Premier League All Stars - Branding Proposal

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The Barclays Premier League - The Story So Far...

Since the inception of the English Premier League in 1992, football has never been the same. Player salaries have rocketed, local club owners have been replaced by foreign investors and the Premier League's global appeal has grown from strength to strength. The league is now broadcast to 212 territories around the world with the TV audience for a Premier League game recorded at 4.7bn.

However, one of the downsides to this huge success is that local fans are being priced out of attending games. Ticket prices have increased dramatically and demand for tickets has reached an all time high. Local fans who have followed their team for decades are now often forced to follow their side via the television rather than experience the action at the stadium.

In addition to this, the league has become fragmented, as the same 3 or 4 cash rich teams fight for the title, the rest of the league's clubs have to hope for a cup run to gain any type of recognition. The majority of fans in the Premier League never see their players experience a big day out, a trip to Wembley or any kid of trophy winning success.

The Premier League All Stars Weekend could change all of this...

The Proposal

This branding project proposes a new event, based around one weekend in August that serves as a thank you to local fans for their loyal support. Based loosely on the format of the NBA All Star Weekend in the USA, the weekend would coincide with the Charity Shield event (a game that takes place once a year, as a season opener, which see's the Premier League Champions play the FA Cup Winners).

- The whole weekend would take place at Wembley Stadium, London.
(However, different English cities would host the event each year.)

- Tickets would be divided equally between the 20 PL clubs. Fans of each club could enter a ballot to win free tickets for the events. No tickets would be sold. Instead, all tickets would be given away to fans as a thank you for their support. Clubs would make money from the huge broadcasting and merchandise opportunities that would arise from the weekend.

- The schedule for the weekend would involve an U21 match, showcasing the best young talent from the Premier League. Following this there would be an All Star game between the North and South of England. Additional events could also take place over the weekend such as a cross bar challenge, penalty shoot out and skills competition between the Premier League's biggest stars.

- Fans would vote for 2 players from each team to make up the 20 man squad.

- The Northern team would be made up by players from Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, Sunderland, Hull, West Brom, Aston Villa and Stoke.

- The Southern squad would feature 2 players from Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Spurs, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Cardiff, Swansea, Southampton and Norwich.

The Brand Logo

The All Star weekend is branded in a way that appeals to fans of all clubs. The Premier League lion, featured on the Official Premier League logo, has been redrawn and stylised to give it a modern feel. The sharp angles and polygon like shapes is a theme that runs through the whole branding process.

The subtle skyline featured within the logo depicts the city of London, as the host city of the event. 20 stars sit above the skyline to represent the 20 clubs that make up the English Premier League.

The circular shape of the logo is an obvious reference to the beautiful game, whilst the decorative banner, golden crown and ball celebrate at the prestige of the event.

The Team Logo's

Both teams require a brand of their own, shown above. The squad crests aim to be modern in their design with some subtle references to their location.

The All Star North crest includes a skyline, made up of various iconic landmarks from the North of England. This includes the Liver Building, the Humber Bridge and the Angel of the North. The red crest also very angular to represent the industrial history of the north of England.

The All Star South crest is very similar to its northern counterpart. It also includes a skyline, depicting iconic landmarks from the South including Stonehenge, the London Eye and Big Ben.

The Kits

Both kits are based on their respective crests. The Northern kit is predominantly white, with red sleeves and some subtle yellow additions. The reverse of the shirt includes a red triangle, that points North. This use of triangles to depict North or South is a device that is seen repeatedly throughout the branding exercise.

The All Star South kit is blue in colour, with white sleeves and yellow trim. The reverse of the kit uses a South pointing triangle device to reinforce the team's roots.

Bold, modern typography would be used for the names and numbers, in keeping with the brand that has been created.

The All Star Squads

The All Star Squads would be selected by fans of each team.

Every fan could cast their vote via their phone or through the internet.

2 players from each squad would be selected from each team.

Advertising

A two stage ad campaign would roll out in the run up to the weekend.

The first stage would see fans encouraged to vote for their chosen players to represent each squad.

The second stage would reinforce the rivalries between the North and South of England as a way of promoting the weekend. This type of advertising could take place across the world to appeal to the massive fan base of the Premier League in places like America, the Far East and Europe.

Although tickets would be given to lucky fans for free via a ballot, the All Star Weekend would raise funds via sponsorship and through world wide broadcasting deals. Merchandise, kit sales and additional branded accessories would also financially support the event.