The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports

by Joshua Robinson, Jonathan Clegg

The Club is the inside story of how English soccer’s Premier League became the wildest, richest, most popular sports product on the planet, "a narrative that is part Great Expectations, part Game of Thrones, in equal measure." (Roger Bennett, NBC Sports, Men in Blazers)   This is a sports and business tale of how money, ambition, and twenty-five years of drama remade an ancient institution into a twenty-first-century entertainment empire. No one knew it when their experiment began, but without any particular genius or acumen, the motley cast of billionaires and hucksters behind the modern Premier League struck gold. Pretty soon, everyone wanted to try their luck, from Russian oligarchs to Emirati sheikhs, American tycoons, and Asian Tiger titans. Some succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Some lost everything. Today, players are sold for tens of millions, clubs are valued in the billions, and games are beamed out to nearly two hundred countries, all while the league struggles to preserve its English soul. Deeply researched and drawing on one hundred exclusive interviews, including the key decision makers at every major English team, The Club is the definitive and wildly entertaining narrative of how the Premier League took over the world.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Soccer, Football, History, Business, Audiobook

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2018

About the author

Joshua Robinson is the European sports correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post and Sports Illustrated.

Reviews

[Sumit RK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody knows anything can happen in the Premier League. #Quote

If you are a football (soccer) fan or even if you aren’t, you must be aware of the English Premier League. The Club is the true story of the meteoric rise of the English Premier League from it’s humble beginnings to becoming the richest & the most dominant sporting leagues in the world.

The Club begins before the advent of the Premier League in 1980’s when the game of football in England was in dire straits. The stadiums were crumbling, football hooligans were driving away the genuine fans and the premier league did not even have a proper TV deal. The book tracks how owners of the top clubs in England finally rebelled against this system and formed the league in 1992. From a slow start to the world’s biggest sporting league, this book tracks the entire history of the English Premier League.

This book is divided into 4 sections. First covers the pre league history and the formation of the league. Second section cover the rise of Manchester United, Arsenal, the rise and fall of Blackburn Rovers. Others cover the invasion of foreign billionaires and how their riches transformed club like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City , remarkable stories about other clubs and some memorable characters. Finally the books covers how the premier league is transforming and how the English and World football is transforming due to the Premier League.

The book is not just plain history but has lot of behind the scenes stories, interview snippets and unknown facts. The history is mostly chronological and covers some fascinating stories about clubs, players, managers and key events in the league’s history. It also covers how business of the league evolved and how the clubs transformed themselves to global business entities.

The research is impeccable and covers dozens of interviews with the men who created the EPL. At times, it may feel that the book focuses more on individuals than the clubs but the topics are mixed well. Great care is taken to avoid making it feel like a history book but rather like a novel. Overall, The Club is unique, informative and entertaining at the same time. If you are a football fan or even mildly curious about the Premier League, you will enjoy this book.

Many Thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the authors Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg for the ARC.

[Peter Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Premier League is the most-watched football competition in the world, beamed to 185 countries, raking in millions for its wealthy owners. But this wasn't always the case. I'm old enough to remember the late 1980s, when boggy pitches and crumbling stadiums were the norm, and a live game on TV was so rare it was a Big Deal.

Everything changed in 1992. The chairmen of the 22 First Division teams, tired of having to share their meagre TV rights money with the rest of the Football League's 92 clubs, decided to form a breakaway alliance. After a bidding war between Sky and ITV for the license to broadcast the new competition, Team Murdoch won out in a record £305 million five-year deal. This massive influx of cash allowed Premier League clubs attract the best players and managers from around Europe, turning it into the exciting, high-quality competition it is today. Sky, taking their cue from the NFL, revolutionized the TV coverage of live football, and viewers subscribed in their millions to watch the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea battle it out for the league title.

This book examines the success of the Premier League, primarily from a business point of view. It tells the story of how Manchester United were quicker than anybody else to realise the value of merchandising, selling shirts with "Beckham 7" on the back in all corners of the world. It looks at how Russian oligarchs like Roman Abramovich rolled into town and spent millions to win the title for Chelsea. It also examines less successful ventures, like Randy Lerner's ill-fated bankrolling of Aston Villa, and Hicks & Gillett's tempestuous spell in charge of Liverpool.

Of course the Premier League has had its fair share of characters over the years and there are juicy anecdotes aplenty. Even though I'm a long-suffering Leeds United fan and therefore an arch-rival of all things Man U, I enjoyed the account of how the crafty Alex Ferguson secured the signing of a young Cristiano Ronaldo. And the story of a freshly-minted Manchester City making an accidental €50 million bid for Lionel Messi cracked me up.

