Premier League - wikipedia Premier League This article is about the English association football league. For other uses, see Premier League ( disambiguation ). Premier League Founded 20 February 1992 ; 26 years ago ( 1992 - 02 - 20 ) Country England ( 19 teams ) Other club ( s ) from Wales ( 1 team ) Confederation UEFA Number of teams 20 Level on pyramid Relegation to EFL Championship Domestic cup ( s ) FA Cup FA Community Shield League cup ( s ) EFL Cup International cup ( s ) UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League Current champions Manchester City ( 3rd title ) ( 2017 -- 18 ) Most championships Manchester United ( 13 titles ) Most appearances Gareth Barry ( 653 ) Top goalscorer Alan Shearer ( 260 goals ) TV partners Sky Sports and BT Sport ( live matches ) Sky Sports and BBC ( highlights ) Website premierleague.com 2018 -- 19 Premier League The Premier League is the top level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League ( EFL ). The Premier League is a corporation in which the member clubs act as shareholders. Seasons run from August to May with each team playing 38 matches ( playing each other home and away ). Most games are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It is often known outside England as the English Premier League ( EPL ). The competition was formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from the Football League, founded in 1888, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal. The deal was worth £ 1 billion a year domestically as of 2013 -- 14, with BSkyB and BT Group securing the domestic rights to broadcast 116 and 38 games respectively. The league generates € 2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. In 2014 -- 15, teams were apportioned revenues of £ 1.6 billion, rising sharply to £ 2.4 billion in 2016 -- 17. The Premier League is the most - watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. In the 2014 -- 15 season, the average Premier League match attendance exceeded 36,000, second highest of any professional football league behind the Bundesliga 's 43,500. Most stadium occupancies are near capacity. The Premier League ranks third in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons, as of 2016. Forty - nine clubs have competed since the inception of the Premier League in 1992. Six of them have won the title : Manchester United ( 13 ), Chelsea ( 5 ), Arsenal ( 3 ), Manchester City ( 3 ), Blackburn Rovers ( 1 ), and Leicester City ( 1 ). Following the 2003 -- 04 season, Arsenal acquired the nickname `` The Invincibles '' as they became, and still remain, the only club to complete a Premier League campaign without losing a single game. The record of most points in a season is 100 by Manchester City in 2017 -- 18. Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Foundation 1.3 `` Top Four '' dominance ( 2000s ) 1.4 Emergence of the `` Big Six '' ( 2010s ) 1.5 Development 2 Corporate structure 3 Competition format 3.1 Competition 3.2 Qualification for European competitions 3.3 Premier League clubs in international competition 3.4 Promotion and relegation 4 Clubs 4.1 Champions 4.2 2018 -- 19 season 4.3 Non-English clubs 4.3. 1 Wales 4.3. 2 Scotland and Ireland 5 Sponsorship 6 Finances 7 Media coverage 7.1 United Kingdom and Ireland 7.2 Worldwide 8 Widening gap with lower leagues 9 Stadiums 10 Managers 11 Players 11.1 Appearances 11.2 Foreign players and transfer regulations 11.3 Player wages and transfer fees 11.4 Top scorers 12 Awards 12.1 Trophy 12.2 Player and manager awards 12.3 20 Seasons Awards 13 See also 14 References 15 External links History Origins Despite significant European success in the 1970s and early 1980s, the late ' 80s marked a low point for English football. Stadiums were crumbling, supporters endured poor facilities, hooliganism was rife, and English clubs were banned from European competition for five years following the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985. The Football League First Division, the top level of English football since 1888, was behind leagues such as Italy 's Serie A and Spain 's La Liga in attendances and revenues, and several top English players had moved abroad. By the turn of the 1990s the downward trend was starting to reverse : at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, England reached the semi-finals ; UEFA, European football 's governing body, lifted the five - year ban on English clubs playing in European competitions in 1990, resulting in Manchester United lifting the UEFA Cup Winners ' Cup in 1991, and the Taylor Report on stadium safety standards, which proposed expensive upgrades to create all - seater stadiums in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, was published in January of that year. The 1980s also saw the major English clubs, led by the likes of Martin Edwards of Manchester United, Irving Scholar of Tottenham Hotspur and David Dein of Arsenal, beginning to be transformed into business ventures that applied commercial principles to the running of the clubs, which led to the increasing power of the elite clubs. By threatening to break away, the top clubs from Division One managed to increase their voting power, and took 50 % share of all television and sponsorship income in 1986. Revenue from television also became more important : the Football League received £ 6.3 million for a two - year agreement in 1986, but by 1988, in a deal agreed with ITV, the price rose to £ 44 million over four years with the leading clubs taking 75 % of the cash. The 1988 negotiations were conducted under the threat of ten clubs leaving to form a `` super league '', but were eventually persuaded to stay with the top clubs taking the lion share of the deal. As stadiums improved and match attendance and revenues rose, the country 's top teams again considered leaving the Football League in order to capitalise on the influx of money into the sport. Foundation See also : Foundation of the Premier League In 1990, the managing director of London Weekend Television ( LWT ), Greg Dyke, met with the representatives of the `` big five '' football clubs in England ( Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Everton and Arsenal ) over a dinner. The meeting was to pave the way for a break away from The Football League. Dyke believed that it would be more lucrative for LWT if only the larger clubs in the country were featured on national television and wanted to establish whether the clubs would be interested in a larger share of television rights money. The five clubs decided it was a good idea and decided to press ahead with it ; however, the league would have no credibility without the backing of The Football Association and so David Dein of Arsenal held talks to see whether the FA were receptive to the idea. The FA did not enjoy an amicable relationship with the Football League at the time and considered it as a way to weaken the Football League 's position. At the close of the 1991 season, a proposal was tabled for the establishment of a new league that would bring more money into the game overall. The Founder Members Agreement, signed on 17 July 1991 by the game 's top - flight clubs, established the basic principles for setting up the FA Premier League. The newly formed top division would have commercial independence from The Football Association and the Football League, giving the FA Premier League licence to negotiate its own broadcast and sponsorship agreements. The argument given at the time was that the extra income would allow English clubs to compete with teams across Europe. Although Dyke played a significant role in the creation of the Premier League, Dyke and ITV would lose out in the bidding for broadcast rights as BSkyB won with a bid of £ 304 million over five years with the BBC awarded the highlights package broadcast on Match of the Day. In 1992, the First Division clubs resigned from the Football League en masse and on 27 May 1992 the FA Premier League was formed as a limited company working out of an office at the Football Association 's then headquarters in Lancaster Gate. This meant a break - up of the 104 - year - old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions ; the Premier League would operate with a single division and the Football League with three. There was no change in competition format ; the same number of teams competed in the top flight, and promotion and relegation between the Premier League and the new First Division remained the same as the old First and Second Divisions with three teams relegated from the league and three promoted. The league held its first season in 1992 -- 93. It was composed of 22 clubs for that season. The first Premier League goal was scored by Brian Deane of Sheffield United in a 2 -- 1 win against Manchester United. The 22 inaugural members of the new Premier League were Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wimbledon. Luton Town, Notts County, and West Ham United were the three teams relegated from the old first division at the end of the 1991 -- 92 season, and did not take part in the inaugural Premier League season. Results of the ' Big Four ' during the 2000s Season ARS CHE LIV MUN 2000 -- 01 6 2001 -- 02 6 2002 -- 03 5 2003 -- 04 2004 -- 05 5 2005 -- 06 2006 -- 07 2007 -- 08 2008 -- 09 2009 -- 10 7 Top four 10 8 7 10 out of 10 League champions Champions League group stage Champions League third qualifying round Champions League first qualifying round Europa League or UEFA Cup `` Top four '' dominance ( 2000s ) One significant feature of the Premier League in the mid-2000s was the dominance of the so - called `` Top Four '' clubs : Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. During this decade, they dominated the top four spots, which came with UEFA Champions League qualification, taking all top - four places in 5 out of 6 seasons from 2003 -- 04 to 2008 -- 09 inclusive, while every season during the 2000s saw the `` Big Four '' always qualifying for European competition. Arsenal went as far as winning the league without losing a single game in 2003 -- 04, the only time it has ever happened in the Premier League. During the 2000s, only four sides outside the `` Top Four '' managed to qualify for the Champions League : Leeds United ( 1999 -- 2000 ), Newcastle United ( 2001 -- 02 and 2002 -- 03 ), Everton ( 2004 -- 05 ) and Tottenham Hotspur ( 2009 -- 10 ) -- each occupying the final Champions League spot, with the exception of Newcastle in the 2002 -- 03 season, who finished third. In May 2008 Kevin Keegan stated that `` Top Four '' dominance threatened the division, `` This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world. '' Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said in defence : `` There are a lot of different tussles that go on in the Premier League depending on whether you 're at the top, in the middle or at the bottom that make it interesting. '' Between 2005 and 2012, there was a Premier League representative in seven of the eight Champions League finals, with only `` Top Four '' clubs reaching that stage. Liverpool ( 2005 ), Manchester United ( 2008 ) and Chelsea ( 2012 ) won the competition during this period, with Arsenal ( 2006 ), Liverpool ( 2007 ), Chelsea ( 2008 ) and Manchester United ( 2009 and 2011 ) all losing Champions League finals. Leeds United were the only non - `` Top Four '' side to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, in the 2000 -- 01 season. Additionally, between the 1999 -- 2000 and 2009 -- 10 seasons, four Premier League sides reached UEFA Cup or Europa League finals, with only Liverpool managing to win the competition in 2001. Arsenal ( 2000 ), Middlesbrough ( 2006 ) and Fulham ( 2010 ) all lost their finals. Emergence of the `` Big six '' ( 2010s ) The years following 