Afghan sports fans are loving the new media partnership between Afghan Wireless and Ariana Television Network that has brought English Premier League football to Afghanistan. Today, viewers all over the country can enjoy live telecasts of EPL matches, as well as live commentary, panel discussions, match updates via SMS, and other interactive features and services.
To help celebrate EPL matches coming to Afghanistan, here are some of our favorite fun facts that all football fans should know about the world’s most popular football league.
The league is only 25 years old.
Back in 1992, the teams making up what is now the English Premier League were part of what was then known as the Football League First Division. Following prolonged discussions among football authorities, players, and television broadcasters, the decision was taken in May 1992 for the First Division clubs to resign from the Football League, and to rebrand themselves as the English Premier League later that year. This move allowed for increased revenue from a newly negotiated television broadcast contract. The first match of the inaugural season was played on August 15, and the first ever EPL goal was scored in that match by Brian Deane of Sheffield United.
Teams must fight to stay in the EPL.
Like most other European football leagues, the EPL operates using a system of relegation. At the end of each season, the three lowest-performing clubs are relegated (or demoted out of the league), and are replaced by the top three clubs from the English Football League Championship. Since its establishment in 1992, the EPL has seen the participation of 47 different clubs, but only six of these have played in every single season without being relegated: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur. Twenty-two clubs competed in the inaugural 1992-1993 season of the EPL; today, the number of teams in the league is 20.
Only six EPL teams have ever won a league title.
Although dozens of different clubs have played in the EPL over the years, only six have won the league’s top title. Of these, Manchester United is by far the most successful; the club has won 13 titles over the history of the EPL, including the inaugural title in 1992-1993. Its rivals don’t even come close: Chelsea, the second-highest title holder, has won just four titles. The other title holder clubs are Arsenal with three titles, Manchester City with two titles, and the Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City with one title each. Leicester became the league’s most recent title winner in the 2015-2016 season.
The league’s official name is constantly changing.
Throughout most of its history, the EPL has had a title sponsor, which has resulted in many changes to the league’s official name. From 1993 to 2001, the league was known as the FA Carling Premiership due to its partnership with Carling Beer. A sponsorship change in 2001 saw the league’s name change to the Barclaycard Premiership; 2004 brought the name change of Barclays Premiership; and 2007 saw a further rebranding to Barclays Premier League. However, as of the end of the 2015-2016 season, there is no future title sponsor, and the league will officially be known simply as the Premier League from 2016-2017 onwards.
Other fun facts:
Home bases—Of today’s 20 EPL teams, five are based in London: Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham. The remaining teams are based all around England; the one team based outside England is Swansea City, in Wales.
Records—Naturally, the EPL has seen many records set throughout its 25-year history. Some of the most impressive records include the highest scoring EPL game, which was Manchester United’s 9-0 defeat of Ipswich in 1995; the player with the greatest number of EPL goals scored, which is Alan Shearer with a remarkable 260 career goals; the team with the greatest number of yellow cards, a record that goes to Chelsea and its more than 1,200 yellow card bookings over 23 seasons; and the fastest-ever hat trick, which took place when Robbie Fowler of Liverpool scored three goals against Arsenal in less than four-and-a-half minutes.
Money—Given that the EPL is the world’s most popular football league, it’s not surprising that there is some big money associated with it. In 2010-2011, EPL revenues were pushing $3 billion. More than half of this money (67%, according to an estimate by Deloitte) ends up going to player salaries; on average, clubs spend $115 million to pay their players.
Trophies and awards—The champions of each EPL season are awarded with the Premier League trophy, which was created by the royally-appointed jewelers Asprey of London. The form of the trophy is a golden crown sitting on top of a malachite plinth base; together, the trophy and its base stand 30 inches tall and weigh 55 pounds. In case of mishaps, the EPL actually maintains two trophies: the genuine trophy, which is held by the season’s winning team; and a spare replica. Other awards given at the end of each season include Manager of the Season, Player of the Season, and the Golden Boot and the Golden Glove awards, which recognize top scorers and keepers.