It all makes for a fascinating read. It's accessible enough to captivate the casual sports fan, but there is also an impressive level of detail for die-hard football experts to get their teeth into. The Premier League has been a runaway success and the amount of money involved is staggering to comprehend. It makes me wonder how much further it can go, or if the bubble might be close to bursting (for example, what would happen if TV rights money were to decrease even slightly, or if Brexit meant restrictions on signing non-British players?). All I know is, whatever shape or form the league takes over the next few years, I'll be glued to it, and hoping my beloved Leeds make it back to the big time.

[Robert Sheard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a fairly specific target reader, but if the subject interests you, it's such a terrific read. Robinson and Clegg trace the growth of the English Premier League from its inception in 1992 up to the Spring of 2018. Along the way, we get the story of how the league created a global media and entertainment behemoth. If you follow English or European football and are familiar with the past week's chaos around the attempt to form a breakaway "Super League," the last few chapters of this are eye opening. The writing's been on the wall for years and just as every fan knew, it's all about greedy billionaires. An absolutely riveting account.

[Kazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

ইংল্যান্ডের ঐতিহ্যবাহী কিন্তু প্রাচীনপন্থী ফুটবল কাঠামোর শীর্ষ স্তরটি কিভাবে ঝাঁ চকচকে মসৃণ বিশ্বখ্যাত ইংলিশ প্রিমিয়ার লিগে পরিণত হলো, সেটার বর্ণনা দিয়েছেন দুই ক্রীড়া সাংবাদিক।

নব্বইয়ের দশকের শুরুতে টিভি সম্প্রচার স্বত্বের বিপুল অর্থ বদলে দিল ক্লাবগুলোর আয়ের উৎস। আর সেই পথ ধরে ক্লাবগুলো দ্রুতই institution থেকে business venture এ পরিণত হলো, যেখানে বিনিয়োগকারী-খেলোয়াড়-বিশ্বজুড়ে ছড়ানো ভোক্তা সমর্থকদের মাঝে দিয়ে চাপা পড়ে গেল ক্লাবগুলোর স্থানীয় সমর্থকরা। বিপুল অর্থব্যয় করে বানানো অত্যাধুনিক স্টেডিয়ামে মনোযোগ বেশি থাকে hospitality box এর দিকে, আর টিকেটের দাম বাড়তে থাকে বহুগুণ। ট্রান্সফার মার্কেটের উন্মাদনা, স্পন্সরদের বিজ্ঞাপন আর মালিকদের ফুলেফেঁপে ওঠা- সব মিলিয়ে ইংলিশ প্রিমিয়ার লিগ এখন এক বিরাট দক্ষযজ্ঞ।

এই দক্ষযজ্ঞের বর্ণনা দিতে গিয়ে লেখকরা মূলত ক্লাবগুলোর মালিকপক্ষ, কর্মকর্তা আর প্রিমিয়ার লীগের কর্মকর্তাদের বয়ানের সাহায্য নিয়েছেন। লেখায় উঠে এসেছে প্রিমিয়ার লীগের উজ্জ্বল সব চরিত্র, স্যার এলেক্স ফার্গুসন থেকে ভিনসেন্ট কোম্পানি। লেখাটা শেষ হয়েছে ২০১৮ তে, তখনই জানা যাচ্ছে বেশ কিছুদিন ধরে ইউরোপিয়ান সুপার লীগের আলাপ হচ্ছে। গত মাসের সুপার লীগ কাণ্ডের পর এই বইটা তাই একটা ভালো একটা perspective দিলো।

প্রিমিয়ার লীগ যারা দেখেন, কিংবা যারা স্রেফ ফুটবল দেখেন এবং ফুটবলের পেছনের জগতটার কর্মপদ্ধতি, প্যাঁচঘোঁচ আর টাকাপয়সার ঝনঝনানি নিয়ে জানতে চান- সবার জন্যই বইটা সুপাঠ্য হবে।

[John Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My knowledge of English soccer starts and stops with Ted Lasso.

The Club does a comprehensive job of charting the growth of a sordid, time honored industry into the ultra rarefied realm of mega wealth and galaxy sized entertainment.

Everyone’s gotten rich here but the fans, though one can argue the fans now represent a huge swathe of the known world. And yes, the homey, hand spun quality of English soccer circa 1975 is long extinct, but futbol faces the same challenges as any industry that become ginormous, homogenized, and captive to an audience that is far more global and yet specifically highly affluent.

In a personal way, it’s almost like the conundrum of your local bar band rising up to do stadiums. There’s no good answer that will solve the lure of genuine intimacy that breeds success and the downstream sapping of that same authenticity that develops to serve the masses, rich or poor.

