Soccer is a universal language, a lingua franca that unites people the world over. A truly global sport. Now, more than ever before, you can see youngsters playing soccer in any park or street wearing the colours of teams from far off lands that they might never witness in the flesh.
British sports retailer SportsDirect recently looked at the sales for some of the English Premier League’s biggest clubs which showed some interesting statistics as to the demographics of fans that bought soccer jerseys.
Despite housing a number of diverse soccer cultures that are more traditionally ingrained in the psyche of each country’s people, this globalised scene is also replicated across continental Europe. Take Paris, France for example, where the EPL has taken a particular hold.
When the European Cup was initiated in 1955 none of the clubs or the officials had the Treaty of Rome in their minds, only the games at hand.
Paris, the City of Light is a melting pot for people from all continents. Watch any pick up game in the parks of the city and you will sees the players sporting the colours of the biggest and most famous clubs in the game-no matter where they are from.
There is a fine balance between the Premier League and the Spanish Giants in Paris and the appeal of the Premier League abroad seems undiminished despite current under-performances, thanks broadly to powerful marketing. For those wishing to sample the atmosphere live, you can buy Premier League tickets here and see what all the fuss is about.
Yet, surely, the majority of these fans and supporters have never set a foot in any Premier League ground? Are there other issues at play?
The presence of so many replica jerseys of Arsenal in Paris could, of course, be due to the work done by Arsene Wenger, the manager of the London club. French soccer fans are loyal to their players and with the number of French players at Arsenal—one must now say—traditionally high, it is perhaps not surprising.
However, taking that thought one step further, it is unlikely that any French soccer fan will ever wear a Newcastle United jersey just because the club had signed a number of French players of late. The city is far away and almost impossible to pronounce for romanic voice chords but—more importantly—there would have to a certain amount of success to add to the allure.
As for Manchester United, although they recently bear no resemblance to the dominant force they once were, their jerseys still sell in France. If it can be assumed that the French like a team that is winning, will this diminish soon? Will we soon see larger numbers of Chelsea and Manchester City jerseys joining the mix?
However, demand for ticket is high and stadiums in England’s Premier League are generally full. It is unlikely many will make the trip through the tunnel or across the channel to watch the team that they are pledging their loyalty to by wearing the shirt. However, given the enormous power of television and the internet, the reach of the global game shows no sign of abating.