zero Sugarproduct line) sponsored these awards during the 2020–21 season withCastrolbeing the current sponsor as of the 2021–22 season.

Finances

See also:List of Premier League football club owners

The Premier League has the highest revenue of any association football league in the world, with total club revenues of €2.48 billion in 2009–10.In 2013–14, due to improved television revenues and cost controls, the Premier League clubs collectively made a net profit in excess of £78 million, exceeding all other football leagues.In 2010 the Premier League was awarded theQueen's Award for Enterprisein the International Trade category for its outstanding contribution to international trade and the value it brings to English football and the United Kingdom's broadcasting industry.

The Premier League includes some of the richest football clubs in the world. Deloitte's "Football Money League"listed seven Premier League clubs in the top 20 for the 2009–10 season,and all 20 clubs were in the top 40 globally by the end of the 2013–14 season, largely as a result of increased broadcasting revenue.In 2019, the league generated around £3.1 billion per year in domestic and international television rights.

Premier League clubs agreed in principle in December 2012, to radical new cost controls. The two proposals consist of a break-even rule and a cap on the amount clubs can increase their wage bill by each season. With the new television deals on the horizon, momentum has been growing to find ways of preventing the majority of the cash going straight to players and agents.

Central payments for the 2016–17 season amounted to £2,398,515,773 across the 20 clubs, with each team receiving a flat participation fee of £35,301,989 and additional payments for TV broadcasts (£1,016,690 for general UK rights to match highlights, £1,136,083 for each live UK broadcast of their games and £39,090,596 for all overseas rights), commercial rights (a flat fee of £4,759,404) and a notional measure of "merit" which was based upon final league position.The merit component was a nominal sum of £1,941,609 multiplied by each finishing place, counted from the foot of the table (e.g.,Burnleyfinished 16th in May 2017, five places counting upwards, and received 5 × £1,941,609 = £9,708,045 merit payment).

Relegation

See also:Premier League–Football League gulfandPremier League parachute and solidarity payments

Since its split with theFootball League,established clubs in the Premier League have a funding disparity from counterparts in lower leagues. Revenue from television rights between the leagues has played a part in this.

Promoted teams have found it difficult to avoid relegation in their first Premier League season. One Premier League newcomer has been relegated back to the Football League every season, save the2001–02,2011–12, 2017–18 & 2022–23 seasons. In the1997–98and2023–24seasons, all three promoted clubs were relegated by the season's end.

The Premier League distributes a portion of its television revenue as "parachute payments" to relegated clubs for adjustment to television revenue loss. The average Premier League team receives £41 millionwhilst the averageChampionshipclub receives £2 million.Starting with the2013–14season, these payments are in excess of £60 million over four seasons.Critics maintain that the payments widen the gap between teams that have reached the Premier League and those that have not,leading to the common occurrence of teams "bouncing back"soon after their relegation.

Clubs which have failed to win immediate promotion back to the Premier League have seen financial problems, in some casesadministrationor liquidation. Further relegations down the footballing ladder have occurred for multiple clubs unable to cope with the gap.

Media coverage

See also:English football on television,List of Premier League broadcasters,andBroadcasting and the foundation of the Premier League

United Kingdom and Ireland

Matches broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Seasons	Sky	Others				Total
1992–2001	60	–				60
2001–2004	110					110
2004–2007	138					138
2007–2009	92	Setanta	46	–		138
2009–2010	92	ESPN	46			138
2010–2013	115	ESPN	23			138
2013–2016	116	TNT	38			154
2016–2019	126		42			168
2019–2025	128		52	Amazon	20	200
2025–2029	215+		52	–		270

Eden Hazardin possession of the ball during a 2012 match betweenChelseaandNorwich City

Television has played a major role in the history of the Premier League. The League's decision to assign broadcasting rights toSkyin 1992 was at the time a radical decision, but one that has paid off. At the time, paid television was an almost untested proposition in the UK market as was charging fans to watch live televised football. However, a combination of Sky's strategy, the quality of Premier League football and the public's appetite for the game has seen the value of the Premier League's TV rights soar.

The Premier League sells its television rights on a collective basis. This is in contrast to some other European leagues, including La Liga, in which each club sells its rights individually, leading to a much higher share of the total income going to the top few clubs.The money is divided into three parts:half is divided equally between the clubs; one quarter is awarded on a merit basis based on final league position, the top club getting twenty times as much as the bottom club, and equal steps all the way down the table; the final quarter is paid out as facilities fees for games that are shown on television, with the top clubs generally receiving the largest shares of this. The income from overseas rights is divided equally between the twenty clubs.

