Premier League set for overhaul?

ESPN Soccernet can reveal that "The Future of the Game" is on the wide -reaching agenda of the Premier League clubs' summit meeting on Thursday.

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The Premier League could be set for the biggest overhaul since its inception in 1992.

An insider has informed ESPN Soccernet that the meeting between club chairmen, chief executives and owners, could amount to a debate on how to make the most significant changes to the English game since the formation of the Premier League itself in 1992.

One red-hot issue set for discussion is a proposal by some clubs to redistribute the enormous wealth generated by the Premier League via new record-breaking overseas sales about to arrive, plus their domestic TV deals.

Another proposal from some parties is the abolition of relegation, while the majority want to ensure a financial cushion for clubs relegated who would lose £40 million from going down.

The source told ESPN Soccernet: "There is going to be an open debate about the future of the game - that is the agenda for Thursday's shareholders meeting. Issues such as player's salaries, inflated transfers, relegation/promotion, and the distribution of cash will surely be among some of the more hot topics for debate.

"I cannot see any way of capping salaries, or curtailing transfer fees, how can you when it's an open market? But there is most definitely a great deal of will on behalf of most chairmen to review the distribution of cash that the Premier League generates.

"The Premier league is very competitive, and this season is more competitive than it's ever been, with an open title race. But many clubs want to overhaul the distribution of cash. The biggest problem is that a relegated club loses £40 million. We do have parachute payments, but it's not enough, as it lasts only two seasons, and it's halved in the second season.

"No business can sustain losing £40 million from its bottom line and hope to survive, so its reached the stage that clubs relegated from the Premier League are struggling for survival, which makes it tough for them to compete to come back up. This survival issue is certainly exercising people's minds and will form a large part of the debate."

The wider football public and indeed the football industry as a whole, including the Football League, will not want a closed shop where relegation is abolished.

That has been the suggestion of Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, who advocates a second-tier 'Premier League Two'. He suggested inviting Celtic and Rangers, and eliminating relegation from 'Premier League Two' to the Football League to ensure financial stability.

But the source told ESPN Soccernet: "Phil has led the discussion about what the game needs to do, and how it is done, and whether there should be promotion and relegation, but that is not all there is to it, not by a long way."

Gartside has compiled a comprehensive 'white paper' on what he believes should be the future shape of football in this country, having canvassed views from a number of his fellow chairmen. 'The Gartside Report' will form the basis of the Premier League debate on Thursday, with a plan of action hopefully emerging as a consequence of the most far reaching review of football at the top level in this country.

The insider concludes: "We should all be concerned about the future of the game in this country and the direction in which we should go. The important thing is finding the right direction for all concerned."

Such is the interest in the 'Future of The Game' that ESPN Soccernet has also learned that Radio Five Live are also asking the questions about which direction the game should go.