La Liga matches set for USA & Canada.

Agent Coulson

La Liga has signed a 15 year deal to hold regular season games in the USA & Canada.


How long now till the other major European leagues follow suit.


What does this now hold for the rest of European football are we on the way to franchise football or a world league ?

artanevilla

Franchise football is well and truly underway already.

Pauliedragon

Agent Coulson wrote: »

La Liga has signed a 15 year deal to hold regular season games in the USA & Canada.


How long now till the other major European leagues follow suit.


What does this now hold for the rest of European football are we on the way to franchise football or a world league ?

Remember the furore a few years ago when the premier league mentioned this. I know they mentioned a 39th game but still the season ticket holders would not be happy. Even if they were to get some kind money off the ticket they demand to see every home game live. It could work but a lot of hurdles to go through. I wonder how the Spanish fans feel about it?

5starpool

I'm sure Getafe vs Celta Vigo in Winnipeg or similar will be a huge draw.

Harry Palmr

The PL have distanced themselves from this, luckily the money pot is broad enough to resist this sort of thing but that doesn't mean they'll not have a rethink at some point of course. Naturally they'll demand only tier 1 games - so it'll be Liverpool v Man Utd, Arsenal v Chelsea, maybe City v Spurs. But nothing outside the big six that's for sure.

Okon

5starpool wrote: »

I'm sure Getafe vs Celta Vigo in Winnipeg or similar will be a huge draw.

Ha Ha... it'll almost certainly be a Real Madrid or Barcelona match...

Mr.Nice Guy

Sad state of affairs but not surprising. Once they step away from the notion of domestic leagues being sacrosanct, the next step will be the formation of a European Super League, with the inevitable special rounds in Qatar, USA, Australia etc.

Pauliedragon

We need a lot more info before digesting this news.
1. Does a club have to play over there if they don't want to?
2. Who decides decide which games are played?
3. Is this solely La Ligas decision or were the clubs consulted?
4. Have the fans been consulted and are they on board?. I guess some of the the smaller clubs might see the financial benefits and accept it but the promotors will want the bigger teams.
More questions than answers at this stage.

~Rebel~

I can't understand why they're choosing league games for this... totally undermines the integrity of the league structure, and the whole point of it as a competition.

Why not do it with Copa Del Rey or Supercopa fixtures instead? Still competitive matches, but no-one is really screwed over. If anything, neutral venues for cup matches is even more fair. They could just say that for the first round, whoever Barca, Atleti and Real draw will be the ties that take place there or something.

HalloweenJack

Can only really see it being a Classico. Look at the attendances they have been getting in pre-season friendlies in the States in recent years; there is a demand there. The company that organises these pre-season friendlies is the one that's involved, iirc.

Away fans travelling to a game isn't a big thing in Spain so it's only the locals who'll get burned and no La Liga club outside the CL qualifiers is going to turn the chance for a big payday.

As for La Liga/RFEF, they're not concerned about what fans think. They stand to make far more money from this kind of stunt than protecting fans' interest and, similar to JD and the FAI, they give all their attention to their prize assets (the national team and La Liga) milk them for what it's worth.

It's. a sad day but not at all surprising.

Cookiemunster

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Can only really see it being a Classico. Look at the attendances they have been getting in pre-season friendlies in the States in recent years; there is a demand there. The company that organises these pre-season friendlies is the one that's involved, iirc.

Away fans travelling to a game isn't a big thing in Spain so it's only the locals who'll get burned and no La Liga club outside the CL qualifiers is going to turn the chance for a big payday.

As for La Liga/RFEF, they're not concerned about what fans think. They stand to make far more money from this kind of stunt than protecting fans' interest and, similar to JD and the FAI, they give all their attention to their prize assets (the national team and La Liga) milk them for what it's worth.

It's. a sad day but not at all surprising.

Can you honestly see Real or Barca agreeing to give up home advantage for an El Classico game? I think it will be a Real or Barca away game against one of the second tier of clubs.

HalloweenJack

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Can you honestly see Real or Barca agreeing to give up home advantage for an El Classico game? I think it will be a Real or Barca away game against one of the second tier of clubs.

Good point, actually. I reckon you're right.

GavRedKing

I cant see English clubs doing it any time soon, the money Sky/BT are pumping into the PL and the tv deals that come with that money are far too high for a further incentive to come in and tempt a team across the globe for a match.

Thats not to say it wont happen in the long term but one thing to note about La Liga games, theyre not all that well supported by away fans given how big Spain is in having to travel huge distances to support your side, the fixtures are also announced pretty close to the games and are subject to the change.

Turtwig

~Rebel~ wrote: »

I can't understand why they're choosing league games for this... totally undermines the integrity of the league structure, and the whole point of it as a competition.

Why not do it with Copa Del Rey or Supercopa fixtures instead? Still competitive matches, but no-one is really screwed over. If anything, neutral venues for cup matches is even more fair. They could just say that for the first round, whoever Barca, Atleti and Real draw will be the ties that take place there or something.

They've already done this for the Super Copa.

GavRedKing wrote: »

the fixtures are also announced pretty close to the games and are subject to the change.

It'd be hilarious if they tried to do this for games in the US. Can't see the sponsors letting that happen.

Fr Tod Umptious

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Can you honestly see Real or Barca agreeing to give up home advantage for an El Classico game? I think it will be a Real or Barca away game against one of the second tier of clubs.

That's how the NFL did it with their games in London.

Its usually a team that rearly sell out giving up a home game v a bigger team

Zebra3

Can’t see the US or Canadian associations agreeing to it.

Won’t happen.

NIMAN

Would agree its a sad day, the rot in modern football continues.

La Liga have said it won't be the Clasico.....they say that, but only for now...I can guess its only a matter of time before it is. Once the clubs are offered silly money, they will play anywhere.

Its a real two fingers to their real fans. Madrid playing Barca, or Madrid derby in New York? What does that say to your fans, "we don't care that you can't go to game, we are getting a pile of cash".

Stats have already shown by paying fans going through turnstiles aren't needed by the top clubs to make a profit, so they will continue to screw them for years to come.

Zebra3

The difference though is the clubs are fan owned. Either club president agreeing to move a home Classico won’t get re-elected.

Pauliedragon

Some clubs/fans might be happy to do it. I read somewhere that it will involve Barca or Real so assuming it's an away game a smaller club might be happy to take the cash and appease the fans by putting it back into the club.. A friend who used to live in Spain told me away fans aren't as fussed about to going to games like they are in England so it might not bother Barca/Real fans either.