Not all Premier League matches are televised in the United Kingdom, as the league upholds thelong-standing prohibitionon telecasts of any association football match (domestic or otherwise) that kicks off between 2:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on Saturday matchdays.

The first Sky television rights agreement was worth £304 million over five seasons.The next contract, negotiated to start from the 1997–98 season, rose to £670 million over four seasons.The third contract was a £1.024 billion deal with BSkyB for the three seasons from 2001 to 2004. The league brought in £320 million from the sale of its international rights for the three-year period from 2004 to 2007. It sold the rights itself on a territory-by-territory basis.Sky's monopoly was broken from August 2006 whenSetanta Sportswas awarded rights to show two out of the six packages of matches available. This occurred following an insistence by theEuropean Commissionthat exclusive rights should not be sold to one television company. Sky and Setanta paid £1.7 billion, a two-thirds increase which took many commentators by surprise as it had been widely assumed that the value of the rights had levelled off following many years of rapid growth. Setanta also hold rights to a live 3 pm match solely for Irish viewers. TheBBCretained the rights to show highlights for the same three seasons (onMatch of the Day) for £171.6 million, a 63 per cent increase on the £105 million it paid for the previous three-year period.Sky andBT Group(via its new channelBT Sport,now TNT Sports) agreed to jointly pay £84.3 million for delayed television rights to 242 games (that is the right to broadcast them in full on television and over the internet) in most cases for a period of 50 hours after 10 p.m. on matchday.Overseas television rights fetched £625 million, nearly double the previous contract.The total raised from those deals was more than £2.7 billion, giving Premier League clubs an average media income from league games of around £40 million-a-year from 2007 to 2010.

Cristiano Ronaldopreparing to take a free kick in a 2009 match betweenManchester UnitedandLiverpool

The TV rights agreement between the Premier League and Sky faced accusations of being a cartel, and a number of court cases arose as a result.An investigation by theOffice of Fair Tradingin 2002 found BSkyB to be dominant within the pay TV sports market, but concluded that there were insufficient grounds for the claim that BSkyB had abused its dominant position.In July 1999 the Premier League's method of selling rights collectively for all member clubs was investigated by the UK Restrictive Practices Court, which concluded that the agreement was not contrary to the public interest.

The BBC's highlights package on Saturday and Sunday nights, as well as other evenings when fixtures justify, ran until 2016.Television rights alone for the period 2010 to 2013 were purchased for £1.782 billion.On 22 June 2009, due to troubles encountered by Setanta Sports after it failed to meet a final deadline over a £30 million payment to the Premier League,ESPNwas awarded two packages of UK rights containing 46 matches that were available for the 2009–10 season as well as a package of 23 matches per season from 2010 to 2013.On 13 June 2012, the Premier League announced thatBThad been awarded 38 games a season for the 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons at £246 million-a-year. The remaining 116 games were retained by Sky, which paid £760 million-a-year. The total domestic rights raised £3.018 billion, an increase of 70.2% over the 2010–11 to 2012–13 rights.The value of the licensing deal rose by another 70.2% in 2015, when Sky and BT paid £5.136 billion to renew their contracts with the Premier League for another three years up to the 2018–19 season.

A new rights cycle began in the 2019–20 season, with the domestic package increasing to 200 matches overall; in February 2018, BT were awarded the package of 32 lunchtime fixtures on Saturdays, whilst Sky was awarded four of the seven packages, covering the majority of weekend fixtures (including eight new prime time fixtures on Saturdays), as well as Monday and Friday matches. Two remaining packages of 20 fixtures each were to be sold at a later date, including three rounds of mid-week fixtures and a bank holiday round. As Sky already owned the maximum number of matches it could hold without breaching a 148-match cap, it was speculated that at least one of the new packages could go to a new entrant, such as a streaming service. The five packages sold to BT and Sky were valued at £4.464 billion.In June 2018, it was announced thatAmazon Prime Videoand BT had acquired the remaining two packages; Amazon acquired rights to 20 matches per-season, covering a mid-week round in December, and allBo xing Dayfixtures.The Amazon telecasts are produced in association withSunset + Vineand BT Sport.