[Caleb Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I wanted it to be. Being relatively young in my soccer fan hood, I’ve been wanting to learn as much as I can about the history of the sport (and specifically the Premier League). I honestly have had a hard time finding books summarizing the history of English club soccer and the EPL. I came across this book which was similar to what I was looking for but not exactly the on-field stuff I was curious about. I figured I’d still give it a try and wow it blew my expectations out of the water. I expected it to be boring but it really kept me interested throughout. Really interesting to learn about the business side of the league and everything that goes into it. Puts a lot into context and gives you a better understanding for how the league and clubs got to where they are today. I recommend it for anyone who is even slightly interested in soccer or sports in general.

[Letitia | Bookshelfbyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you’re a fan of English football.

If not, obvious skip lol

They really impressed me with how well they structured the book to keep it engaging, filled with key details and facts and making it relevant with humor and context.

Can’t wait to start a debate now! I’m loaded with info 😂

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been a bit shorter, otherwise this would have been five stars as there is a lot of great information and history on this league. Starting with the decision to award the TV contract to Sky, this book covers practically everything about the business side of the English Premier League. Some interesting points were how now avoiding relegation means just as much, if not more, to the bottom line as winning the championship. The adventures of some of the bigger names such as Manchester United, Chelsea (my favorite part of the whole book was the section on their near-bankruptcy) and Liverpool are discussed. Even on-field success is discussed as well. Overall a fine book on the League, for both the casual and hard core fan.

[Bennett Durbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow along through the defining moments and characters that formed the entertainment juggernaut that is the Premier League.

The decisions and actions that formed the Premier League took place in cushy boardrooms, fancy restaurants and multimillion dollar super yachts. From the first modern title winning spending spree of Blackburn Rovers, the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, or the recent dominance of Manchester City and all the drama in between. The Club tells all these stories and more in a way that makes you feel like you’re getting the inside scoop on how cash and international television audiences tore down the identity that drew so many eyes to begin with.

A must read for those interested of the intersection of sports and business. To understand the importance of the story, read the acknowledgement and “Don’t Price Me Out”

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve wanted to learn more about the Premier League, but felt like the learning curve was high. This book was really insightful on the formation of it and the past 25 years of different teams building their empires. A really fun read.

[Jake Stacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book doesn’t get you up for the 6am games, nothing will.

[Jarrod S · Rating 3 out of 5]

What you would expect from a WSJ journalist's history of the Premier League. Needed more introspection on what was lost in addition to the shiny new things gained. Needed a more balanced approach to the owners of clubs, instead of what often read like glowing newspaper profiles. Still, a useful history of the PL business, with an eye to where things are heading. Docked a star for not having ANY citations.

[Tomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erittäin viihdyttävä ja perusteellinen selitys siitä, miten englantilaisesta jalkapallosta tehtiin maailmanlaajuista viihdettä. Vähän olisin ehkä kaivannut lisää kannattajakulttuurin muutoksesta ja kulttuurillisesta vaikutuksesta muutenkin, mutta ehkä se on jonkin toisen kirjan tehtävä.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - pretty interesting but could have been a tiny bit shorter. Also, having existing knowledge made this a lot more fun/enjoyable

(Thanks for the rec austin)

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Club : How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports (2018) by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg is a history of how the Premier League has become so globally popular.

The book first covers the history of English soccer and particular it's state in the 1980s and what led to the formation of the Premier League. Then the early Premier League up to and including the Bosman ruling that radically changed the number of foreigners. Then the arrival of foreign money and finally the rise of the league to become the huge enterprise it is today and the arrival of oil money at Manchester City.

It's a genuinely interesting story. The way in which the Premier League has become a global powerhouse is really something. The book lacks little. One thing that is lacking is a description of how Serie A was the top European league in the late 1980s and early 1990s and how the top players went there. The problems with English football are also exaggerated. It's worth remembering that the English National Team was the top ranked team in the world for a time in the late 1980s. The League certainly had serious problems and the ban from Europe had a big impact but English soccer was still one of the big leagues in Europe.

The book is full of detail and stories about the various stages that the league went through. For anyone who remembers the times it has many interesting tales that will bring back memories and for anyone who wonders why the Premier League is so big now it's also well worth a read.

The book is well written and has a good narrative structure that keeps the reader interested. For anyone interested in the Premier League it's definitely worth a read.

[John Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have the slightest interest in soccer or count yourself a sports fan in general, I recommend this book unconditionally. The recent history (~1980-present) of European soccer is fascinating because the market dynamics that shaped the sport’s growth are pretty different when compared to the US, with some notable exceptions (e.g., TV rights!)

The reporting is outstanding, and it is chock full of great stories about players, coaches and owners from the past 30+ years of “football”.

