The Premier League, which celebrates its creation this week, has transformed English football. Whether it has done so for the better is the subject of much argument. On the whole, it is criticised more than praised, although the counter factual of what football would be like without it is rarely pursued systematically.
Television money, admittedly not a large sum at first, was originally distributed among the 92 clubs in the Football League. In 1965 the BBC paid as little as £5,000 for the right to show highlights on Match of the Day, distributed as £50 to each club. Even when the sum increased, this principle of equal distribution did not please what were then regarded as the
‘Big Five’ clubs: Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs (note the absence of Chelsea).
In 1981 they made their first threats to break away and form a super league.
They were appeased by an agreement that in future the home club could keep all the gate receipts in home games, not share them with the away team. The share of such receipts from away matches at big clubs had been a boost for smaller clubs.
In 1985 a more serious threat to break away got the First Division clubs 50 per cent of all television and sponsorship money.
In 1988 the Big Five did their own deal with ITV, which was worried about the emergent threat from satellite broadcasting.
