Leeds United’s return to the Premier League sees them put under the global spotlight once more, and the decision-makers’ intentions to make it the best commercial brand possible sees fresh changes for next season.
As much as Leeds fans could not wait to get out of the Championship and back mixing it amongst the big boys, there’s a certain down-to-earth charm that will be lost now that Leeds are in the Premier League.
VAR controversy, constant pundit and media attention on every microscopic detail, corporate atmospheres and an overly commercial feel to the whole experience awaits in the top flight.
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Premier League to adopt “US-style” touchline interviews as well as other broadcast changes
The Telegraph have revealed this week that the Premier League plan to implement already-experimented broadcast features from the start of next season, including touchline interviews for players just substituted.
Such interviews were trialed last season with Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier interviewed after being subbed off against Southampton, and it’s set to become a league-wide feature of match coverage, including at Elland Road.
(Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)
On top of that, “US-style innovations” will see camera operators granted permission to enter the field of play to capture close-ups of player celebrations, while also having access to both sets of dressing rooms on matchday, but never when a manager is conducting a team talk.
While these three extra methods of providing up-close coverage of the match are set to be implemented next season, it’s stressed that viewers won’t be subjected to all three during the same game.
Dressing room access and pitchside interviews are expected to be in place for at least two home games for each club next season.
Little surprise as televised coverage taking precedent in the Premier League
The top end of English football has long placed televised coverage as the top priority over those that actually go to games.
It does seem an odd decision to make to give insight into the dressing rooms, which is likely to add very little to the overall experience of watching a football match on TV, and only serves as more inconvenience to the players, coaches and other staff that work behind the scenes.
You can see why the broadcasters have pushed for such an inclusion, to make their brand more recognisable across the globe, but not one match-going fan will have been crying out for this added level of ‘insight’.