Asia's passion for English Premier League grows and grows

Meanwhile, back in England many fans can't afford this 'brand' due to the appalling prices clubs charge to watch a game or buy a shirt.

Nike are now charging 50GBP for a pale blue t-shirt with white collar and cuffs. Hmmm, I think I'll resist the temptation.

falseflagsteve I have supported Everton for 40 years. I am from South Devon but now live in Tokyo, so your telling me that i should not support them because their not my local team? I may not have gone to their games but that does not make me any less loyal( got the tattoo). i have been there through the good and the bad and will still follow them to day i die . If there are overseas supporters of my team the more better, football is a world game after all. if your club suddenly had millions or billions to spend and attracted world class players, would you suddenly desert them i do not think so .Last time i looked Norwich City were in the EPL.

These are not supporters they are fans, like kids who follow Bieber.

Typical snooty garbage from an expat Briton. Why can't you graciously and gratefully accept that people around the world celebrate an aspect of your country's culture? An English sport becomes a truly global sport and you don't like it when others support one of your leagues/teams. Ever heard of a "hesomagari"?

I don't see any problem in non-English fans following a successful team. What bothers me is that English football should be about local communities and loyal fans and putting their interests first rather than selling the Premiership as a 'brand'. My sister has followed Liverpool all her life but has been priced out of taking her kids to the game twice a month - the day costs her about £100 all in. The Bundesliga is far better than the Premiership in terms of putting their fans first ( a season ticket at Bayern Munich, the European champions, is far cheaper than at the elite Premiership clubs ). Football was the working man's/woman's game, but the founding of the Premiership saw this relationship get more distant.

Falseflagsteve: "Why should i be pleased if Asian people support the top teams in England?"

The better question is why should you be so offended and defensive.

"It does nothing for the game in England or in their home country."

Wrong on both counts, especially the latter.

"Surely their local teams need their support and cash to thrive."

The sport would not exist locally, or in England for that matter, if they did not like it and did not try what was being done elsewhere.

" No need to have loyalty to your area or local team when you can support the number 1 like all the others."

Why does one need to be 'loyal' to something or someone merely because they are from their? Loyal to one's choices, yes, but loyalty is not loyalty when you have no choice.

Someone who supports a team would not support one purely because they are doing well."

Manchester is not doing well at all, but they are still widely supported, no?

"I also have no idea why people would support a team from thousands of miles away"

Maybe they like the team. That so hard to understand? Should you not live and work in and like Japan because you are from far away and 'have no connection'?

Meanwhile, back in England many fans can't afford this 'brand' due to the appalling prices clubs charge to watch a game or buy a shirt.

Too right, and its even worse when people can still just about afford it. Real supporters can't change their team like you can your phone or a clothes brand.. applying capitalism in this context isn't right because its based on exploiting people's love for their club, which leads to them making extraordinary sacrifices to keep attending. Meanwhile all the money is going directly to overpaid wasters like Wayne Rooney who care nothing about the fans and have more money than they'll ever need.

What has to happen is a complete boycott by all supporters for a major game being broadcast around the world. It won't look like a very exciting "brand" with no one in the stadium.

falseflagsteve: "I made clear my points which a person of my age from England who had been supporting their local team for four decade would understand."

So you 'made clear' your points to a VERY limited number of people and then asked why, more than once, no one understands your points? Hmmm...

"Even real supporters of big clubs like Man Utd and Liverpool are not happy with football these days."

That says more about the fans -- errr... supporters -- than the clubs. In fact, you sound more and more like someone who supports things when it suits you, which you berate in your posts, rather than supporting it through thick and thin.

"Why does one have to have loyalty? Anyone who asks a question like that should look long and hard in the mirror."

Ah, selective reading! I didn't ask why one needs or has to have loyalty, I asked why one needs to automatically have loyalty to the place they are from and can't be loyal to or like other teams from far away, as you suggest they should not.

"The icing on the cake "Manchester is not doing well at all?"

No, they are not.

"What has living in Japan got to do with supporting a football club."

Your attitude and comments that you MUST support the place where you are from and have no business liking something from far away -- and yet here you are, far away from home.

"I live in Japan, if i wanted to watch football here i would follow the local team regardless of their success."

Why, if you didn't like them? Again, you don't need to support a team you don't like simply because you are from there. Likewise, why can't you like something that isn't from the place you were born? Soccer isn't from England, my friend, so if you truly believe your own arguments you have to stop liking soccer and English teams because soccer was not born in England.

"Seems like not being a glory hunter is too hard to understand for many these days, which is very sad."

What's sad is being angry and upset that Asia is enjoying the presence of English Premiere League teams, as though it's some kind of personal insult if an Asian likes British soccer and their passion is growing.

@zichi

I have relatives with well paid jobs who still go to all the home games but are now wondering how long they can continue.

I did a tour of Anfield last year. Was impressed by the history and the passion.Was also impressed that they have resisted in putting up prices for the regular fans, despite the lack of corporate box income. The only issue they said, is that they could sell the season ticket allotment 4-5 times over and still have a waiting list! You have very lucky relatives! Of course the other painful decision they have to make is whether to build a new stadium with higher capacity - the history at Anfield makes parting very difficult.

These are not supporters they are fans, like kids who follow Bieber. They want to be part of the action, revelling in the glory of the teams success. Of course if their favourite team had a downturn in fortune they would change their team. This is not just in Asia but even in England there are morons like that. Instead of helping their local team and community, they indule in vile sheepie behaviour and i hate it.

The fans in Asia support no more than a handful of clubs. It is great for Man U shirt sales but no help for the tier 2 clubs.

falseflagsteve: "These are not supporters they are fans, like kids who follow Bieber."

