Fever Pitch: The Battle for the Premier League

By the end of the 1980s, Britain’s Football League was in a dire state, with growing violence, bad press, and empty stadiums . England’s highly viewed performance in the 1990 World Cup , however, proved the sport could still draw audiences…and revenue. This is the origin story of the Premier League—how Manchester United and other powerhouse clubs broke off to form their own entity, how a media mogul made a multi-million-dollar gamble to air the games, and how in its first year, this upstart league changed the national sport forever.

After two years, the Premier League has become must-see TV, and with a growing audience, yet more money flowed into the game. The main attraction: two-time defending champ Manchester United and its star forward, Eric Cantona. But when the popular player leaps into the stands and attacks a rival team’s fan, the league makes news for all the wrong reasons. The courtroom dramas to follow would be overshadowed by the action on the pitch, however, as Cantona’s suspension throws the title race between Man United and its new rival Blackburn wide open.

By the mid-1990s, the Premier League had grown in scope, attracting fans from across the globe. Manchester United remained the league’s most powerful club, and to remain on top, it developed a group of young players who rose to the level of rockstars. Some, like David Beckham, were ready for the spotlight. Others, like Keith Gillespie, were not. See how the league’s young guns handled becoming celebrities, fashionistas, gamblers, and trade-bait while still keeping their eyes on the ultimate prize: the league trophy.

In the late-1990s, Manchester United appeared unbeatable, as a club and as a brand. But the game was about to turn for the reigning champs. On the pitch, Arsenal, with its innovative new manager, Arsène Wenger, were suddenly a threat to take the trophy. And off the pitch, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s efforts to buy Man United were making headlines. Firsthand accounts from star footballers and other key figures reveal the gripping locker room and boardroom battles of the Premier League’s sixth and seventh seasons.

Old Trafford, April 2003. Manchester United take on Real Madrid in a star-studded footballing spectacle, unaware that in the crowd is a little known Russian billionaire - Roman Abramovich. That night the course of English football was changed forever, as Abramovich decided there and then to buy a piece of the action. Three months later he snaps up Chelsea for £140m and sets out on a record spending spree in search of instant success.