With the resumption of play in the2019–20 Premier Leaguedue to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom,the Premier League announced that all remaining matches would be carried on British television, split primarily across Sky, BT, and Amazon. A large number of these matches were also scheduled for free-to-air broadcasts, with Sky airing 25 onPick,Amazon streaming its four matches onTwitch,and the BBC – for the first time in league history – carrying four live matches.

As matches would continue to be played without spectators upon the start of the2020–21 Premier League,its clubs voted on 8 September to continue broadcasting all matches through at least September (with the BBC and Amazon each holding one additional match), and "appropriate arrangements" being made for October.It was later announced that matches not selected for broadcast would be carried onpay-per-viewviaBT Sport Box OfficeandSky Box Officeat a cost of £14.95 per-match. The PPV scheme was poorly received; theFootball Supporters' Federationfelt that the price was too high, and there were concerns that it could encourage piracy. There were calls from supporters to boycott the pay-per-views, and make donations to support charitable causes instead (with Newcastle's "Charity Not PPV" campaign raising £20,000 for a local food bank, and Arsenal fans raising £34,000 for Islington Giving). On 13 November, amid the reintroduction of measures across the UK, the Premier League officially announced that the non-televised matches would be assigned to its main broadcast partners, and again including additional matches for the BBC andAmazon Prime.

The next cycle of rights between 2022–23 and 2024–25 season was renewed without tender due to compelling and exceptional circumstances in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, rights remained as they were since the 2019–20 season.

UK highlights

Highlights programme	Duration	Channel
Match of the Day	1992–2001 2004–present	BBC
The Premiership	2001–2004	ITV

In August 2016, it was announced the BBC would be creating a new magazine-style show for the Premier League entitledThe Premier League Show.

Worldwide

See also:List of Premier League overseas broadcasters

The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.The Premier League's production arm,Premier League Productions,is operated byIMG Productionsand produces content for its international television partners.On 22 November 2024, the Premier League announced plans to end its agreement with IMG and take Premier League Productions in-house beginning in 2026–27.

The Premier League is the most widely distributed sports programme in Asia.In theIndian subcontinent,the matches are broadcast live onSTAR Sports.InMENAregion,BeIN Sportsholds exclusive rights to the Premier League.In China, the broadcast rights were awarded to iQiyi, Migu and CCTV that began in the 2021–22 season.SCTVbroadcast the matches for Indonesia, andAstrofor Malaysia. In Australia,Optustelecommunications holds exclusive rights to the Premier League, providing live broadcasts and online access (Fox Sportsformerly held rights).As of the 2022–23 season, Canadian media rights to the Premier League are owned byFuboTV,after having been jointly owned bySportsnetandTSN,and most recentlyDAZN.

The Premier League isbroadcast in the United StatesbyNBC Sports,a division of Sky parentComcast.Acquiring the rights to the Premier League in 2013 (replacingFox SoccerandESPN), NBC Sports has been widely praised for its coverage.NBC Sports reached a six-year extension with the Premier League in 2015 to broadcast the league until the end of the 2021–22 season in a deal valued at $1 billion (£640 million).In November 2021, NBC reached another six-year extension through 2028 in a deal valued at $2.76 billion (£2 billion).

The Premier League is broadcast bySuperSportacrosssub-Saharan Africa.Broadcasters tocontinental Europeuntil 2025 includeCanal+for France,Sky Sport Germanyfor Germany and Austria,Match TVfor Russia,Sky Sport Italyfor Italy,Eleven Sportsfor Portugal,DAZNfor Spain,beIN Sports Turkeyto Turkey,Digi Sportfor Romania,andNENTto Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark and Norway),Poland and the Netherlands.In South America,ESPNcovers much of the continent,with coverage in Brazil shared betweenESPN BrasilandESPN4.Paramount+broadcasts the league in Central America.

Stadiums

Main article:List of Premier League stadiums

As of the 2023–24 season, Premier League football has been played in 61 stadiums since the formation of the division.TheHillsborough disasterin 1989 and the subsequentTaylor Reportsaw a recommendation that standing terraces should be abolished. As a result, all stadiums in the Premier League areall-seater.Since the formation of the Premier League, football grounds in England have seen constant improvements to capacity and facilities, with some clubs moving to new-build stadiums.Eleven stadiums that have seen Premier League football have now been demolished. The stadiums for the 2023–24 season show a large disparity in capacity. For example,Old Trafford,the home ofManchester United,has a capacity of 74,031 whilstDean Court,the home ofBournemouth,has a capacity of 11,307. The combined total capacity of the Premier League in the 2023–24 season is 787,002 with an average capacity of 39,350.

Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for Premier League clubs.For the 2022–23 season, average attendances across the league clubs were 40,235 for Premier League matches with an aggregate attendance of 15,289,340.This represents an increase of 19,109 from the average attendance of 21,126 recorded in the Premier League's first season (1992–93).However, during the 1992–93 season, the capacities of most stadiums were reduced as clubs replaced terraces with seats in order to meet the Taylor Report's 1994–95 deadline forall-seater stadiums.The 2022–23 season also set a competition record for total attendance with more than 15 million spectators, with average attendance also reaching record levels, surpassing the previous record of 39,989 set in the2021–22 season,which in turn broke an over 70-year-old record set in the1948–49 season.

In October 2024 it was reported that the government is planning to grant the independent regulator authority to stop Premier League clubs from selling their stadiums to affiliated or third-party companies.

Managers

I have never known this level before. Of course, there are managers in Germany, Italy, and Spain, but in the Premier League, these are the best managers, the elite managers. The quality, the preparation. The level is so high.

Pep Guardiola,on the quality of managers of Premier League teams.

See also:List of Premier League managers

Managersin the Premier League are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection and player acquisition. Their influence varies from club-to-club and is related to the ownership of the club and the relationship of the manager with fans.Managers are required to have aUEFA Pro Licencewhich is the final coaching qualification available, and follows the completion of theUEFA'B' and 'A' Licences.The UEFA Pro Licence is required by every person who wishes to manage a club in the Premier League on a permanent basis (i.e.,more than 12 weeks, the amount of time an unqualifiedcaretaker manageris allowed to take control).Caretaker appointments are managers that fill the gap between a managerial departure and a new appointment. Several caretaker managers have gone on to secure a permanent managerial post after performing well as a caretaker, includingPaul HartatPortsmouth,David PleatatTottenham HotspurandOle Gunnar SolskjæratManchester United.

Ar sắc ne Wengeris the longest-serving manager, having been in charge ofArsenalin the Premier League from 1996 to his departure at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, and holds the record for most matches managed in the Premier League with 828, all with Arsenal. He broke the record set byAlex Ferguson,who had managed 810 matches with Manchester United from the Premier League's inception to his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season. Ferguson was in charge of Manchester United from November 1986 until his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season, meaning he was manager for the last five years of the old Football League First Division and all of the first 21 seasons of the Premier League.

Notably, since its creation the Premier League has never been won by an English manager.

There have been several studies into the reasoning behind, and effects of, managerial sackings. Most famously, Sue Bridgewater of theUniversity of Liverpooland Bas ter Weel of theUniversity of Amsterdam,performed two separate studies which helped to explain the statistics behind managerial sackings. Bridgewater's study found clubs generally sack their managers upon dropping below an average of one point per match.

Former Arsenal managerAr sắc ne Wengeris the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Current Premier League managers

Manager	Nationality	Club	Appointed	Time as manager
Pep Guardiola	Spain	Manchester City	1 July 2016	8 years, 230 days
Thomas Frank	Denmark	Brentford	16 October 2018	6 years, 123 days
Mikel Arteta	Spain	Arsenal	20 December 2019	5 years, 58 days
Marco Silva	Portugal	Fulham	1 July 2021	3 years, 230 days
Eddie Howe	England	Newcastle United	8 November 2021	3 years, 100 days
Kieran McKenna	Northern Ireland	Ipswich Town	16 December 2021	3 years, 62 days
Unai Emery	Spain	Aston Villa	1 November 2022	2 years, 107 days
Ange Postecoglou	Australia	Tottenham Hotspur	6 June 2023	1 year, 255 days
Andoni Iraola	Spain	Bournemouth	19 June 2023	1 year, 242 days
Nuno Espírito Santo	Portugal	Nottingham Forest	20 December 2023	1 year, 58 days
Oliver Glasner	Austria	Crystal Palace	19 February 2024	363 days
Arne Slot	Netherlands	Liverpool	1 June 2024	260 days
Enzo Maresca	Italy	Chelsea	3 June 2024	258 days
Fabian Hürzeler	Germany	Brighton & Hove Albion	15 June 2024	246 days
Ruben Amorim	Portugal	Manchester United	11 November 2024	97 days
Ruud van Nistelrooy	Netherlands	Leicester City	29 November 2024	79 days
Vítor Periera	Portugal	Wolverhampton Wanderers	17 December 2024	61 days
Ivan Jurić	Croatia	Southampton	21 December 2024	57 days
Graham Potter	England	West Ham United	9 January 2025	38 days
David Moyes	Scotland	Everton	11 January 2025	36 days

Players

See also:Premier League records and statistics § Player records,andList of Premier League winning players

Appearances

Gareth Barryis the most capped player in Premier League history with 653 appearances.