[Luca Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love watching the premier League you will love this book. Such an easy read, and very cool to read about how the league took off and surpassed everyone else to be the driving force it is today worldwide.

[Ryan Stoffield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great dive into the premier league and all of the ways the league has expanded into the powerhouse it is today. Would recommend to people who are just getting into following the sport!

[liammmmm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book

[Alex Izbiky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started this spring break of 2024, so low key glad to be done with it! But happy I picked it back up

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

just amazing. I see everything in such a new light now and need to get another book like this asap

[Matthew Steffan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew most of the story just by watching the sport but this book came at an interesting angle and filled in a lot of the gaps for me. Fun read if you watch the PL or enjoy sports management.

[Jim Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story. What a history. What a read. Excellent!

[Mark Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better book than I was anticipating. Reads well since the writers work for the WSJ, really good coverage of the creation of the league and the behind the scenes details on how the prem came to be so iconic. Would recommend to anyone, even if you’re not into soccer as it’s a pretty quick read (summer beach read?) and fairly interesting and not all too boring about soccer.

[Keerit Kohli]

i love sports

[Charlie Budd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The economics to The Game of Our Lives’ sociology

[Ricki Hutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok book with some interesting moments, but if like me you have actually followed football for most of the Premier League era a lot of this will be things that you already know.

The highlights come in the chapters about the inner workings of the formation of the league itself, and the various negotiations of the TV deals, unfortunately I found there to be too few of these insightful chapters.

As a football fan I really didn't get anything from reading a chapter on Leicester winning the league or Arsenal going unbeaten, because these are things that have been told a thousand times before and the book didn't offer any new insight into them.

Admittedly this is guess work, but it felt like 75% of the book is explaining the history of who won what and when, which if you are a football fan you will already know. The other 25% is genuinely interesting behind the scenes things you might not have heard before

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never in a million years would have guessed that I'd be sitting up late at night fervently trying to finish a book about soccer, a sport I don't even particularly care for or understand. But this book makes me want to watch soccer. It's a fascinating story of how an empire was built, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Jason Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Club isn’t really a sports book—it’s an unflinching look at the business of Premier League football and how it has evolved over the last 30 years. It all left me a bit depressed about the influence of unlimited cash and global ambition, which are starting to cost the league the charm and character that made it one of the world’s top sports products.

[Nathan Mohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty brilliant in terms of how it laid out the formation of the EPL, without ever getting too lost in the weeds. I preface my review by saying I’m an American who has spent most of his life ignoring soccer, so I went into the book knowing very little about the EPL or soccer generally. I think, even for EPL fans, there’s a wealth of information here regarding the business of the league that you would find interesting, but there’s also inclusion of things like player contracts, matches, etc, that a fan is probably already aware of, but I don’t think that should detract from the book.


It’s ironic how much different the EPL is in terms of its approach to finances than any of the major American sports leagues. All the American leagues to one degree or another practice some benign form of cooperative socialism. The EPL is far more cut throat and much more of a “Wild West” capitalistic institution than anything modeled here. In some ways that makes things more interesting, but in other ways I (surprisingly, for me at least) think it probably really harms the sport.

The biggest reason is because of contracts. It seems like it’s almost unheard of for a star player to spend his entire career with one team, or even in the EPL at all. Contracts basically mean nothing in the EPL, if a player wants out, you are pretty much resigned to selling their contract. Additionally, because of the incestuous nature of soccer, you’ll probably be selling that contract to another European league where competition is less fierce, because the champions league is such a big deal star players are happy to go to a place like La Ligua where only a few teams compete for the title and you can spend the year beating up on softer teams while prepping yourself for the Champions League.

Also, in terms of parity, the EPL is grossly disproportional in a way that even the most lopsided American leagues are not. That’s why relegation, in theory, is a great idea, but in practice the way it shakes out is that 14 teams fight to stay in the league while six teams fight to win it. Out of curiosity, I looked up the league winners. Outside of 2016 when Leicester City made their surprise run, no team that wasn’t part of the big six has finished first since 1994. That is just depressing.

It’s also interesting to me how influential America has been on the EPL. Mostly in product presentation, but I do wonder if the fact that American representation amongst EPL ownership won’t eventually lead to some of the reforms that exist in American sports leagues, like salary caps. There seems to a definite correlation between the amount a team spends and winning. Which is true to some degree in America too, but not completely. The NFL and NBA have caps so spending doesn’t really matter as much in terms of winning. Baseball has no cap, but they do have a luxury tax and the way the draft and player development are structured, teams can still win even if they don’t have the highest payroll. That doesn’t seem true in the EPL.

Anyway, the book offered some fascinating insights and on a whole, the marketing of the EPL around the globe has been good for soccer, so if you are interested in learning more about that, I can’t recommend this highly enough.