2009 marked a shift in the structure of the `` Top Four '' with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City both breaking into the top four places on a regular basis, turning the `` Big Four '' into the `` Big Six ''. In the 2009 -- 10 season, Tottenham finished fourth and became the first team to break the top four since Everton five years prior. Criticism of the gap between an elite group of `` super clubs '' and the majority of the Premier League has continued, nevertheless, due to their increasing ability to spend more than the other Premier League clubs. Since the continued presence of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the top end of the table, no side has won consecutive Premier League titles. Manchester City won the title in the 2011 -- 12 season, becoming the first club outside the `` Big Four '' to win since Blackburn Rovers in the 1994 -- 95 season. That season also saw two of the `` Big Four '' ( Chelsea and Liverpool ) finish outside the top four places for the first time since that season. Results of the ' Big Six ' during the 2010s Season ARS CHE LIV MCI MUN TOT 2010 -- 11 6 5 2011 -- 12 6 8 2012 -- 13 7 5 2013 -- 14 7 6 2014 -- 15 6 5 2015 -- 16 10 8 5 2016 -- 17 5 6 2017 -- 18 6 5 Top four 6 5 8 5 Top six 8 7 5 8 7 8 out of 8 League champions Champions League group stage Champions League play - off round Europa League With only four UEFA Champions League qualifying places available in the league, greater competition for qualification now exists, albeit from a narrow base of six clubs. In the following five seasons after the 2011 -- 12 campaign, Manchester United and Liverpool both found themselves outside of the top four three times while Chelsea finished 10th in the 2015 -- 16 season. Arsenal finished 5th in 2016 -- 17, ending their record of 20 consecutive top - four finishes. In the 2015 -- 16 season, the top four was breached by a non-Big Six side for the first time since Everton in 2005. Leicester City were the surprise winners of the league, qualifying for the Champions League as a result. Off the pitch, the `` Big Six '' wield financial power and influence, with these clubs arguing that they should be entitled to a greater share of revenue due to the greater stature of their clubs globally and the attractive football they aim to play. Objectors argue that the egalitarian revenue structure in the Premier League helps to maintain a competitive league which is vital for its future success. The 2016 -- 17 Deloitte Football Money League report showed the financial disparity between the `` Big Six '' and the rest of the division. All of the `` Big Six '' had revenues greater than € 350 million, with Manchester United having the largest revenue in the league at € 676.3 million. Leicester City was the closest club to the `` Big Six '' in terms of revenue, recording a figure of € 271.1 million for that season -- helped by participation in the Champions League. The eighth largest revenue generator West Ham, who did n't play in European competition, had revenues of € 213.3 million, nearly half of the fifth largest club, Liverpool ( € 424.2 million ). Development See also : List of Premier League seasons The number of clubs was reduced to 20, down from 22, in 1995 when four teams were relegated from the league and only two teams promoted. The top flight had only been expanded to 22 teams at the start of the 1991 -- 92 season -- the year prior to the formation of the Premier League. On 8 June 2006, FIFA requested that all major European leagues, including Italy 's Serie A and Spain 's La Liga, be reduced to 18 teams by the start of the 2007 -- 08 season. The Premier League responded by announcing their intention to resist such a reduction. Ultimately, the 2007 -- 08 season kicked off again with 20 teams. The league changed its name from the FA Premier League to simply the Premier League in 2007. Corporate structure The Football Association Premier League Ltd ( FAPL ) is operated as a corporation and is owned by the 20 member clubs. Each club is a shareholder, with one vote each on issues such as rule changes and contracts. The clubs elect a chairman, chief executive, and board of directors to oversee the daily operations of the league. The Football Association is not directly involved in the day - to - day operations of the Premier League, but has veto power as a special shareholder during the election of the chairman and chief executive and when new rules are adopted by the league. The current chairman is Sir Dave Richards, who was appointed in April 1999, and the chief executive is Richard Scudamore, appointed in November 1999. The former chairman and chief executive, John Quinton and Peter Leaver, were forced to resign in March 1999 after awarding consultancy contracts to former Sky executives Sam Chisholm and David Chance. Rick Parry was the league 's first chief executive. The Premier League sends representatives to UEFA 's European Club Association, the number of clubs and the clubs themselves chosen according to UEFA coefficients. For the 2012 -- 13 season the Premier League has 10 representatives in the Association : Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. The European Club Association is responsible for electing three members to UEFA 's Club Competitions Committee, which is involved in the operations of UEFA competitions such as the Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Competition format Competition There are 20 clubs in the Premier League. During the course of a season ( from August to May ) each club plays the others twice ( a double round - robin system ), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents ', for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play - off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The three lowest placed teams are relegated into the EFL Championship, and the top two teams from the Championship, together with the winner of play - offs involving the third to sixth placed Championship clubs, are promoted in their place. Qualification for European competitions Arsenal against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League in 2011 As of the 2009 -- 10 season qualification for the UEFA Champions League changed, the top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the top three teams directly entering the group stage. Previously only the top two teams qualified automatically. The fourth - placed team enters the Champions League at the play - off round for non-champions and must win a two - legged knockout tie in order to enter the group stage. The team placed fifth in the Premier League automatically qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, and the sixth and seventh - placed teams can also qualify, depending on the winners of the two domestic cup competitions i.e. the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. Two Europa League places are reserved for the winners of each tournament ; if the winner of either the FA Cup or EFL Cup qualifies for the Champions League, then that place will go to the next - best placed finisher in the Premier League. An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League that season. UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers. UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that if the Champions League winner finished outside the top four in its domestic league, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth - placed team in the league. At that time, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League. This occurred in 2012, when Chelsea -- who had won the Champions League that summer, but finished sixth in the league -- qualified for the Champions League in place of Tottenham Hotspur, who went into the Europa League. Starting with the 2015 -- 16 season, the Europa League champion automatically qualifies for the following season 's Champions League, and the maximum number of Champions League places for any single association has increased to five. An association with four Champions League places, such as The FA, will only earn a fifth place if a club from that association that does not qualify for the Champions League through its league wins either the Champions League or Europa League. In 2007, the Premier League became the highest ranking European League based on the performances of English teams in European competitions over a five - year period. This broke the eight - year dominance of the Spanish league, La Liga. Premier League clubs in international competition Main article : Premier League clubs in international performance Between the 1992 -- 93 and the 2017 -- 18 seasons, Premier League clubs won the UEFA Champions League four times ( and had six runners - up ), behind Spain 's La Liga with eleven wins, and Italy 's Serie A with five wins ; ahead of, among others, Germany 's Bundesliga with three wins. The FIFA Club World Cup ( originally called the FIFA Club World Championship ) has been won once by a Premier League club ( Manchester United in 2008 ), with two runners - up ( Liverpool in 2005, Chelsea in 2012 ), behind Spain 's La Liga with six wins, Brazil 's Brasileirão with four wins, and Italy 's Serie A with two wins. Promotion and relegation A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Premier League and the EFL Championship. The three lowest placed teams in the Premier League are relegated to the Championship, and the top two teams from the Championship promoted to the Premier League, with an additional team promoted after a series of play - offs involving the third, fourth, fifth and sixth placed clubs. The Premier League had 22 teams when it began in 1992, but this was reduced to the present 20 - team format in 1995. Clubs Main article : List of Premier League clubs See also : All - time FA Premier League table A total of 49 clubs have played in the Premier League from its inception in 1992, up to and including the 2018 -- 19 season. Champions See also : List of English football champions No. Season Champion 1992 -- 93 Manchester United 1993 -- 94 Manchester United 1994 -- 95 Blackburn Rovers 1995 -- 96 Manchester United 5 1996 -- 97 Manchester United 6 1997 -- 98 Arsenal 7 1998 -- 99 Manchester United 8 1999 -- 2000 Manchester United 9 2000 -- 01 Manchester United 10 2001 -- 02 Arsenal 11 2002 -- 03 Manchester United 12 2003 -- 04 Arsenal 13 2004 -- 05 Chelsea No. Season Champion 14 2005 -- 06 Chelsea 15 2006 -- 07 Manchester United 16 2007 -- 08 Manchester United 17 2008 -- 09 Manchester United 18 2009 -- 10 Chelsea 19 2010 -- 11 Manchester United 20 2011 -- 12 Manchester City 21 2012 -- 13 Manchester United 22 2013 -- 14 Manchester City 23 2014 -- 15 Chelsea 24 2015 -- 16 Leicester City 25 2016 -- 17 Chelsea 26 2017 -- 18 Manchester City Wins by club Club Wins Winning years Manchester United 13 1992 -- 93, 1993 -- 94, 1995 -- 96, 1996 -- 97, 1998 -- 99, 1999 -- 2000, 2000 -- 01, 2002 -- 03, 2006 -- 07, 2007 -- 08, 2008 -- 09, 2010 -- 11, 2012 -- 13 Chelsea 5 2004 -- 05, 2005 -- 06, 2009 -- 10, 2014 -- 15, 2016 -- 17 Arsenal 1997 -- 98, 2001 -- 02, 2003 -- 04 Manchester City 2011 -- 12, 2013 -- 14, 2017 -- 18 Blackburn Rovers 1994 -- 95 Leicester City 2015 -- 16 2018 -- 19 season The following 20 clubs will compete in the Premier League during the 2018 -- 19 season. Club Position in 2017 -- 18 First season in top division Seasons in top division Seasons in Premier League First season of current spell in top division Top division titles Last top division title Arsenal 6th 1904 -- 05 102 27 1919 -- 20 13 2003 -- 04 AFC Bournemouth 12th 2015 -- 16 2015 -- 16 0 n / a Brighton and Hove Albion 15th 1979 -- 80 6 2017 -- 18 0 n / a Burnley 7th 1888 -- 89 56 5 2016 -- 17 1959 -- 60 Cardiff City 2nd in the Championship 1921 -- 22 17 2018 -- 19 0 n / a Chelsea 5th 1907 -- 08 84 27 1989 -- 90 6 2016 -- 17 Crystal Palace 11th 1969 -- 70 19 10 2013 -- 14 0 n / a Everton 8th 1888 -- 89 116 27 1954 -- 55 9 1986 -- 87 Fulham 3rd in the Championship 1949 -- 50 26 14 2018 -- 19 0 n / a Huddersfield Town 16th 1920 -- 21 33 2017 -- 18 1923 -- 24 Leicester City 9th 1908 -- 09 50 13 2014 -- 15 2015 -- 16 Liverpool 4th 1894 -- 95 104 27 1962 -- 63 18 1989 -- 90 Manchester City 1st 1899 -- 1900 90 22 2002 -- 03 5 2017 -- 18 Manchester United 2nd 1892 -- 93 94 27 1975 -- 76 20 2012 -- 13 Newcastle United 10th 1898 -- 99 87 24 2017 -- 18 1926 -- 27 Southampton 17th 1966 -- 67 42 20 2012 -- 13 0 n / a Tottenham Hotspur 3rd 1909 -- 10 84 27 1978 -- 79 1960 -- 61 Watford 14th 1982 -- 83 12 6 2015 -- 16 0 n / a West Ham United 13th 1923 -- 24 61 23 2012 -- 13 0 n / a Wolverhampton Wanderers 1st in the Championship 1888 -- 89 64 5 2018 -- 19 1958 -- 59 Swansea City, Stoke City, and West Bromwich Albion were relegated to the Championship for the 2018 -- 19 season, while Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Fulham, as winners, runners - up and play - off final winners respectively, were promoted from the 2017 -- 18 Championship season. AFC Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Huddersfield Town are the only clubs to have remained in the Premier League since their first promotion, having played 4, 2 and 2 seasons ( out of 27 ) respectively. : Founding member of the Premier League : Never been relegated from Premier League : One of the original 12 Football League teams : Club based in Wales London Bournemouth Brighton & Hove Albion Burnley Cardiff City Everton Huddersfield Town Leicester City Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle United Southampton Wolverhampton Wanderers London teams Arsenal Chelsea Crystal Palace Fulham Tottenham Hotspur Watford West Ham United Location of clubs for the 2018 -- 19 Premier League season Arsenal Chelsea Crystal Palace Fulham Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United Watford Greater London Premier League football clubs Non-English clubs See also : List of association football clubs playing in the league of another country Wales In 2011, a Welsh club participated in the Premier League for the first time after Swansea City gained promotion. The first Premier League match to be played outside England was Swansea City 's home match at the Liberty Stadium against Wigan Athletic on 20 August 2011. In 2012 -- 13, Swansea qualified for the Europa League by winning the League Cup. The number of Welsh clubs in the Premier League increased to two for the first time in 2013 -- 14, as Cardiff City gained promotion, but they were relegated after their maiden season. Cardiff were promoted again in 2017 - 18 but the number of Welsh clubs will remain the same as Swansea City were relegated from the Premier League in the same season. Because they are members of the Football Association of Wales ( FAW ), the question of whether clubs like Swansea should represent England or Wales in European competitions has caused long - running discussions in UEFA. Swansea took one of England 's three available places in the Europa League in 2013 -- 14 by winning the League Cup in 2012 -- 13. The right of Welsh clubs to take up such English places was in doubt until UEFA clarified the matter in March 2012, allowing them to participate. Scotland and Ireland Participation in the Premier League by some Scottish or Irish clubs has sometimes been discussed, but without result. The idea came closest to reality in 1998, when Wimbledon received Premier League approval to relocate to Dublin, Ireland, but the move was blocked by the Football Association of Ireland. Additionally, the media occasionally discusses the idea that Scotland 's two biggest teams, Celtic and Rangers, should or will take part in the Premier League, but nothing has come of these discussions. Sponsorship See also : English football sponsorship From 1993 to 2016, the Premier League had title sponsorship rights sold to two companies, which were Carling Brewery and Barclays Bank PLC ; Barclays was the most recent title sponsor, having sponsored the Premier League from 2001 through 2016 ( until 2004, the title sponsorship was held through its Barclaycard brand before shifting to its main banking brand in 2004 ). Period Sponsor Name 1992 -- 1993 No sponsor FA Premier League 1993 -- 2001 Carling FA Carling Premiership 2001 -- 2004 Barclaycard FA Barclaycard Premiership 2004 -- 2007 Barclays FA Barclays Premiership 2007 -- 2016 Barclays Premier League 2016 -- No Sponsor Premier League Barclays ' deal with the Premier League expired at the end of the 2015 -- 16 season. The FA announced on 4 June 2015 that it would not pursue any further title sponsorship deals for the Premier League, arguing that they wanted to build a `` clean '' brand for the competition more in line with those of major U.S. sports leagues. As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Premier League has a number of official partners and suppliers. The official ball supplier for the league is Nike who have had the contract since the 2000 -- 01 season when they took over from Mitre. Finances See also : List of Premier League football club owners The Premier League has the highest revenue of any football league in the world, with total club revenues of € 2.48 billion in 2009 -- 10. In 2013 -- 14, due to improved television revenues and cost controls, the Premier League had net profits in excess of £ 78 million, exceeding all other football leagues. In 2010 the Premier League was awarded the Queen 's Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category for its outstanding contribution to international trade and the value it brings to English football and the United Kingdom 's broadcasting industry. The Premier League includes some of the richest football clubs in the world. Deloitte 's `` Football Money League '' listed seven Premier League clubs in the top 20 for the 2009 -- 10 season, and all 20 clubs were in the top 40 globally by the end of the 2013 -- 14 season, largely as a result of increased broadcasting revenue. From 2013, the league generates € 2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. Premier League clubs agreed in principle in December 2012, to radical new cost controls. The two proposals consist of a break - even rule and a cap on the amount clubs can increase their wage bill by each season. With the new television deals on the horizon, momentum has been growing to find ways of preventing the majority of the cash going straight to players and agents. Central payments for the 2016 -- 17 season amounted to £ 2,398,515,773 across the 20 clubs, with each team receiving a flat participation fee of £ 35,301,989 and additional payments for TV broadcasts ( £ 1,016,690 for general UK rights to match highlights, £ 1,136,083 for each live UK broadcast of their games and £ 39,090,596 for all overseas rights ), commercial rights ( a flat fee of £ 4,759,404 ) and a notional measure of `` merit '' which was based upon final league position. The merit component was a nominal sum of £ 1,941,609 multiplied by each finishing place, counted from the foot of the table ( e.g., Burnley finished 16th in May 2017, five places counting upwards, and received 5 × £ 1,941,609 = £ 9,708,045 merit payment ). Media coverage See also : English football on television, List of Premier League broadcasters, and Broadcasting and the foundation of the Premier League United Kingdom and Ireland Matches broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland Seasons Sky Others Total 1992 -- 1997 60 -- 60 1997 -- 2001 60 60 2001 -- 2004 110 110 2004 -- 2007 138 138 2007 -- 2009 96 Setanta 42 -- 138 2009 -- 2010 96 ESPN 42 138 2010 -- 2013 115 ESPN 23 138 2013 -- 2016 116 BT 38 154 2016 -- 2019 126 42 168 2019 -- 2022 128 52 Amazon 20 200 A 2012 match between Chelsea and Norwich City. Television has played a major role in the history of the Premier League. The League 's decision to assign broadcasting rights to BSkyB in 1992 was at the time a radical decision, but one that has paid off. At the time pay television was an almost untested proposition in the UK market, as was charging fans to watch live televised football. However, a combination of Sky 's strategy, the quality of Premier League football and the public 's appetite for the game has seen the value of the Premier League 's TV rights soar. The Premier League sells its television rights on a collective basis. This is in contrast to some other European Leagues, including La Liga, in which each club sells its rights individually, leading to a much higher share of the total income going to the top few clubs. The money is divided into three parts : half is divided equally between the clubs ; one quarter is awarded on a merit basis based on final league position, the top club getting twenty times as much as the bottom club, and equal steps all the way down the table ; the final quarter is paid out as facilities fees for games that are shown on television, with the top clubs generally receiving the largest shares of this. The income from overseas rights is divided equally between the twenty clubs. The first Sky television rights agreement was worth £ 304 million over five seasons. The next contract, negotiated to start from the 1997 -- 98 season, rose to £ 670 million over four seasons. The third contract was a £ 1.024 billion deal with BSkyB for the three seasons from 2001 -- 02 to 2003 -- 04. The league brought in £ 320 million from the sale of its international rights for the three - year period from 2004 -- 05 to 2006 -- 07. It sold the rights itself on a territory - by - territory basis. Sky 's monopoly was broken from August 2006 when Setanta Sports was awarded rights to show two out of the six packages of matches available. This occurred following an insistence by the European Commission that exclusive rights should not be sold to one television company. Sky and Setanta paid a total of £ 1.7 billion, a two - thirds increase which took many commentators by surprise as it had been widely assumed that the value of the rights had levelled off following many years of rapid growth. Setanta also hold rights to a live 3 pm match solely for Irish viewers. The BBC has retained the rights to show highlights for the same three seasons ( on Match of the Day ) for £ 171.6 million, a 63 per cent increase on the £ 105 million it paid for the previous three - year period. Sky and BT have agreed to jointly pay £ 84.3 million for delayed television rights to 242 games ( that is the right to broadcast them in full on television and over the internet ) in most cases for a period of 50 hours after 10 pm on matchday. Overseas television rights fetched £ 625 million, nearly double the previous contract. The total raised from these deals is more than £ 2.7 billion, giving Premier League clubs an average media income from league games of around £ 40 million - a-year from 2007 to 2010. Cristiano Ronaldo preparing to take a free kick in a 2009 match between Manchester United and Liverpool. The TV rights agreement between the Premier League and Sky has faced accusations of being a cartel, and a number of court cases have arisen as a result. An investigation by the Office of Fair Trading in 2002 found BSkyB to be dominant within the pay TV sports market, but concluded that there were insufficient grounds for the claim that BSkyB had abused its dominant position. In July 1999 the Premier League 's method of selling rights collectively for all member clubs was investigated by the UK Restrictive Practices Court, who concluded that the agreement was not contrary to the public interest. The BBC 's highlights package on Saturday and Sunday nights, as well as other evenings when fixtures justify, will run until 