See also:List of footballers with 500 or more Premier League appearances

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Apps
1	Gareth Barry(ENG)	653
2	James Milner(ENG)	637
3	Ryan Giggs(WAL)	632
4	Frank Lampard(ENG)	609
5	David James(ENG)	572
6	Gary Speed(WAL)	535
7	Emile Heskey(ENG)	516
8	Mark Schwarzer(AUS)	514
9	Jamie Carragher(ENG)	508
10	Phil Neville(ENG)	505
As of 17 August 2024 Italicisedplayers still playing professional football. Boldedplayers still playing in Premier League.

Transfer regulations and foreign players

See also:List of foreign Premier League playersandList of foreign Premier League goalscorers

Player transfersmay only take place withintransfer windowsset by the Football Association. The two transfer windows run from the last day of the season to 31 August and from 31 December to 31 January. Player registrations cannot be exchanged outside these windows except under specific licence from the FA, usually on an emergency basis.As of the2010–11 season,the Premier League introduced new rules mandating that each club must register a maximum 25-man squad of players aged over 21, with the squad list only allowed to be changed in transfer windows or in exceptional circumstances.This was to enable the "home grown" rule to be enacted, whereby the Premier League would also from 2010 require at least eight members of the named 25-man squad to be "home-grown players".

At the inception of the Premier League in1992–93,just 11 players named in the starting line-ups for the first round of matches hailed from outside of the United Kingdom or Ireland.By2000–01,the number of foreign players participating in the Premier League was 36% of the total. In the2004–05season, the figure had increased to 45%. On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first Premier League side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up,and on 14 February 2005, Arsenal were the first to name a completely foreign 16-man squad for a match.By 2009, under 40% of the players in the Premier League were English.By February 2020, 117 different nationalities had played in the Premier League, and 101 nationalities had scored in the competition.

In 1999, in response to concerns that clubs were increasingly passing over young English players in favour of foreign players, theHome Officetightened its rules for granting work permits to players from countries outside of theEuropean Union.A non-EU player applying for the permit must have played for his country in at least 75 per cent of its competitive 'A' team matches for which he was available for selection during the previous two years, and his country must have averaged at least 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings over the previous two years. If a player does not meet those criteria, the club wishing to sign him may appeal.

Following the implementation ofBrexitin January 2021, new regulations were introduced which require all foreign players to obtain a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) in order to play football in the United Kingdom, regardless of EU status.

Top scorers

See also:List of footballers with 100 or more Premier League goals,List of Premier League hat-tricks,List of top Premier League goal scorers by season,andPremier League Golden Boot

Alan Sheareris the top scorer in Premier League history with 260 goals.

As of 1 February 2025

Rank	Player	Years	Goals	Apps	Ratio
1	Alan Shearer	1992–2006	260	441	0.59
2	Harry Kane	2012–2023	213	320	0.67
3	Wayne Rooney	2002–2018	208	491	0.42
4	Andy Cole	1992–2008	187	414	0.45
5	Sergio Agüero	2011–2021	184	275	0.67
6	Mohamed Salah	2014–2015 2017–	179	287	0.62
7	Frank Lampard	1995–2015	177	609	0.29
8	Thierry Henry	1999–2007 2012	175	258	0.68
9	Robbie Fowler	1993–2007 2008	163	379	0.43
10	Jermain Defoe	2001–2003 2004–2014 2015–2019	162	496	0.33

Italicsdenotes players still playing professional football,
Bolddenotes players still playing in the Premier League.

Thierry Henrywon a record fourPremier League Golden Bootawards.

