Mapping the English Premier League By Aaron Emrazian For Geography 1820 Applied GIS I Instructor: Scott Festin

Introduction to English Soccer Professional Soccer Leagues since 1888 Multiple Leagues – English Premier League (20 Teams) – Championship League (24 Teams) – League One (24 Teams) – League Two (24 Teams) Promotion & Relegation System Differences from USA are playoffs and minor leagues

Project Goal My map was created to be a visualization of all 20 English Premier League (EPL) soccer teams in the season. The purpose is to show the team locations to become familiarized with some of the lesser known teams and to show dispersion trends. In addition the goal is to represent team size whether by stadium size, attendance level or monetary value. Team success can be represented either by monetary value or the winning of championships.

Process part 1: Finding Information

Process part 2: Creating Information Creating Features

Process part 2: Creating Information Completing the Attribute Table

Process part 2: Creating Information Classifying Data

Process part 2: Creating Information Creating Call-Outs

Process part 3: Finalizing

Findings and Results Location of Teams – Severe Clustering – Only two “neighborless” teams – Not all teams are in England

Findings and Results Location Facts – London has two stadiums approx. 1.8 miles apart – Liverpool has two stadiums approx..66 miles apart – Besides the “neighborless” teams, no team is more than 40 miles from its nearest neighbor. * By way of comparison Downtown Salt Lake City to Downtown Provo is 45.5 miles.

Findings and Results Too Close for comfort?

Findings and Results Game Attendance – Stadium sizes range in capacity from 18,439 to 75,765 – Average stadium capacity is 38,560 – Attendance percentages range from 49.9 to 99.5 – Average game attendance is 89.5% !!!

Findings and Results

Financial Success – According to the 2012 Forbes list of highest value soccer teams. England has 6 of the 20 wealthiest teams in the world. – Manchester United is ranked #1 with an estimated value of 2.2 Billion USD.

Summary The results of the map show a high concentration of teams in populated areas. The main map shows how incredibly well the league is supported throughout the country, with over half of the teams enjoying an average attendance of over 90%. Popularity is high enough to support multiple teams in the same city, even with stadiums being only a few miles apart. Multiple teams have also won the European Cup, showing that the EPL is competitive with surrounding professional leagues. The current Forbes list of the world’s 20 highest valued soccer teams includes six from the EPL. From extreme popularity to success in competition and generating high revenue, the results of the map paint a picture of a healthy and vibrant soccer league.