2016. Television rights alone for the period 2010 to 2013 have been purchased for £ 1.782 billion. On 22 June 2009, due to troubles encountered by Setanta Sports after it failed to meet a final deadline over a £ 30 million payment to the Premier League, ESPN was awarded two packages of UK rights containing a total of 46 matches that were available for the 2009 -- 10 season as well as a package of 23 matches per season from 2010 -- 11 to 2012 -- 13. On 13 June 2012, the Premier League announced that BT had been awarded 38 games a season for the 2013 -- 14 through 2015 -- 16 seasons at £ 246 million - a-year. The remaining 116 games were retained by Sky who paid £ 760 million - a-year. The total domestic rights have raised £ 3.018 billion, an increase of 70.2 % over the 2010 -- 11 to 2012 -- 13 rights. The value of the licensing deal rose by another 70.2 % in 2015, when Sky and BT paid a total of £ 5.136 billion to renew their contracts with the Premier League for another three years up to the 2018 -- 19 season. UK highlights Highlights programme Duration Channel Match of the Day 1992 -- 2001, 2004 -- present BBC The Premiership 2001 -- 2004 ITV Between the 1998 -- 99 season and the 2012 -- 13 season, RTÉ broadcast highlights on Premier Soccer Saturday and occasionally Premier Soccer Sunday. During then between the 2004 -- 05 season and the 2006 -- 07 season, RTÉ broadcast 15 live matches on a Saturday afternoon with each match being called Premiership Live. In August 2016, it was announced that the BBC would be creating a new magazine - style show for the Premier League entitled The Premier League Show. Worldwide The Premier League is the most - watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people,. The Premier League 's production arm, Premier League Productions, is operated by IMG Productions and produces all content for its international television partners. The Premier League is particularly popular in Asia, where it is the most widely distributed sports programme. In Australia, Optus telecommunications holds exclusive rights to the Premier League, providing live broadcasts and online access ( Fox Sports formerly held rights ). In India, the matches are broadcast live on STAR Sports. In China, the broadcast rights were awarded to Super Sports in a six - year agreement that began in the 2013 -- 14 season. As of the 2013 -- 14 season, Canadian broadcast rights to the Premier League are jointly owned by Sportsnet and TSN, with both rival networks holding rights to 190 matches per season. The Premier League is broadcast in the United States through NBC Sports. Premier League viewership has increased rapidly, with NBC and NBCSN averaging a record 479,000 viewers in the 2014 -- 15 season, up 118 % from 2012 -- 13 when coverage still aired on Fox Soccer and ESPN / ESPN2 ( 220,000 viewers ), and NBC Sports has been widely praised for its coverage. NBC Sports reached a six - year extension with the Premier League in 2015 to broadcast the league through the 2021 -- 22 season in a deal valued at $1 billion ( £ 640 million ). Widening gap with lower leagues See also : Premier League -- Football League gulf There has been an increasing gulf between the Premier League and the Football League. Since its split with the Football League, many established clubs in the Premier League have managed to distance themselves from their counterparts in lower leagues. Owing in large part to the disparity in revenue from television rights between the leagues, many newly promoted teams have found it difficult to avoid relegation in their first season in the Premier League. In every season except 2001 -- 02, 2011 -- 12 and 2017 - 18, at least one Premier League newcomer has been relegated back to the Football League. In 1997 -- 98 all three promoted clubs were relegated at the end of the season. The Premier League distributes a portion of its television revenue to clubs that are relegated from the league in the form of `` parachute payments ''. Starting with the 2013 -- 14 season, these payments are in excess of £ 60 million over four seasons. Though designed to help teams adjust to the loss of television revenues ( the average Premier League team receives £ 55 million while the average Football League Championship club receives £ 2 million ), critics maintain that the payments actually widen the gap between teams that have reached the Premier League and those that have not, leading to the common occurrence of teams `` bouncing back '' soon after their relegation. For some clubs who have failed to win immediate promotion back to the Premier League, financial problems, including in some cases administration or even liquidation have followed. Further relegations down the footballing ladder have ensued for several clubs unable to cope with the gap. Stadiums Main article : List of Premier League stadiums As of the 2017 -- 18 season, Premier League football has been played in 58 stadiums since the formation of the division. The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and the subsequent Taylor Report saw a recommendation that standing terraces should be abolished ; as a result all stadiums in the Premier League are all - seater. Since the formation of the Premier League, football grounds in England have seen constant improvements to capacity and facilities, with some clubs moving to new - build stadiums. Nine stadiums that have seen Premier League football have now been demolished. The stadiums for the 2017 -- 18 season show a large disparity in capacity : Wembley Stadium, the temporary home of Tottenham Hotspur, has a capacity of 90,000 with Dean Court, the home of Bournemouth, having a capacity of 11,360. The combined total capacity of the Premier League in the 2017 -- 18 season is 806,033 with an average capacity of 40,302. Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for Premier League clubs. For the 2016 -- 17 season, average attendances across the league clubs were 35,838 for Premier League matches with a total aggregate attendance figure of 13,618,596. This represents an increase of 14,712 from the average attendance of 21,126 recorded in the league 's first season ( 1992 -- 93 ). However, during the 1992 -- 93 season the capacities of most stadiums were reduced as clubs replaced terraces with seats in order to meet the Taylor Report 's 1994 -- 95 deadline for all - seater stadiums. The Premier League 's record average attendance of 36,144 was set during the 2007 -- 08 season. This record was then beaten in the 2013 -- 14 season recording an average attendance of 36,695 with a total attendance of just under 14 million, the highest average in England 's top flight since 1950. Managers See also : List of Premier League managers Managers in the Premier League are involved in the day - to - day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and player acquisition. Their influence varies from club - to - club and is related to the ownership of the club and the relationship of the manager with fans. Managers are required to have a UEFA Pro Licence which is the final coaching qualification available, and follows the completion of the UEFA ' B ' and ' A ' Licences. The UEFA Pro Licence is required by every person who wishes to manage a club in the Premier League on a permanent basis ( i.e. more than 12 weeks -- the amount of time an unqualified caretaker manager is allowed to take control ). Caretaker appointments are managers that fill the gap between a managerial departure and a new appointment. Several caretaker managers have gone on to secure a permanent managerial post after performing well as a caretaker ; examples include Paul Hart at Portsmouth and David Pleat at Tottenham Hotspur. The league 's longest - serving manager was Alex Ferguson, who was in charge of Manchester United from November 1986 until his retirement at the end of the 2012 -- 13 season, meaning that he was manager for all of the first 21 seasons of the Premier League. Arsène Wenger is the league 's longest - serving current manager, having been in charge of Arsenal in the Premier League since 1996. In the 2017 -- 18 season, 11 managers were sacked, the most recent being Alan Pardew of West Bromwich Albion. There have been several studies into the reasoning behind, and effects of, managerial sackings. Most famously, Professor Sue Bridgewater of the University of Liverpool and Dr. Bas ter Weel of the University of Amsterdam, performed two separate studies which helped to explain the statistics behind managerial sackings. Bridgewater 's study found that clubs generally sack their managers upon dropping below an average of 1 point - per - game. Winning managers Manager Club ( s ) Wins Winning years Alex Ferguson Manchester United 13 1992 -- 93, 1993 -- 94, 1995 -- 96, 1996 -- 97, 1998 -- 99, 1999 -- 2000, 2000 -- 01, 2002 -- 03, 2006 -- 07, 2007 -- 08, 2008 -- 09, 2010 -- 11, 2012 -- 13 Arsène Wenger Arsenal 1997 -- 98, 2001 -- 02, 2003 -- 04 José Mourinho Chelsea 2004 -- 05, 2005 -- 06, 2014 -- 15 Kenny Dalglish Blackburn Rovers 1994 -- 95 Carlo Ancelotti Chelsea 2009 -- 10 Roberto Mancini Manchester City 2011 -- 12 Manuel Pellegrini Manchester City 2013 -- 14 Claudio Ranieri Leicester City 2015 -- 16 Antonio Conte Chelsea 2016 -- 17 Pep Guardiola Manchester City 2017 -- 18 Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was the longest serving and most successful manager in the history of the Premier League. Current managers Nat. Name Club Appointed Time as manager Eddie Howe Bournemouth 12 October 2012 7003210300000000000 ♠ 5 years, 277 days Sean Dyche Burnley 30 October 2012 7003208500000000000 ♠ 5 years, 259 days Mauricio Pochettino Tottenham Hotspur 27 May 2014 7003151100000000000 ♠ 4 years, 50 days Chris Hughton Brighton & Hove Albion 31 December 2014 7003129300000000000 ♠ 3 years, 197 days Jürgen Klopp Liverpool 8 October 2015 7003101200000000000 ♠ 2 years, 281 days David Wagner Huddersfield Town 5 November 2015 7002984000000000000 ♠ 2 years, 253 days Slaviša Jokanović Fulham 27 December 2015 7002932000000000000 ♠ 2 years, 201 days Rafael Benítez Newcastle United 11 March 2016 7002857000000000000 ♠ 2 years, 127 days José Mourinho Manchester United 27 May 2016 7002780000000000000 ♠ 2 years, 50 days Pep Guardiola Manchester City 1 July 2016 7002745000000000000 ♠ 2 years, 15 days Neil Warnock Cardiff City 5 October 2016 7002649000000000000 ♠ 1 year, 284 days Nuno Espirito Santo Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 May 2017 7002411000000000000 ♠ 1 year, 46 days Roy Hodgson Crystal Palace 12 September 2017 7002307000000000000 ♠ 307 days Claude Puel Leicester City 25 October 2017 7002264000000000000 ♠ 264 days Javi Gracia Watford 21 January 2018 7002176000000000000 ♠ 176 days Mark Hughes Southampton 14 March 2018 7002124000000000000 ♠ 124 days Manuel Pellegrini West Ham United 22 May 2018 7001550000000000000 ♠ 55 days Unai Emery Arsenal 23 May 2018 7001540000000000000 ♠ 54 days Marco Silva Everton 31 May 2018 7001460000000000000 ♠ 46 days Maurizio Sarri Chelsea 14 July 2018 7000200000000000000 ♠ 2 days Players See also : Premier League records and statistics § Player records, and List of Premier League winning players Appearances See also : List of Premier League players with 500 or more appearances Most appearances Rank Player Apps Gareth Barry 653 Ryan Giggs 632 Frank Lampard 609 David James 572 5 Gary Speed 535 6 Emile Heskey 516 7 Mark Schwarzer 514 8 Jamie Carragher 508 9 Phil Neville 505 10 Steven Gerrard 504 Rio Ferdinand As of 9 May 2018. Italicised players still playing professional football. Bolded players still playing in Premier League. Foreign players and transfer Regulations See also : List of foreign Premier League players and List of foreign Premier League goalscorers At the inception of the Premier League in 1992 -- 