ThePremier League Golden Bootis awarded each season to the top scorer in the division. Former Blackburn Rovers andNewcastle UnitedstrikerAlan Shearerholds the record for most Premier League goals with 260.Thirty-three playershave reached the 100-goal mark.Since the first Premier League season in 1992–93, 23 players from 11 clubs have won or shared the top scorer title.Thierry Henrywon his fourth overall scoring title by scoring 27 goals in the 2005–06 season.Erling Haalandholds the record for most goals in a Premier League season (38 matches) with 36 goals as of 15 May 2023.Ryan Giggsof Manchester United holds the record for scoring goals in consecutive seasons, having scored in the first 21 seasons of the league.Giggs also holds the record for themost Premier League assists,with 162.

Wages

There is no team or individual salary cap in the Premier League. As a result of the increasingly lucrative television deals, player wages rose sharply following the formation of the Premier League, when the average player wage was £75,000 per year.In the 2018–19 season the average annual salary stood at £2.99 million.

The total salary bill for the 20 Premier League clubs in the 2018–19 season was £1.62 billion; this compares to £1.05 billion inLa Liga,£0.83 billion inSerie A,£0.72 billion inBundesliga,and £0.54 billion inLigue 1.The club with the highest average wage isManchester Unitedat £6.5 million. This is smaller than the club with the highest wage bill in Spain (Barcelona£10.5 million) and Italy (Juventus£6.7 million), but higher than in Germany (Bayern Munich£6.4 million) and France (Paris Saint-Germain£6.1 million). For the 2018–19 season, the ratio of the wages of the highest-paid team to lowest-paid in the Premier League is 6.82 to 1. This is much lower than in La Liga (19.1 to 1), Serie A (16 to 1), Bundesliga (20.5 to 1), and Ligue 1 (26.6 to 1). Because of the lower differential between team wage bills in the Premier League, it is often regarded as being more competitive than other top European leagues.

Player transfer fees

See also:Progression of the British football transfer fee recordandList of most expensive association football transfers

Therecord transfer feefor a Premier League player has risen steadily over the lifetime of the competition. Before the start of the first Premier League season,Alan Shearerbecame the first British player to command a transfer fee of more than £3 million.The record has increased steadily andEnzo Fernándezis now the most expensive transfer fee paid by a Premier League club at £106.8 million, whilstPhilippe Coutinhois the biggest transfer involving a Premier League club at £105 million.

Top transfer fees paid by Premier League clubs

Rank	Player	Fee (£ million)	Year	Transfer		Reference(s)
1	Enzo Fernández(ARG)	£106.8	2023	Benfica	Chelsea
2	Jack Grealish(ENG)	£100	2021	Aston Villa	Manchester City
	Moisés Caicedo(ECU)	£100	2023	Brighton & Hove Albion	Chelsea
	Declan Rice(ENG)	£100	2023	West Ham United	Arsenal
5	Romelu Lukaku(BEL)	£97.5	2021	Inter Milan	Chelsea
6	Paul Pogba(FRA)	£89	2016	Juventus	Manchester United
7	Antony(BRA)	£82	2022	Ajax	Manchester United
8	Harry Maguire(ENG)	£80	2019	Leicester City	Manchester United
9	Joško Gvardiol(CRO)	£77	2023	RB Leipzig	Manchester City
10	Romelu Lukaku(BEL)	£75	2017	Everton	Manchester United

Top transfer fees received by Premier League clubs

Rank	Player	Fee (£ million)	Year	Transfer		Reference(s)
1	Philippe Coutinho(BRA)	£105	2018	Liverpool	Barcelona
2	Moisés Caicedo(ECU)	£100	2023	Brighton & Hove Albion	Chelsea
	Declan Rice(ENG)	£100	2023	West Ham United	Arsenal
	Jack Grealish(ENG)	£100	2021	Aston Villa	Manchester City
5	Eden Hazard(BEL)	£89	2019	Chelsea	Real Madrid
6	Harry Kane(ENG)	£86.4	2023	Tottenham Hotspur	Bayern Munich
7	Gareth Bale(WAL)	£86	2013	Tottenham Hotspur	Real Madrid
8	Cristiano Ronaldo(POR)	£80	2009	Manchester United	Real Madrid
	Harry Maguire(ENG)	£80	2019	Leicester City	Manchester United
10	Romelu Lukaku(BEL)	£75	2017	Everton	Manchester United
	Virgil van Dijk(NED)	£75	2018	Southampton	Liverpool

Awards

Trophy

The Premier League trophy

The gold Premier League trophy awarded toArsenalfor winning the2003–04title without defeat

The Premier League maintains two trophies – the genuine trophy (held by the reigning champions) and a spare replica. Two trophies are held for the purpose of making the award within minutes of the title being secured, in the event that on the final day of the season two clubs are still within reach of winning the League.In the rare event that more than two clubs are vying for the title on the final day of the season, a replica won by a previous club is used.

