What we do
The Premier League is the organising body of the Premier League with responsibility for the competition, its Rule Book and the centralised broadcast and other commercial rights.
We work proactively and constructively with our Member Clubs and the other football authorities to improve the quality of football, both in England and across the world.
The Premier League is all about the football
Football drives everything the Premier League does. Watching the best players and thrilling football generates local and global interest, with millions of fans across the country and billions around the world following the most-watched football league.
This enables continued investment in the competition, development of talent and an unprecedented level of support for the football pyramid, wider game and communities.
The positive impact and significant investment from the Premier League benefits clubs across the English Football League, National League System, women’s and girls’ football, national supporter groups, grassroots football and community provisions.
Competitive football, brilliant to watch
The principal objective of the Premier League is to stage the most competitive and compelling league with world-class players. The competitive balance of the League is maintained through the equitable distribution of revenue, enabling clubs to develop across their operations.
Many of the most famous clubs in world football play in the Premier League and, in recent seasons, the battles for the title and UEFA Champions League places have been the tightest and hardest fought on record.
Some of the biggest names in world football play in the Premier League every week: from Erling Haaland to Bruno Fernandes, Mohamed Salah to Martin Odegaard, Emiliano Martinez to Virgil van Dijk. The world’s best players come to England to play in a compelling league competition, in front of passionate full houses and matches that are seen all over the world.
English talent is central to the continued progress of the Premier League and wider English game too. The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) was produced by the Premier League after consulting representatives of the Football League and The FA to promote the development of a world-leading Academy system, with the aim of producing more, and better, Home Grown Players.
Today, the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are thriving in the Premier League and on the international stage.
The Premier League and its clubs are committed to generating domestic talent, with more than 95 per cent of young players in training being British.
Global phenomenon
The Premier League is a global league. It has become a worldwide phenomenon, inspiring passion and emotion from Los Angeles to Lagos, from Macau to Melbourne.
It has become a league of nations on the pitch, too. In 1992 there were only 11 non-British or Irish footballers in the Premier League. Now there is, on average, about 70 nationalities competing in any one Premier League season – with 126 represented to date.
Organisation
We work proactively and constructively with our Member Clubs and the other football authorities to improve the quality of football, both in England and across the world.
The Member Clubs of the Premier League
The Premier League is a private company limited by shares, of which its shareholders are the 20 member clubs at any given time and The FA, which holds a special share.
Each individual club is independent, working within the rules of football, as defined by the Premier League, The FA, UEFA and FIFA, as well as being subject to English and European law.
Consultation is at the heart of the Premier League and shareholder meetings are the ultimate decision-making forum for Premier League policy. They are held at regular intervals during the season.
Clubs can propose new rules or amendments at the shareholder meeting. Each Member Club is entitled to one vote and all rule changes and major commercial contracts require the support of at least a two-thirds vote, or 14 clubs, to be agreed.
The Premier League AGM takes place at the close of each season, at which time the relegated clubs transfer their shares to the clubs promoted into the Premier League from the Football League Championship.
The Premier League Rule Book, contained within the Handbook, serves as a contract between the League, the Member Clubs and one another, defining the structure and running of the competition.
Any serious breach of the Rule Book results in an independent three-person tribunal sitting to hear the case, ascertain guilt and set the punishment, which can range from fines to points deductions and, in extreme cases, expulsion from the competition (this has never happened in the history of the Premier League).
At the Premier League's AGM in June 2022, an Owners' Charter was agreed by clubs. The Owners and Directors of the Member Clubs are custodians of those organisations and will uphold the spirit of the charter's commitments.
Read: Premier League Owners' Charter
Premier League UK workforce
The Premier League head office is based in central London. The organisation has a staff of 300+ people who deliver across a range of roles including football, coach development, community, youth development, safeguarding, broadcast, commercial, communications, digital, finance, legal, marketing and policy.
The Premier League’s current UK workforce includes 20 per cent Black, Asian, minority ethnic representation and we are committed to delivering equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation. We are currently in the process of achieving the EY National Equality Standard and therefore our activities and polices are independently assessed.