EPL
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The Barclays Premier League, or Premiership as it is also known, is the highest division in English football, hosting some of the world’s best clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. The football division is the most followed sporting league in the World, with around half a billion supporters from over two hundred countries worldwide.
Originally, there were twenty two teams, but a decision was made that there should be less teams in the top flight, so there are now just twenty teams in the Premier League, and every year three teams are relegated, with three teams replacing them from the lower league. After a full season in the Premier League, which consists of one home game and one away game against every club, has been played, the teams who finish fourth or above are guaranteed a place in the Champions League, with the teams who finish in fifth, sixth and seventh place winning a spot in the next season’s UEFA Cup. Domestic cups include the FA and the Carling Cup, with both of the winners being guaranteed a place in European football.
The Premiership was formed in 1992 after English had received a bad reputation from other European countries, due to the high amounts of hooliganism and low attendances, with many top English players moving to other in hope of higher quality football and better pay. Several of the top clubs threatened to make a break away league, but this idea was scrapped on the thought of the Premier League, which would revolutionise English football, bringing in higher attendances with the promise of more revenue for the clubs, meaning the clubs could bring back some of the players lost to other leagues.
Since the Premier League formed, there have only been four winners of the division, with Manchester United winning ten times, Arsenal winning three times, Chelsea winning two times, and Blackburn Rovers winning the league once. To date, Alan Shearer is the all time top scorer in the Premier League, scoring two hundred and sixty goals, with his closest contender being Andy Cole, who has scored one hundred and eight seven goals, so Shearer’s record is unlikely to be broken in the near future.
The record for the highest amount of appearances is held by Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs, who currently has five hundred and twenty five caps to his name, and the Welshman also has the most Premiership titles to his name, after being awarded a total of ten winners’ medals.
