[Essay in My Heart]

EPL

As I became interested in watching the games of Son Heung-min, the Korean treasure who recently won the English Premier League (EPL) Golden Boot, I developed a curiosity about professional football in the self-proclaimed football kingdom, England. Here, I would like to briefly introduce the EPL, which I have learned about gradually through bits and pieces.

The EPL, self-proclaimed as the world's best, is a professional football league in England that officially started in 1992. It is composed of five divisions, from the Premier League (1st division) to the 5th division. The top-tier Premier League consists of 20 teams, known for their exceptional skills.

During one season (this time 8/6/2022-05/28/2023), each team plays a total of 38 matches. The matches take place mainly on Saturdays and Sundays, with a home-and-away format where teams compete against each other at their respective home stadiums and the opposing team's home stadiums.

In order to strengthen their squads, EPL teams make efforts to recruit world-class managers and scout talented players from around the world. Recently, countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been using their oil money to buy or operate teams that are competitive in the league.

At the end of each season, all 20 teams play their final matches simultaneously on the same day and time. This determines the final standings of each team in the league. In the recently concluded 2022/2023 season, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, and Liverpool secured the 1st to 5th positions, respectively. In terms of point allocation, teams receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. For reference, this year, Manchester City accumulated 89 points and claimed the title.

In the EPL, the bottom three teams in the league standings (teams ranked 18th, 19th, and 20th) are relegated to the second division (relegation), while the top three teams from the second division are promoted to the Premier League for the following season. This year, a team that started from the 5th division miraculously won the championship after passing through the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd divisions, realizing their dream of reaching the Premier League in nine years.

As an anecdote, in 1995, I went on a business trip to London, England. By chance, I met Mr. J, a famous Korean national football team player, at a Korean church there. We had a meal together and took commemorative photos. When I asked why he was staying in England, he replied that he came because he wanted to play as a 1st division player in the newly established EPL. Despite his past experience as a national team player and his current affiliation with a second-division team, he lamented how difficult it is to break into the Premier League.

In Europe, there are various football leagues in different countries, including the English Premier League, La Liga in Spain, Bundesliga in Germany, Serie A in Italy, and Ligue 1 in France.

The top 7 teams in the EPL standings are granted qualification to participate in the major club competitions organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League. They compete against the top clubs from various European countries.

Each EPL team operates based in a specific city or region in England. They generate substantial annual revenue through ticket sales, which average about 125 pounds per ticket, broadcasting rights that are distributed worldwide, and sales of various merchandise, including player uniforms.

In the recently concluded season, each team in the top league received an approximate average of at least 200 billion pounds in prize money, and the winning team received an even larger sum (nearly 500 billion pounds) as a significant reward. In short, the EPL is a football league where everyone involved, including managers and players, sits on a money seat.

In order to achieve good season results, each team employs scouts for player acquisitions and brings young football players from around the world to join their youth football clubs. If they demonstrate exceptional skills as adults, they are eventually selected as full-fledged players in the top-tier league.

Furthermore, teams sometimes acquire players they need by paying fees to other teams during the summer transfer window, engaging in player exchanges, or even leasing players for the designated season. Generally, each player hires their own agents to handle matters regarding their career.

In the case of the EPL, there are six big prestigious clubs known as the "Big 6," which have modern and massive dedicated stadiums. However, having observed a considerable number of matches over a period of about six months, it can be noted that other teams have varying stadium sizes and facilities depending on their circumstances. It is said that players who achieve excellent performance in their respective teams are honored by being inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and treated as legends of the club.

Even in the EPL, there are dark shadows of racial discrimination towards players within the clubs and both on and off the field, biased or erroneous decisions by EPL referees, suspicions of match-fixing, and other controversies. In some ways, football often feels like a miniature version of our daily lives, with its ups and downs.

Football is a game of strategy and statistics, which makes it truly fascinating. By utilizing tools like heat maps, each player's movements and analysis during matches can be tracked, as well as various statistics such as dribble, pass, shot, cross, and success rate in aerial ball contests. Of course, effective strategies for analyzing and countering each team and individual player can also be formulated. It is somewhat similar to the concept of "having no worries when well-prepared" (유비무환: 有備無患) in battle.

I have heard that many young individuals from around the world are sweating on the field to enter the EPL, which is one of the world's top leagues. It is a difficult and challenging journey, but the pursuit of a grand dream rather than money itself is truly a beautiful thing. These are my thoughts as I watch intense and passionate EPL football matches.

June 3, 2023 

Solti

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