This winter, all eyes will be on the World Cup in Qatar, and one soccer league that will have to be paused for the event is the Premier League.
The Premier League is entwined with popular music, and the players and clubs are often referenced. For instance, NME reports rapper Dave has a track called Thiago Silva, during which he usually invites a fan to join in performing live. Thiago Silva is a footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League. 2021 Grammy nominee and British Rapper Slowthai has a song called Toaster with the line “defending my team like Shawcross, can’t talk about steez rocking boot cuts” which references Ryan Shawcross, a former Stoke City and Premier League defender. Stormzy, AJ Tracey and a host of others have mentioned the Premier League, but what do you know about it?
What Is The Premier League?
For those who don’t know, it is a 20-team division at the pinnacle of English soccer. In England, they have what’s referred to as the football pyramid. It starts with the smallest teams playing other clubs in their region, and as they get promoted, the divisions contain clubs from further afield. Once they reach the Football League, it is a simple climb through three divisions to reach the Premier League. The division below is called the Championship, which refers to the old top division. In 1992, 22 clubs broke away from the Football League to form the Premier League, making England’s top division the most lucrative in the world.
Who Competes in the Premier League?
It is the home of England’s biggest clubs; Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Man Utd, Everton and Chelsea have never been relegated out of the Premier League, which West Ham, Newcastle and Manchester City have now become firm fixtures in the ranks. 20 teams compete, usually defined by the top half containing most of the teams above, and a bottom half of clubs which changes over time. My Football Facts explains that 50 teams have played in the Premier League, with three clubs having featured for just a single season.
How Competitive Is It?
Seven clubs have won the Premier League, but 27 of the 30 titles have been shared by four teams: Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. Liverpool, Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers have won one each. The teams relegated from the Premier League often bounce straight back up; Bournemouth is a recent example. Last season, Norwich City and Watford were relegated from the Premier League, and they’re the two favorites to be promoted back this campaign in the Ladbrokes Championship betting odds. That is because they are given parachute payments for relegation, which allows them to sign players other Championship clubs cannot.
What Are The Criticisms?
The Premier League has been accused of dividing English football into the haves and the have-nots. In recent years, several clubs have almost gone bust after chasing promotion from the Championship; Bolton Wanderers and Derby County are two examples of clubs overreaching to get into the Premier League, failing and suffering relegation. The Premier League also draws huge revenue from television audiences, and smaller clubs further down the pyramid feel they don’t get a fair share of that. During the pandemic, the UK Government, Premier League and Football League had a Mexican standoff over relief payments, with an agreement of £250m eventually being reached.
Why Is It So Popular?
Despite the criticism, it is the best league in the world. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 129 players came from the Premier League, 48 more than the next most popular, Spain. For Euro 2020, that number rose to 174, 55 more than Germany, the next best represented. England attracts the best players from around the world, meaning even games between lowly clubs see big stars on display. That’s why it’s the most popular division worldwide, and so many musicians are keen to reference the clubs and players in their songs.