European football, be it the Champions League, La Liga, or the lesser-known leagues around the continent, is a very different breed to anything in Australia.
Our A-League, now in its 10th season, is hitting its straps. This has been the most anticipated in its short but oh so sweet history. But that’s not all we choose to watch, with many of us choosing to adopt a foreign team with equal fanaticism as our local one.
The English Premier League, the most watched domestic sporting competition in the world, is the jewel in the crown of European domestic football and the most common target for Aussies looking for football with an international flavour.
The revenue harvested from broadcasting rights is simply astounding. In 2013, the Premier League generated €2.2 billion in domestic and international TV rights, and we in Australia love it too.
Which makes sense, considering just how many people want to watch it in these parts. It’s the world’s best football league by many measures.
Yes, La Liga might have Ronaldo, Messi, Bale and Suarez, but it is unfathomable for Barcelona or Real not to be favourites for the title – the competition is, in a word, predictable.
Similarly, the Bundesliga claims one of the very best teams in the world right now, and is home to the very large majority of their World Cup winning squad, but cannot compete with the EPL in terms of popularity on our shores. This is no doubt thanks to trailblazing Aussies like Lucas Neill, Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell and Everton favourite Tim Cahill.
The top English clubs, in all likelihood, might be able to topple Real Madrid on their day, or grind Bayern Munich down like à la Chelsea’s Champions League win two years ago, but why, if the best clubs and players operate in other competitions, is the EPL so popular?
One argument is cultural proximity. The British lifestyle, language, and approach to sport are not dissimilar to Australia’s.
Another argument is migration. It’s hardly breaking new ground to suggest that Australia’s historical sporting and cultural ties with Britain are still alive and kicking, largely down to the movement of people from one country to the other.
An even stronger argument is that the coverage of the EPL in this country determines its popularity – we watch it so often because we can; every game is live, giving nightowls Down Under the chance to indulge in some of the best action you can find in the world.
Whichever way you look at it, the EPL’s complete television coverage in Australia is fantastic for football fans. It is a staple in the weekend of fanatical Aussie football fans like me, as I’m sure it is yours.
Here are a few basic tips to make sure you’re watching it in the right spirit.
• Stock up on Red Bull and Doritos. Or, if you’re over 14, coffee and Tim Tams; for the night is long and full of football.
• Don’t get too frustrated with the diving. Simulation is a despicable part of the game, but it undeniably serves a purpose, much like spying in wartimes. Just enjoy when your team gets the questionable foul, and let them have theirs. If the ref pulls out the cheddar, so be it.
• Learn to pronounce the player’s names. It makes you seem like you know what you’re talking about, even if you do sound like a bit of a wanker. But Dad, if you can pronounce Eden Hazard correctly, I promise I won’t call you a wanker.
• Enjoy the commentary. Australian commentators of all sports could learn a surprising amount from the articulate, understated calls of Martin Tyler and co.; there is a certain element of class that we just can’t seem to recreate, Andrew Orsatti excepted.
• Soak up the atmosphere. Turn that surround sound on, learn the chants, and immerse yourself. My housemate can’t hold a note (his words), but sings You’ll Never Walk Alone proudly every single time.
• Finally, don’t compare the EPL to the A-League. The A-League has been around for 10 years, the EPL for over 20, but before that, it was the Football League, founded in 1888. They’ve been doing it for 125 years, and have the cash to make it pretty. Love the A-league for what it is: local, accessible, thoroughly entertaining, and growing, fast!
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