93, just eleven players named in the starting line - ups for the first round of matches hailed from outside of the United Kingdom or Ireland. By 2000 -- 01, the number of foreign players participating in the Premier League was 36 per cent of the total. In the 2004 -- 05 season the figure had increased to 45 per cent. On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first Premier League side to field an entirely foreign starting line - up, and on 14 February 2005 Arsenal were the first to name a completely foreign 16 - man squad for a match. By 2009, under 40 % of the players in the Premier League were English. In response to concerns that clubs were increasingly passing over young English players in favour of foreign players, in 1999, the Home Office tightened its rules for granting work permits to players from countries outside of the European Union. A non-EU player applying for the permit must have played for his country in at least 75 per cent of its competitive ' A ' team matches for which he was available for selection during the previous two years, and his country must have averaged at least 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings over the previous two years. If a player does not meet those criteria, the club wishing to sign him may appeal. Players may only be transferred during transfer windows that are set by the Football Association. The two transfer windows run from the last day of the season to 31 August and from 31 December to 31 January. Player registrations can not be exchanged outside these windows except under specific licence from the FA, usually on an emergency basis. As of the 2010 -- 11 season, the Premier League introduced new rules mandating that each club must register a maximum 25 - man squad of players aged over 21, with the squad list only allowed to be changed in transfer windows or in exceptional circumstances. This was to enable the ' home grown ' rule to be enacted, whereby the League would also from 2010 require at least 8 of the named 25 man squad to be made up of ' home - grown players '. Player wages and transfer fees See also : Progression of British football transfer fee record There is no team or individual salary cap in the Premier League. As a result of the increasingly lucrative television deals, player wages rose sharply following the formation of the Premier League when the average player wage was £ 75,000 per year. The average salary stands at £ 1.1 million as of the 2008 -- 09 season. As of 2015, average salaries in the Premier League are higher than for any other football league in the world. The record transfer fee for a Premier League player has risen steadily over the lifetime of the competition. Prior to the start of the first Premier League season Alan Shearer became the first British player to command a transfer fee of more than £ 3 million. The record rose steadily in the Premier League 's first few seasons, until Alan Shearer made a record breaking £ 15 million move to Newcastle United in 1996. All three of the most expensive transfers in the sport 's history had a Premier League club on the selling or buying end, with Juventus selling Paul Pogba to Manchester United in August 2016 for a fee of £ 89 million, Tottenham Hotspur selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for £ 85 million in 2013, Manchester United 's sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £ 80 million in 2009, and Liverpool selling Luis Suárez to Barcelona for £ 75 million in 2014. Top scorers See also : List of Premier League players with 100 or more goals, Top Premier League goal scorers by season, and Premier League Golden Boot Alan Shearer is the top scorer in Premier League history. As of 13 May 2018. Rank Name Years Goals Apps Ratio Alan Shearer 1992 -- 2006 260 441 0.59 Wayne Rooney 2002 -- 2018 208 491 0.42 Andrew Cole 1992 -- 2008 187 414 0.45 Frank Lampard 1995 -- 2015 177 609 0.29 5 Thierry Henry 1999 -- 2007, 2012 175 258 0.68 6 Robbie Fowler 1993 -- 2009 163 379 0.43 7 Jermain Defoe 2001 -- 2003, 2004 -- 2014, 2015 -- 162 492 0.33 8 Michael Owen 1996 -- 2004, 2005 -- 13 150 326 0.46 9 Les Ferdinand 1992 -- 2005 149 351 0.42 10 Teddy Sheringham 1992 -- 2007 146 418 0.35 Italics denotes players still playing professional football, Bold denotes players still playing in the Premier League. The Golden Boot is awarded to the top Premier League scorer at the end of each season. Former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer holds the record for most Premier League goals with 260. Twenty - five players have reached the 100 - goal mark. Since the first Premier League season in 1992 -- 93, 14 players from 10 clubs have won or shared the top scorers title. Thierry Henry won his fourth overall scoring title by scoring 27 goals in the 2005 -- 06 season. Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer hold the record for most goals in a season ( 34 ) -- for Newcastle and Blackburn respectively. Ryan Giggs of Manchester United holds the record for scoring goals in consecutive seasons, having scored in the first 21 seasons of the league. Awards Trophy The Premier League trophy The gold Premier League trophy awarded to Arsenal for winning the 2003 -- 04 title without defeat The Premier League maintains two trophies -- the genuine trophy ( held by the reigning champions ) and a spare replica. Two trophies are held in the event that two clubs could win the League on the final day of the season. In the rare event that more than two clubs are vying for the title on the final day of the season -- then a replica won by a previous club is used. The current Premier League trophy was created by Royal Jewellers Asprey of London. It consists of a trophy with a golden crown and a malachite plinth base. The plinth weighs 33 pounds ( 15 kg ) and the trophy weighs 22 pounds ( 10.0 kg ). The trophy and plinth are 76 cm ( 30 in ) tall, 43 cm ( 17 in ) wide and 25 cm ( 9.8 in ) deep. Its main body is solid sterling silver and silver gilt, while its plinth is made of malachite, a semi-precious stone. The plinth has a silver band around its circumference, upon which the names of the title - winning clubs are listed. Malachite 's green colour is also representative of the green field of play. The design of the trophy is based on the heraldry of Three Lions that is associated with English football. Two of the lions are found above the handles on either side of the trophy -- the third is symbolised by the captain of the title - winning team as he raises the trophy, and its gold crown, above his head at the end of the season. The ribbons that drape the handles are presented in the team colours of the league champions that year. In 2004, a special gold version of the trophy was commissioned to commemorate Arsenal winning the title without a single defeat. Player and manager awards In addition to the winner 's trophy and the individual winner 's medals awarded to players who win the title, the Premier League also issues other awards throughout the season. A man of the match award is awarded to the player who has the greatest impact in an individual match. Monthly awards are also given for the Manager of the Month, Player of the Month and Goal of the Month. These are also issued annually for Manager of the Season, Player of the Season. and Goal of the Season. The Golden Boot award is given to the top goalscorer of every season, The Playmaker of the Season award is given to the player who make the most assists of every season and the Golden Glove award is given to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets at the end of the season. From the 2017 -- 18 season, players also receive a milestone award for 100 appearances and every century there after and also players who score 50 goals and multiples thereof. Each player to reach these milestones will receive a presentation box from the Premier League containing a special medallion and a plaque commemorating their achievement. 20 seasons awards Further information : Premier League 20 Seasons Awards and Premier League 10 Seasons Awards In 2012, the Premier League celebrated its second decade by holding the 20 Seasons Awards : Fantasy Team of the 20 Seasons Panel Choice : Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Tony Adams, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer Public Vote : Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Tony Adams, Nemanja Vidić, Ashley Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer Best Manager : Sir Alex Ferguson Best Player : Ryan Giggs Most Appearances : Gareth Barry ( 652 ) Top Goalscorer : Alan Shearer ( 260 ) Most Clean Sheets : David James ( 173 ) 500 Club : Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Gareth Barry, Ryan Giggs, David James, Gary Speed, Frank Lampard, Emile Heskey, and Sol Campbell. Best Goal : Wayne Rooney, 12 February 2011, Man. United vs Man. City Best Save : Craig Gordon, 18 December 2010, Sunderland vs Bolton Best Team : 2003 -- 04 Arsenal See also English football portal List of English football champions List of English Football League managers Football records in England References Jump up ^ When will goal - line technology be introduced ? Archived 9 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The total number of matches can be calculated using the formula n * ( n - 1 ) where n is the total number of teams. Jump up ^ `` United ( versus Liverpool ) Nations ''. The Observer. 6 January 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ Gibson, Owen ( 13 June 2012 ). `` Premier League lands £ 3bn deal ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Top Soccer Leagues Get 25 % Rise in TV Rights Sales, Report Says ''. Bloomberg. Retrieved 4 August 2014 Jump up ^ `` Premier League Payments to Clubs ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Premier League value of central payments to Clubs ''. Premier League. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` History and time are key to power of football, says Premier League chief ''. The Times. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013. Jump up ^ `` Premier League 2014 / 2015 '' Attendance '' Home matches ``. worldfootball.net. Retrieved 30 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Bundesliga Statistics : 2014 / 2015 ''. ESPN FC. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2018. Jump up ^ Chard, Henry. `` Your ground 's too big for you ! Which stadiums were closest to capacity in England last season ? ''. Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 January 2016. Jump up ^ uefa.com ( 22 March 2016 ). `` Member associations - News -- UEFA.com ''. Jump up ^ `` 1985 : English teams banned after Heysel ''. BBC Archive. BBC. 31 May 1985. Retrieved 8 August 2006. ^ Jump up to : `` A History of The Premier League ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` The Taylor Report ''. Football Network. Archived from the original on 16 October 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2007. Jump up ^ Taylor, Matthew ( 18 October 2013 ). The Association Game : A History of British Football. Routledge. p. 342. ISBN 9781317870081. ^ Jump up to : Taylor, Matthew ( 18 October 2013 ). The Association Game : A History of British Football. Routledge. p. 343. ISBN 9781317870081. ^ Jump up to : Crawford, Gerry. `` Fact Sheet 8 : British Football on Television ''. Centre for the Sociology of Sport, University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` Super Ten Losing Ground ''. New Straits Times. 14 July 1988. Retrieved 9 September 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` The History of the Football League ''. Football League. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : Conn, David ( 4 September 2013 ). `` Greg Dyke seems to forget his role in the Premier League 's formation ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : Rodrigues, Jason ( 2 February 2012 ). `` Premier League football at 20 : 1992, the start of a whole new ball game ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2018. Jump up ^ MacInnes, Paul ( 23 July 2017 ). `` Deceit, determination and Murdoch 's millions : how Premier League was born ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` In the matter of an agreement between the Football Association Premier League Limited and the Football Association Limited and the Football League Limited and their respective member clubs ''. HM Courts Service. HM Government. 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ Shaw, Phil ( 17 August 1992 ). `` The Premier Kick - Off : Ferguson 's false start ''. The Independent. Retrieved 24 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` Final 1992 / 1993 English Premier Table ''. Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 14 September 2010. Jump up ^ Lovejoy, Joe ( 2011 ). `` 3. The Big Kick - Off ''. Glory, Goals and Greed : Twenty Years of the Premier League. Random House. ISBN 978 - 1 - 78057 - 144 - 7. Jump up ^ Northcroft, Jonathan ( 11 May 2008 ). `` Breaking up the Premier League 's Big Four ''. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 26 May 2011. Jump up ^ `` The best of the rest ''. Soccernet. ESPN. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` Arsenal make history ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 May 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2015. Jump up ^ `` Power of top four concerns Keegan ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` Scudamore defends ' boring ' League ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` UEFA Champions League -- History : Finals by season ''. UEFA. Retrieved 21 June 2018. Jump up ^ `` UEFA Europa League -- History : Finals by season ''. UEFA. Retrieved 21 June 2018. ^ Jump up to : Jolly, Richard ( 11 August 2011 ). `` Changing dynamics of the ' Big Six ' in Premier League title race ''. The National. Retrieved 18 August 2013. Jump up ^ `` Champions League defeat could ruin Tottenham 's season says Vedran Corluka ''. The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 August 2014 Jump up ^ `` Alex McLeish says Aston Villa struggle to compete with top clubs ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011. Jump up ^ De Menezes, Jack ( 11 May 2016 ). `` Arsenal secure top - four finish for 20th straight season to reach Champions League after Manchester United defeat ''. Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Leicester City win Premier League title after Tottenham draw at Chelsea ''. BBC Sport. 2 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` Premier League clubs aim to block rich six 's bid for a bigger share of TV cash ''. The Guardian. 27 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` The changing shape of the Premier League : how the ' big six ' are pulling away ''. The Telegraph. 2 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Manchester United remain football 's top revenue - generator ''. BBC Sport. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018. Jump up ^ Barclay, Patrick ( 14 August 1994 ). `` F.A. Premiership : Free spirits set to roam ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2018. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). ^ Jump up to : Miller, Nick ( 15 August 2017 ). `` How the Premier League has evolved in 25 years to become what it is today ''. ESPN. Retrieved 5 July 2018. Jump up ^ `` Fifa wants 18 - team Premier League ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` English Premier League Table -- 2007 -- 08 ''. ESPN. Retrieved 11 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Premier League and Barclays Announce Competition Name Change '' ( PDF ). Premier League. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2006. Jump up ^ curia.europa.eu C - 403 / 08 -- Football Association Premier League and Others Jump up ^ premierleague.com Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Privacy Policy / CONTACT Jump up ^ premierleague.com Archived 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Terms & Conditions Jump up ^ `` Our relationship with the clubs ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` The Premier League and Other Football Bodies ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 18 March 2006. Retrieved 12 September 2010. Jump up ^ Nakrani, Sachin ( 10 June 2008 ). `` Premier League v England time - line ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Timeline : a history of TV football rights ''. The Guardian. 25 February 2003. Retrieved 14 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Rick Parry says drop in cost of Premier League TV rights ' to be expected ' ''. Eurosport. Press Association. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018. Jump up ^ `` ECA Members ''. European Club Association. Retrieved 11 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` European Club Association : General Presentation ''. European Club Association. Archived from the original on 9 August 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Barclays Premier League ''. Sporting Life. 365 Media Group. Retrieved 26 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` Huge Stakes For Championship Play - Off Contenders ''. Goal. MSNBC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` UEFA Executive Committee approves changes to UEFA club competitions '' ( PDF ). UEFA. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2008. Jump up ^ `` Regulations of the UEFA Europa League '' ( PDF ). UEFA. Retrieved 28 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Who qualifies to play in Europe ? ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Liverpool get in Champions League ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 June 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` EXCO approves new coefficient system ''. UEFA. 20 May 2008. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Jubilant Chelsea parade Champions League trophy ''. CNN International. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` How the Europa League winners will enter the Champions League '' ( Press release ). UEFA. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016. Jump up ^ Kassies, Bert ( 2010 ). `` UEFA European Cup Coefficients Database ''. Bert Kassies. Retrieved 9 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Red Devils rule in Japan ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 December 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Sao Paulo FC -- Liverpool FC ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 December 2005. Retrieved 6 March 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Guerrero the hero as Corinthians crowned ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Real Madrid presented with the FIFA World Champions Badge ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2018. Jump up ^ `` Corinthians -- Vasco da Gama ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 January 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Sport Clube Internacional -- FC Barcelona ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 December 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Boca Juniors -- AC Milan ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 December 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Internazionale on top of the world ''. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2013. Jump up ^ Baxter, Kevin ( 14 May 2016 ). `` There are millions of reasons to want a promotion and avoid relegation in the English Premier League ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Clubs ''. Premier League. Retrieved 25 January 2018. Jump up ^ Wathan, Chris ( 12 May 2011 ). `` Rodgers looking for his Swans to peak in play - offs and reach Premier League summit ''. Western Mail. p. 50. Jump up ^ `` Swansea wins promotion to EPL ''. ESPN. Associated Press. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2013. Jump up ^ Herbert, Ian ( 21 August 2011 ). `` Vorm is man in form to save Swans ''. The Independent. Independent Print. Retrieved 22 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` Swans end Bantams fairytale ''. ESPN FC. 24 February 2013. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` Cardiff Becomes Second Welsh Team in English Premier League ''. The Sports Network. Associated Press. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` Cardiff City relegation : Fans left singing the blues ''. BBC News. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2018. Jump up ^ Liverpool Finish Fourth as Swansea are Relegated Jump up ^ `` Uefa give Swansea and Cardiff European assurance ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013. Jump up ^ Hammam 2000, p. 3 Jump up ^ Bose, Mihir ( 16 August 2001 ). `` Hammam cast in villain 's role as Dons seek happy ending ''. The Daily Telegraph. London : Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 31 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Hammam meets grass - roots on whistle - stop tour ''. Irish Independent. 23 January 1998. Retrieved 13 June 2013. Jump up ^ Quinn, Philip ( 10 June 1998 ). `` ` Dublin Dons on way ' Hammam ''. Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 June 2013. Jump up ^ Ziegler, Martyn ; Esplin, Ronnie ( 10 April 2013 ). `` Celtic and Rangers will join European super league, says Scotland manager Gordon Strachan ''. The Daily Telegraph. London : Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 21 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Barclays nets Premier League deal ''. BBC News. BBC. 27 September 2006. Retrieved 7 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Barclays renews Premier sponsorship ''. premierleague.com. Premier League. 23 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Premier League closes door on title sponsorship from 2016 -- 17 season ''. ESPN FC. Press Association. Retrieved 7 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` Partners ''. premierleague.com. Premier League. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010. Jump up ^ Northcroft, Jonathan ( 4 October 2009 ). `` The Premier League 's goal rush ''. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Premier League wages keep on rising, Deloitte says ''. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2012. Jump up ^ `` English Premier League generates highest revenue, German Bundesliga most profitable ''. The Observer. Guardian News and Media. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010. Jump up ^ Jakeman, Mike ( 25 March 2015 ). `` Unbelievably, the Premier League is becoming profitable ''. Quartz ( publication ). Retrieved 25 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Prestigious Award for Premier League ''. Premier League. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010. Jump up ^ `` Top 20 clubs Deloitte Football Money League 2011 ''. Deloitte. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Deloitte Football Money League 18th Edition '' ( pdf ). January 2015. p. 3. Retrieved 14 November 2015. Jump up ^ Austin, Simon ( 18 December 2012 ). `` Premier League clubs agree new cost controls ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 July 2013. Jump up ^ Blythe, Nils ( 2 March 2010 ). `` Why TV is the key to Real success ''. BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 14 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Frequently asked questions about the F.A. Premier League, ( How are television revenues distributed to Premier League clubs ? ) ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2007. Jump up ^ Harris, Nick ( 23 March 2010 ). `` Premier League nets £ 1.4 bn TV rights bonanza ''. The Independent. Retrieved 12 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` BSkyB Timeline ''. BSkyB. Retrieved 20 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Premier League launches international rights tender ''. SportBusiness. SBG Companies Ltd. Retrieved 12 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` BBC keeps Premiership highlights ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ Bond, David ( 26 May 2006 ). `` TV deal pays another £ 84m ''. