By Ben Nicholson
November 24 – Scottish giants Celtic could be on the verge of taking one of their regular season Scottish Premier League home games to the US. Their proposed opponents Dundee FC are already on board with the remaining obstacle being obtaining Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) approval.
Dundee has links to the US by virtue of its Texas-based owner Tim Keyes, while Celtic has used the US for lucrative pre-season preparations, and has been linked with creating a North American Soccer League (NASL) franchise.
Philadelphia and Boston have been floated as potential hosts.
A spokesperson for the SPFL said that “to date the SPFL has not received any application from any member club for any games to be played overseas,” though one may well be coming soon.
The idea of a domestic league taking its product offshore is not new. In 2008 the English Premier League raised the possibility of having a 39th game abroad but the idea was scrapped, or perhaps postponed, due to popular discontent.
The commercial success of pre-season tours in the US and elsewhere has propelled these discussions. However, hostility toward the idea is felt not only domestically, but also in the suggested host nation, the US.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber recently voiced his opinion that Premier League games abroad “really would cross the line of going into a market and potentially threatening the first division.”
Garber stated his belief that FA Chief Executive Richard Scudamore “really cares about the game, loves [the U.S] and loves [the U.S’] league,” more so than the potential financial benefit in the arrangement.
Garber’s position on whether the SPFL would have the same threat to the MLS’ position in the US is unclear, however. It would perhaps provide a good ground for experimentation, availing the opportunity to observe the affects of the invasion.
The US is no stranger to hosting other people’s competitions. The Central American nations that make up UNCAF hosted their national team championship in the US in 2014, while the oldest national team tournament in the world, the Copa America, will play its centenary edition outside of the South American continent for the first time next year. The US will be competing in that tournament.
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