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English Premier League to go `global'

England's Premier League could be going global.

The league's 20 clubs agreed unanimously on Thursday to examine proposals to expand the regular season and play 10 games overseas starting in 2010-2011.

The matches would be played at five venues around the world over a single weekend in January 2011. Each city would host one game on Saturday and one on Sunday.

The "international round" would be in addition to the traditional 38 home and away matches each of the clubs currently play.

"We can't escape the fact that globalization of sport is with us," Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said. "This is a response to that globalization ... By design we have become a global phenomenon. We cannot go on manifesting that phenomenon as a broadcast proposition only."

No potential host cities or countries have been discussed, Scudamore said. However, he said the league would avoid venues with potential bad weather conditions. That would appear to rule out the US East Coast and Midwest.

Despite protests from coaches that their players already suffer from too many matches, the switch to a 39-game season would start in 2010-2011 when a new television broadcast agreement is scheduled to take effect.
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