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` Premiership in new £ 625m TV deal ''. BBC News. BBC. 18 January 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2007. Jump up ^ `` Premier League clubs benefit from new overseas TV deal ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ Harris, Nick ( 12 January 1999 ). `` Football : High Court countdown : Battle begins for football 's future ''. The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` BSkyB investigation : alleged infringement of the Chapter II prohibition '' ( PDF ). Office of Fair Trading. HM Government. 17 December 2002. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Sport and European Competition Policy '' ( PDF ). European Commission Directorate - General IV -- Competition. 1999. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` BBC renews Match of the Day deal ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` New Television Rights ''. BBC News. BBC. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` ESPN win Premier League rights ''. Premier League. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` Premier League rights sold to BT and BSkyB for £ 3bn ''. BBC News. 13 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Premier League TV rights : Sky and BT pay £ 5.1 bn for live games ''. BBC Sport ( British Broadcasting Corporation ). 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Premier League Football Show ''. BBC. August 2016. Jump up ^ `` ESPN - Star extends pact with FA Premier League ''. Business Line. 21 March 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2006. Jump up ^ Siracusa, Claire ( 3 November 2015 ). `` Optus snatches English Premier League rights from Fox Sports in Australia ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Super Sports Media Group acquires Premier League rights in China ''. PremierLeague.com. London. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Canada 's Sportsnet and TSN to Share English Premier League Rights ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` English Premier League gets a big American stage on NBC ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 August 2014. ^ Jump up to : Paulsen ( 28 May 2015 ). `` Premier League Viewership Up in Year Two on NBC ''. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Jump up ^ Yoder, Matt ( 11 August 2015 ). `` NBC AND THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE WILL CONTINUE THE BEST MARRIAGE IN SPORTS MEDIA ''. Awful Announcing. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Jump up ^ Rashid, Saad ( 28 July 2015 ). `` NBC Sports deserves new Premier League rights deal ''. World Soccer Talk. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Jump up ^ `` NBC retains Premier League rights until 2021 -- 22 season ''. ESPN FC. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Jump up ^ Sandomir, Richard ( 10 August 2015 ). `` NBC Retains Rights to Premier League in Six - Year Deal ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2015. Jump up ^ Conn, David ( 10 May 2006 ). `` Rich clubs forced to give up a sliver of the TV pie ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ Brewin, John ( 4 July 2005 ). `` 1997 / 98 -- Season Review ''. Soccernet. ESPN. Retrieved 29 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` Premier League 's relegated clubs to receive £ 60m boost ''. Jump up ^ Collins, Paul ( 26 April 2013 ). `` Hull set for £ 120m cash windfall if they win promotion to Premier League ''. Daily Mail. Jump up ^ `` Richard Scudamore takes big stick to Championship over parachute money ''. Jump up ^ James, Stuart ( 5 August 2006 ). `` Why clubs may risk millions for riches at the end of the rainbow ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2006. Jump up ^ Bailey, Ben ; Whyte, Patrick ( 19 March 2009 ). `` Premier League casualties -- clubs that have struggled since relegation ''. Evening Standard. Daily Mail & General Trust. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009. Jump up ^ `` Down again : Leicester 's relegation horror ''. The Daily Telegraph. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2009. Jump up ^ `` What 's new this season : Stadiums ''. Premier League. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017. Jump up ^ Fox, Norman ( 18 April 1999 ). `` Football : Fayed 's race against time ''. The Independent. Retrieved 14 September 2010. Jump up ^ Slater, Matt ( 14 March 2007 ). `` Call grows for return of terraces ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 May 2009. Jump up ^ Whyatt, Chris ( 3 January 2008 ). `` Match - going mood killers ? ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : Prince - Wright, Joe ( 8 August 2017 ). `` Where are all 20 Premier League teams located ? ''. NBC Sports. Retrieved 28 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` Premier League Handbook : Season 2017 / 18 '' ( PDF ). Premier League. p. 4. Retrieved 28 December 2017. Jump up ^ Buraimo, Babatunde ; Simmons, Rob ( 2006 ). `` Market size and attendance in English Premier League football '' ( PDF ). Lancaster University Management School Working Paper. Lancaster University Management School. 2006 / 003. Retrieved 4 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Premier League Handbook : Season 2017 / 18 '' ( PDF ). Premier League. p. 593. Retrieved 28 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` Football Stats Results for 1992 -- 1993 Premiership ''. football.co.uk. DigitalSportsGroup. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` Fact Sheet 2 : Football Stadia After Taylor ''. University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 26 June 2006. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` Shifting stands ''. Soccernet. ESPN. 27 July 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` United Kingdom : Deloitte Annual Review Of Football Finance Highlights ''. Deloitte Sports Business Group. Mondaq. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Premier League records highest average attendance ''. Daily Mail. Daily Mail. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015. Jump up ^ Kelly, Seamus ; Harris, John ( 2010 ). `` Managers, directors and trust in professional football ''. Sport in Society : Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. 13 ( 3 ) : 489 -- 502. doi : 10.1080 / 17430431003588150. Jump up ^ White, Duncan ( 5 December 2005 ). `` The Knowledge ''. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 October 2010. Jump up ^ Hughes, Matt ; Samuel, Martin ( 22 September 2007 ). `` Avram Grant 's job under threat from lack of Uefa licence ''. The Times. Retrieved 8 November 2010. Jump up ^ `` Longest serving managers ''. League Managers Association. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Alan Pardew : West Bromwich Albion part company with manager & Darren Moore keeps job as First Team Coach ''. BBC Sport. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Soccernomics : Does sacking the manager actually make a difference ? ''. FourFourTwo. 2016 - 03 - 13. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Barclays Premier League Statistics ''. Premier League. Retrieved 20 February 2018. Jump up ^ Atkinson, Ron ( 23 August 2002 ). `` England need to stem the foreign tide ''. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ Ingle, Sean ( 12 June 2001 ). `` Phil Neal : King of Europe ? ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ `` Wenger backs non-English line - up ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2006. Jump up ^ Williams, Ollie ( 17 August 2009 ). `` Where the Premier League 's players come from ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 October 2010. Jump up ^ `` New Work Permit Criteria for Football Players Announced ''. Department for Education and Employment. HM Government. 2 July 1999. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007. Jump up ^ `` Work permit arrangements for football players ''. Home Office. HM Government. Archived from the original on 26 September 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2007. Jump up ^ `` Premier League rules '' ( PDF ). Premier League. 2010. p. 150. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Home Grown Player rules ''. Premier League. 16 July 2010. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` New Premier League squad rules explained ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` Forty factors fuelling football inflation ''. The Guardian. 31 July 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2006. Jump up ^ Williamson, Laura ( 8 June 2010 ). `` Premier League falls behind German Bundesliga as Europe most profitable football league ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Premier League wages : Where does YOUR club rank in sport 's salary table ? ''. Daily Mirror. 15 August 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` From £ 250,000 to £ 29.1 m ''. The Observer. 5 March 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid from Spurs in £ 85m world record deal ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013. Jump up ^ `` Ronaldo completes £ 80m Real move ''. BBC. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2014. Jump up ^ Orr, James ( 11 July 2014 ). `` Luis Suarez joins Barcelona : Liverpool and Barca confirm the striker has been sold in £ 75m, five - year transfer ''. The Independent. Retrieved 27 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Premier League player stats ''. Premier League. Retrieved 18 December 2017. Jump up ^ Whooley, Declan ( 23 December 2013 ). `` Will Luis Suarez break the Premier League goal scoring record this season ? ''. Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Players by Statistic ''. Premier League. Retrieved 20 August 2013. Jump up ^ `` Torres wins Barclays Golden Boot landmark ''. Premier League. 26 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Premier League records ''. football.co.uk. DigitalSportsGroup. 24 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Ryan Giggs goal makes him only person to score in all PL seasons trivia ''. SportBusiness. SBG Companies Ltd. Retrieved 21 November 2009. Jump up ^ `` Is there more than one Premier League trophy ? ''. Premier League. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014. Jump up ^ Rumsby, Ben ( 28 April 2014 ). `` Premier League consider borrowing a championship trophy as season heads for three - way climax ''. The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` Size and weight of the Barclays Premier League trophy ''. premierleague.com. Premier League. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` The Premier League Trophy ''. Premier Skills. British Council. Retrieved 22 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` What makes the Barclays Premier League Trophy so special ? ''. Barclays. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Special trophy for Gunners ''. BBC Sport. 18 May 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Season review 2009 / 10 ''. Premier League. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010. Jump up ^ Neale, Richard ( 7 May 2010 ). `` Tottenham Hotspur 's Sir Harry Redknapp is Premier League manager of season ''. The Times. Retrieved 15 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Rooney named Barclays Player of the Season ''. The Independent. