season-review-2013-14

one league, four different seasonsINSIDE THE premier LEAGUEfootball clubs. The Premier League isexpanding its schools programme andis making significant new investmentin community sport in partnershipwith Sport England. A greater schoolstournament offering will also seehundreds of schools across thecountry playing for the privilege toperform at a Premier League stadium.RICHARD SCUDAMOREChief Executive, Premier LeagueWhen the leadership of the Leaguechanges 25 times you know we havehad a competitive and compellingseason. We start each season willingit to be like this and the 2013/14Barclays Premier League certainlydelivered.Most importantly, the fans likedit, with stadia 95.9% full (a Leaguerecord) and television viewerswatching in ever greater numbers.It takes commitment for football tothrive at the very highest level. It isabout what it means to support yourclub home and away. It is, of course,about investing our broadcastingand commercial revenue in the bestplayers, but also in wider sustainableactivities. It is about using thestanding of our clubs in theircommunities and the stature of theirplayers to inspire young people to getinvolved in sport.All of this, and more, is broughtabout by creating the highest qualityfootball competition possible. Thisdrives everything the Premier League2does. Without a successful andpopular League, the investment thatcan be made across all of our activitiesis diminished.Over a three-year period152 new 3G artificial grasspitches will be built usingPremier League funding.Hundreds of thousandsof young people willbenefit from thesenew facilities, but alsofrom coaching andparticipation programmesrun by professionalfootball clubs.This season saw a refocusing of thePremier League’s grassroots andgood causes strategy, aligning ourinvestment in community facilities,participation, school sports andyouth development. Over a threeyearperiod 152 new 3G artificialgrass pitches will be built usingPremier League funding. Hundredsof thousands of young people willbenefit from these new facilities, butalso from coaching and participationprogrammes run by professionalVisit our online review for the fullinterviews with Richard Scudamore,Manuel Pellegrini, Roberto Martinezand Kate Bradley.review.premierleague.comAll this activity complements thehuge investment being made in eliteYouth Development – £340m overfour years – which is transformingthe way talented boys are beingcoached, educated and progressedthrough the Academy system. It is ahugely complicated process with avery simple aim: produce more andbetter home-grown players capable ofmaking it into professional clubs’ firstteams.The likes of Raheem Sterling,Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw provideencouragement that the hard workis paying off, but it is a programmeof change that needs to maintainmomentum if we are to succeed.Football fans want to see their clubsproducing talented players who cancompete with, and take their placealongside, some of the world’s mostgifted footballers. It is that highoctaneand quality-driven mix thatmeans broadcasters, domestically andinternationally, continue to invest in,and produce, fantastic programmingand marketing for the competition.Ultimately that mix, great footballcombined with passionate and loyalsupport, is what keeps the show onthe road. Both the League and theclubs will keep striving to improve thestandards that have been set. Onlyby doing that will the Premier Leaguemaintain its position as a professionaland progressive organisation geared todelivering the best possible football.