#5 ‘Gang of Five’
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So, the fifth spot goes to not one, but a group of five people. Why five people clubbed together you ask? Well, the ‘Gang of Five’, Arsenal’s David Dein, Liverpool’s Noel White, Manchester United’s Martin Edwards, Tottenham Hotspur’s Irving Scholar and Everton’s Philip Carter were the masterminds behind the formation of the Premier League.
Prior to the advent of the League, that is before 1992-93, there was a consolidated body of football clubs arranged in divisions known as the English Football League.
The ‘Gang of Five’ orchestrated a breakaway of the top 20 clubs in the country to form a league independent of the Football League. The split meant the top 20 would be commercially divorced from the Football League and have the right to set the terms of their own sponsorship and broadcasting deals.
Basically, the idea was to bring in more money. Their plan succeeded. Sky Sports bought the broadcasting rights and helped the Premier League become the most watched in the world.
The contributions of Dein (also responsible for hiring Arsene Winger), White, Scholar, Edwards and Carter changed English football for good, not just financially. The quality of stadiums and infrastructure improved along with the prestige of the league around the world.
