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The Club

How the Premier League Became the Richest, Most Disruptive Business in Sport

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The Club

By: Jonathan Clegg, Joshua Robinson
Narrated by: Rich Keeble
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About this listen

 The never-before-told inside story of how the Premier League became the wildest, richest, most popular entertainment business on the planet.

How did English football - once known for its stale pies, bad book-keeping and hooligans - become a commercial powerhouse and the world's premium popular entertainment?

This was a business empire built in only twenty-five years on ambition, experimentation and gambler's luck. Lead by a motley cast of executives, Russian oligarchs, Arab Sheikhs, Asian Titans, American Tycoons, battle-hardened managers, ruthless agents and the Murdoch media - the Premier League has been carved up, rebranded and exported to phenomenal 185 countries. The United Nations only recognizes 193.

But the extraordinary profit of bringing England's ageing industrial towns to a compulsive global attention has come at a cost. Today, as players are sold for hundreds of millions and clubs are valued in the billions, local fans are being priced out - and the clubs' local identities are fading. The Premier League has become the classic business fable for our globalised world.

Drawing on dozens of exclusive and revelatory interviews from the Boardrooms - including Liverpool's John W. Henry, Tottenham's Daniel Levy, Martin Edwards and David Gill at Manchester United, Arsène Wenger and Stan Kroenke at Arsenal, Manchester City's sporting director Txiki Begiristain, and executives at Chelsea, West Ham, Leicester City and Aston Villa - this is the definitive bustand boom account of how the Premier League product took over the world.

(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Business Development & Entrepreneurship Economic History Economics Entrepreneurship Football (American) Business Sports

Critic Reviews

A remarkable and astonishing transformation ... detailed with panache
Magnificent ... Witty, pacy, thorough, this is a book hard to put down
The most fascinating book ever written about the Premier League
Astute ... forensic and impeccably sourced
A jaunty journey through the past quarter of a century in English football
A fascinating book, by two witty and meticulous sports writers
captures the Premier League's startling and continuing evolution...Robinson and Clegg specialise in access...the scene setting is lively
A shrewd and colourful account of the Premier League's business history
A fascinating and necessary investigation into the forces that led to the creation of the Premier League. Meticulous in its research
Clegg and Robinson are expert storytellers in unspooling the narrative of one of Britain's most successful exports, illustrating the creative tensions between owners that made it possible. The work is at once thorough but also readable and entertaining, with protagonists presented as real live characters, rather than faceless suits: a testament to their reporting and writing skills
Magnificent . . . a fine job they have done explaining how English football went from moribund national embarrassment to globe-bestriding colossus. Witty, pacy, thorough, this is a book hard to put down.
Richly detailed, remarkably told . . . Clegg and Robinson provide unparalleled access to the people who make the league go
A vivid portrait ... but also a candid account of the league's imperialist present and likely future ... it's quite an achievement
Brilliant (Miguel Delaney)
A tale told with much verve and some wit by two experienced sports journalists ... Revelatory
Informative and regularly entertains
A brilliant book on the business history of the Premier League
All stars
Most relevant
Love the Premiere League, then this is the story behind it. If you love sport a must listen on the business of football

Just a great listen

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such a good listen. really enjoyed the storytelling on this one. I'd probably listen to it again sometime to catch all the bits I missed

fascinating read

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If you're into the English premier league then this book is an absolute must read and even if you aren't, but are a fan of sports, then this crazy world of English football will definitely keep you interested. It's wonderfully fascinating and I genuinely loved it. It gives you a behind the scenes view of how the English premier league became what it is today, from the day it was first conceived in the 1980's to the present day. The title practically says it all but it also gives you insight into some major events in the EPL's 26 years such as when Arsenal built their stadium and what it meant for the league through to the buyout of Man city and the wave of American owners such Liverpool's FSG. From the behind closed doors meetings which take place, to how a Russian oligarch bought Chelsea on impulse and how man city accidently bid for Leo Messi. Genuinely a must read for any EPL fan or any sports fan in general

Absolute must read for any sports fan

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Simply a tremendous read for anybody that is in love with the extreme and absurd world of english football.

Tremendous

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This book has some unique details regarding the Business side of Premier League. You would gain some of the ways the fans are exploited and what it takes for us to enjoy football at our homes. Decent book.

Some great points

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