The current Premier League trophy was created by Royal Jewellers Garrard & Co/Asprey of London and was designed in house at Garrard & Co by Trevor Brown and Paul Marsden. It consists of a trophy with a golden crown and amalachiteplinth base. The plinth weighs 33 pounds (15 kg) and the trophy weighs 22 pounds (10.0 kg).The trophy and plinth are 76 cm (30 in) tall, 43 cm (17 in) wide and 25 cm (9.8 in) deep.

Its main body is solidsterling silverand silvergilt,whilst its plinth is made of malachite, asemi-preciousstone. The plinth has a silver band around its circumference, upon which the names of the title-winning clubs are listed. The green of the malachite represents the green field of play.The design of the trophy is based on theheraldryofThree Lionsthat is associated with English football. Two of the lions are found above the handles on either side of the trophy – the third is symbolised by the captain of the title-winning team as he raises the trophy, and its gold crown, above his head at the end of the season.The ribbons that drape the handles are presented in the team colours of the league champions that year. In 2004, a special gold version of the trophy was commissioned to commemorate Arsenal winning the titlewithout a single defeat.

Player and manager awards

In addition to the winner's trophy and the individualwinner's medalsawarded to players who win the title, the Premier League also issues other awards throughout the season.

A man-of-the-match award is awarded to the player who has the greatest impact in an individual match.

Monthly awards are also given for theManager of the Month,Player of the MonthandGoal of the Month.These are also issued annually forManager of the Season,Player of the SeasonandGoal of the Season.TheYoung Player of the Seasonaward is given to the most outstanding U-23 player starting from the2019–20 season.

TheGolden Bootaward is given to the top goalscorer of every season, thePlaymaker of the Seasonaward is given to the player who makes the most assists of every season,and theGolden Gloveaward is given to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets at the end of the season.

Starting with the2021–22 season,four new awards are given. TheSave of the Seasonis awarded to the goalkeeper deemed to have made the most impressive save.TheGame Changer of the Seasonis earned by the player with the single most game-changing performance over the course of the campaign.TheMost Powerful Goalis given to the player whose goal-scoring shot had the highest average velocity from the time it was struck to the time it crossed the goal line, and the Most Improbable Comeback award is meant for the team that, based on calculations performed byOracle Corporation,goes behind and overcomes a deficit to win their respective match.

From the2017–18 season,players receive a milestone award for 100 appearances and every century there after and also players who score 50 goals and multiples thereof. Each player to reach these milestones is to receive a presentation box from the Premier League containing a special medallion and a plaque commemorating their achievement.

20 Seasons Awards

Further information:Premier League 20 Seasons AwardsandPremier League 10 Seasons Awards

In 2012, the Premier League celebrated its second decade by holding the 20 Seasons Awards:

• Fantasy Team of the 20 Seasons
  • Panel Choice:Peter Schmeichel,Gary Neville,Tony Adams,Rio Ferdinand,Ashley Cole,Cristiano Ronaldo,Roy Keane,Paul Scholes,Ryan Giggs,Thierry Henry,Alan Shearer
  • Public Vote:Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Tony Adams,Nemanja Vidić,Ashley Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo,Steven Gerrard,Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer

• Best Manager:Sir Alex Ferguson
• Best Player:Ryan Giggs
• Most Appearances:Gareth Barry(652)
• Top Goalscorer:Alan Shearer(260)
• Most Clean Sheets:David James(173)
• 500 Club:Steven Gerrard,Jamie Carragher,Gareth Barry,Ryan Giggs,David James,Gary Speed,Frank Lampard,Emile HeskeyandSol Campbell
• Best Goal:Wayne Rooney,12 February 2011,Manchester UnitedvsManchester City
• Best Save:Craig Gordon,18 December 2010,SunderlandvsBolton Wanderers
• Best Team:Arsenal 2003–04

See also

• List of English football champions
• List of English Football League managers
• FA Women's Super League(highest league of women's football in England)
• Football records and statistics in England
• List of professional sports teams in the United Kingdom

References

Bibliography

• Hammam, Sam(14 January 2000).The Wimbledon We Have.London: Wimbledon FC.

External links

• Official website(in English, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Chinese)
• Media related toFA Premier Leagueat Wikimedia Commons