There are definitely those that are jumping on the bandwagon, but this is not even close to what you are suggesting. If it were suddenly supporting the Hanshin Tigers when they do well and then hating them when they fall into a slump, then I agree, but they are actively welcoming foreign teams on a growing level in a sport that is still relatively young to the nation. If nothing else, you should be happy it's spreading awareness, even if many of the supporters/fans drop off later. The English Premiere League teams playing in Asia for the past week have been a boon to the sport, the league, and soccer as a whole. I hope the region can live up to the task it has placed on itself as a result.

"I do not ingange in personal attackd."

You most certainly do, and your posts prove it.

＞ It started off with Sky buying the Premier league and making it a celeb filled entertainment thing instead of a sport with people who really enjoy it and understand what it means to support their team through thick and thin.

Got to disagree, it started with Crown Paints putting their name on Liverpool shirts, way before Sky realised they could coax money out of people who were used to watching the games for free. Money escalated, as did the theatre, and now too much rides on each game that "gentlemanly behaviour" went out the window a long long time ago. This is sad, as unlike other sports, there are no sub-culture rules to keep the game clean. E.g. how many people protest a baseball umpires decision?

davestrousers

Real supporters can't change their team like you can your phone or a clothes brand..

Does a tatoo count? ; )

falseflagsteve: "Why does one have to have loyalty? Anyone who asks a question like that should look long and hard in the mirror."

I didn't ask why someone has to have loyalty. I asked why you think they need to be loyal to a place they are from simply because they are from there and can't be loyal to something they CHOOSE instead. Asia is perfectly free to watch and enjoy soccer and cheer for any teams they choose, same as you have the right to support Manchester or what have you even when they are doing terribly, as they are at the moment.

falseflagsteve, its got to be one of 3 WBA ,Fulham or Bolton

@smithinjapan

I am not sad the Asia is enjoying the presence of premier, i just find glory hunters pathetic.

I'll repost what you said again "Manchester Is not doing well at all" and your reply to my comment "no they are not".There is no English football team called Manchester BTW. FYI, man Utd have had there greatest ever success in the last 2 decade and Man City have had their best in the last five seasons.

There is an ignorance on show from many posters which defies belief. Zichi is obviously a real fan, and i also get up for every match to watch or listen to while in Japan, whether that match is a friendly of no importance or a massive local derby. regarding the overseas fans buying gear, well it can be nice for the elite few at the top, a couple (Man City + Chelski) who have just bought success which sickens me somewhat. I think the most realistic step to make football more competitive worldwide would be a wages cap, a spending cap and more tv rights money for lower leagues. I recall times when smaller clubs like Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Norwich could top the old Division 1.Greed has taken over the game and this celeb worship is getting silly, it is entertainment but primarily it is a sport.

The sport known as football or soccer (to non Brits) was made into an official sport with rules in England in the 19th century.

@liam

Last time i looked Norwich have not had a chance f inning a title for a few decades, same goes for Ipswich snd Nottingham Forest.

I thnk the worst thing that could happen to the team i support would be fir it to be bought by a billionaire. The club would never be the same again, i would prefer where we are now than being a rich man's play thing.BTW, the team i support dies have orld class players and plays in the premier.

I do not care if my team had over seas support, it did have large support from an Asian country a while ago due to a player from that region. They are not real supporters, more like pop and celeb fans. Guess their money is welcome but would prefer they support their local teams financially.

@USinJapan2

I do not ingange in personal attackd. Why should i be happy to see the sport i have loved for forty years to end like this. I guess those eho have never supported their local team from childhood would understand. It is always the same types who enioy being "fans" of the currently most successful teams. When it is pointed out to them, they often take it all personal and dish out silly insults, lol!

Why should i be pleased if Asian people support the top teams in England? It does nothing for the game in England or in their home country. Surely their local teams need their support and cash to thrive. It is what is wrong with modern society, instant gratification. No need to have loyalty to your area or local team when you can support the number 1 like all the others. Someone who supports a team would not support one purely because they are doing well. What has happened to all those Toon and Blackburn fans in the last decade or so? Football does not need awareness, anyone who doesn't know about it must have been living in a cave all their lives.

It seems to me that many cannot understand why people like me think this is all so shallow and pathetic. It started off with Sky buying the Premier league and making it a celeb filled entertainment thing instead of a sport with people who really enjoy it and understand what it means to support their team through thick and thin.

I also have no idea why any people would have any interest in following a team from thousands of miles away from a place they have no connection with. For me it is not a good thing nor is it for most teams outside of the elite.

@smithinjapan

I made clear my points which a person of my age from England who had been supporting their local team for four decade would understand. Even real supporters of big clubs like Man Utd and Liverpool are not happy with football these days.

Why does one have to have loyalty? Anyone who asks a question like that should look long and hard in the mirror.

The icing on the cake "Manchester is not doing well at all?" Well there are two Premier teams with Manchester in their names and if you think their current form is not doing well, then you are looking at their results from another time period.

What has living in Japan got to do with supporting a football club. I live in Japan, if i wanted to watch football here i would follow the local team regardless of their success. Seems like not being a glory hunter is too hard to understand for many these days, which is very sad.

Have to agree with falseflagsteve. Football for me has always been about supporting your hometown team or at least a team to which you have some connection like your father supported them, you live in that town or something. I am a Watford fan for life it being my hometown team. They have never really won anything of note-except the Championship playoff final twice-but will always be my team. Now I live in Japan I follow Tokushima Vortis in J2 because that was the first professional club in Shikoku-I live in Kochi which has no J League team as yet. One of my uni students a few years ago 'became' a Chelsea fan because he liked football and they had just won the league. I had to laugh I'm afraid and I wonder if he is still a Chelski 'fan' seeing as they haven't won the league for a while!