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` New Premier League player award announced ''. Premier League. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` Chelsea scoop hat - trick of Barclays awards ''. Premier League. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010. Jump up ^ `` Premier League Milestones celebrate players ' success ''. Premier League. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` 20 Seasons Awards : The Winners ''. premierleague.com. Premier League. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012. Bibliography Hammam, Sam ( 14 January 2000 ). The Wimbledon We Have. London : Wimbledon FC. External links Listen to this article ( info / dl ) This audio file was created from a revision of the article `` Premier League '' dated 4 March 2007, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ( Audio help ) More spoken articles Wikidata has data related to the : Premier League Official website ( in English ) ( in Indonesian ) ( in Portuguese ) ( in Spanish ) ( in Thai ) ( in Chinese ) Premier League at Curlie ( based on DMOZ ) hide Premier League Seasons 1992 -- 93 1993 -- 94 1994 -- 95 1995 -- 96 1996 -- 97 1997 -- 98 1998 -- 99 1999 -- 2000 2000 -- 01 2001 -- 02 2002 -- 03 2003 -- 04 2004 -- 05 2005 -- 06 2006 -- 07 2007 -- 08 2008 -- 09 2009 -- 10 2010 -- 11 2011 -- 12 2012 -- 13 2013 -- 14 2014 -- 15 2015 -- 16 2016 -- 17 2017 -- 18 2018 -- 19 Clubs 2018 -- 19 Arsenal Bournemouth Brighton & Hove Albion Burnley Cardiff City Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Fulham Huddersfield Town Leicester City Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle United Southampton Tottenham Hotspur Watford West Ham United Wolverhampton Wanderers Former Aston Villa Barnsley Birmingham City Blackburn Rovers Blackpool Bolton Wanderers Bradford City Charlton Athletic Coventry City Derby County Hull City Ipswich Town Leeds United Middlesbrough Norwich City Nottingham Forest Oldham Athletic Portsmouth Queens Park Rangers Reading Sheffield United Sheffield Wednesday Stoke City Sunderland Swansea City Swindon Town West Bromwich Albion Wigan Athletic Wimbledon ( defunct ) Competition Teams winners Players foreign foreign scorers winners Managers Stadia Founding Broadcasting foundation Broadcasters Referees Statistics and awards Records All - time table Hat - tricks Highest scores Golden Boot Golden Glove Manager of the Season Player of the Season Goal of the Season Playmaker of the Season Manager of the Month Player of the Month Goal of the Month Players with 500 + appearances Players with 100 + goals Top scorers by season Goalkeepers with 100 + clean sheets 10 Seasons Awards 20 Seasons Awards Finances Richest clubs : Deloitte list Forbes ' list Team owners Transfer records Game 39 Premier League -- Football League gulf Associated competitions Asia Trophy FA Community Shield FA Cup EFL Cup UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League Premier League 2 U18 Premier League Premier League International Cup Category Links to related articles Men 's football in England The Football Association National teams England U-21 U-20 U-19 U-18 U-17 U-16 League competitions Level 1 Premier League Levels 2 -- 4 English Football League EFL Championship EFL League One EFL League Two Levels 5 -- 6 National League Levels 7 -- 8 Isthmian League Northern Premier League Southern League Levels 9 -- 10 Combined Counties League East Midlands Counties League ( level 10 only ) Eastern Counties League Essex Senior League ( level 9 only ) Hellenic League Midland League Northern Counties East League Northern League North West Counties League Southern Counties East League South West Peninsula League ( level 10 only ) Spartan South Midlands League Southern Combination League United Counties League Wessex Football League Western League West Midlands ( Regional ) League ( level 10 only ) Cup competitions FA cups FA Cup FA Community Shield FA Trophy FA Vase FA Inter-League Cup League cups EFL Cup EFL Trophy Northern Premier League Cup Isthmian League Cup Southern League Cup County cups List of County Cups Others Reserve and youth football Defunct leagues Defunct cups Lists List of clubs List of clubs by honours won Current managers Stadiums by capacity Record home attendances Venues Competitions Trophies and awards History Records Football in the United Kingdom United Kingdom National team Olympic men 's team Olympic women 's team Nations Cup British Home Championship Rous Cup British League Cup Empire Exhibition Trophy Football World Championship Coronation Cup Texaco Cup Anglo - Scottish Cup List of football matches between British national teams List of football matches between British clubs in UEFA competitions International Football Association Board England -- Scotland football rivalry British clubs tours to South America England National team The FA Footballing history National team history Premier League English Football League FA Cup EFL Cup Scotland National team The SFA Footballing history National team history Scottish Professional Football League Scottish Cup Scottish League Cup Wales National team FAW National team history Welsh Premier League Welsh Cup Welsh League Cup Northern Ireland National team IFA National team history Northern Ireland Football League Irish Cup Northern Ireland League Cup Records England Northern Ireland Scotland Category Top - level football leagues in Europe ( UEFA ) Current Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales Defunct Austria Tagblatt Pokal Gauliga Ostmark Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Republic State Czechoslovakia Denmark East Germany England Finland Germany Bezirksliga Bayern Gauliga Kreisliga Bayern Hessen Nordmain Odenwald Pfalz Saar Südmain Südwest Württemberg Nordkreis - Liga Oberliga Berlin Oberliga Nord Oberliga Süd Oberliga Südwest Oberliga West Südkreis - Liga Westkreis - Liga Herzeg - Bosnia Mandatory Palestine Scotland Premier Division Premier League Turkey Championship National Division Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia Non-recognized Artsakh Crimea Isle of Man Monaco Northern Cyprus Vatican City Top level men 's association football leagues around the world Africa ( clubs ) North Africa Botola ( Morocco ) Ligue Professionnelle 1 ( Algeria ) Ligue Professionnelle 1 ( Tunisia ) Premier League ( Egypt ) Premier League ( Libya ) West Africa Cape Verdean Football Championship ( Cape Verde ) Campeonato Nacional ( Guinea - Bissau ) Championnat National ( Guinea ) Championnat National ( Togo ) First Division ( Gambia ) Ligue 1 ( Ivory Coast ) Ligue 1 ( Mauritania ) National Premier League ( Sierra Leone ) Première Division ( Mali ) Premier League ( Benin ) Premier League ( Burkina Faso ) Premier League ( Ghana ) Premier League ( Liberia ) Premier League ( Niger ) Nigerian Professional Football League ( Nigeria ) Premier League ( Senegal ) Primera División ( Equatorial Guinea ) Central Africa Championnat National D1 ( Gabon ) Central African Republic League Elite One ( Cameroon ) São Tomé and Príncipe Championship East Africa Premier League ( Burundi ) Premier League ( Djibouti ) Premier League ( Eritrea ) Premier League ( Ethiopia ) Premier League ( Kenya ) Premier League ( Sudan ) Premier League ( Tanzania ) Premier League ( Zanzibar ) Rwanda National Football League Somali First Division South Sudan Football Championship Uganda Premier League Southern Africa First Division ( Seychelles ) Girabola ( Angola ) Premier League Moçambola ( Mozambique ) Premier Division ( Zanzibar ) Premier League ( Botswana ) Premier League ( Comoros ) Premier League ( Lesotho ) Premier League ( Namibia ) Premier League ( Swaziland ) Premier League ( Zambia ) Premier Division ( South Africa ) Premier Soccer League ( Zimbabwe ) THB Champions League ( Madagascar ) Asia ( clubs ) West Asia Saudi Professional League ( Saudi Arabia ) Kuwait Premier League ( Kuwait ) Qatar Stars League ( Qatar ) UAE Pro-League Iraqi Premier League ( Iraq ) Oman Professional League ( Oman ) Jordan Premier League ( Jordan ) Lebanese Premier League ( Lebanon ) Bahraini Premier League ( Bahrain ) Yemeni League ( Yemen ) Central Asia Persian Gulf Pro League ( Iran ) Uzbekistan Super League ( Uzbekistan ) Ýokary Liga ( Turkmenistan ) South Asia I - League / Indian Super League ( India ) Bangladesh Super League ( Bangladesh ) East Asia Chinese Super League ( China PR ) J1 League ( Japan ) K League 1 ( Korea Republic ) DPR Korea League ( Korea DPR ) Hong Kong Premier League ( Hong Kong ) Taiwan Football Premier League ( Chinese Taipei ) Southeast Asia Thai League 1 ( Thailand ) Malaysia Super League ( Malaysia ) Singapore Premier League ( Singapore ) Liga 1 ( Indonesia ) A-League ( Australia / New Zealand ) V. League 1 ( Vietnam ) Myanmar National League ( Myanmar ) Philippines Football League ( Philippines ) LFA Primeira Divisão ( Timor Leste ) Europe ( clubs ) Belgian First Division A ( Belgium ) Danish Superliga ( Denmark ) Premier League ( England ) Ligue 1 ( France ) Bundesliga ( Germany ) Superleague Greece ( Greece ) Serie A ( Italy ) Eredivisie ( Netherlands ) Eliteserien ( Norway ) Primeira Liga ( Portugal ) Russian Premier League ( Russia ) La Liga ( Spain ) Swiss Super League ( Switzerland ) Süper Lig ( Turkey ) Ukrainian Premier League ( Ukraine ) Czech First League ( Czech Republic ) Liga I ( Romania ) Scottish Premiership ( Scotland ) North & Central America, and the Caribbean ( clubs ) North America Major League Soccer ( United States / Canada ) Liga MX ( Mexico ) Central America Liga FPD ( Costa Rica ) Liga Nacional ( Honduras ) Caribbean Ligue Haïtienne ( Haiti ) Jamaican National Premier League TT Pro League ( Trinidad and Tobago ) Oceania ( clubs ) A-League ( Australia / New Zealand ) New Zealand Football Championship ( New Zealand ) Telekom S - League ( Solomon Islands ) South America ( clubs ) Argentine Primera División ( Argentina ) Bolivian Primera División ( Bolivia ) Campeonato Brasileiro Série A ( Brazil ) Chilean Primera División ( Chile ) Categoría Primera A ( Colombia ) Ecuadorian Serie A ( Ecuador ) Paraguayan Primera División ( Paraguay ) Peruvian Primera División ( Peru ) Uruguayan Primera División ( Uruguay ) Venezuelan Primera División ( Venezuela ) Domestic association football season Geography of association football Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Premier_League&oldid=850509626 '' Categories : Premier League Football leagues in England 1992 establishments in England Professional sports leagues in the United Kingdom Sports leagues established in 1992 Top level football leagues in Europe Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Pages containing links to subscription - only content Featured articles Use dmy dates from September 2017 Use British English from October 2012 Articles with hCards Spoken articles Articles with hAudio microformats Articles with Indonesian - language external links Articles with Portuguese - language external links Articles with Spanish - language external links Articles with Thai - language external links Articles with Chinese - language external links Articles with Curlie links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Ænglisc Aragonés Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Лезги Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Malti मराठी مصرى Bahasa Melayu Baso Minangkabau Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Qaraqalpaqsha Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Wolof 吴语 粵語 中文 77 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 July 2018, at 09 : 49 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: the fa premier league is owned by 20 shareholders who are
Answer: the 20 member clubs