A Study On The Perspective Of Foreign Ownership Of Professional Football Clubs In The UK From The Perspective Of Fans

In recent years,the most obvious impact of the liberalization and commercialization of European football is the rising level of capital investment in European football market by investors from various countries,among which the English Premier League is the most prominent feature.As one of the most commercialized and popular leagues in the world,the English premier league(EPL)has attracted investment from numerous foreign businessmen.More than half of professional football clubs in the UK have been bought by investors outside the peninsula.This paper uses literature,semi-structured interviews,case studies and other research methods to explore the views of fans of English football club Aston villa on the property of foreign ownership of the club.The views of the fans are mainly related to the four dimensions of the financial situation,the fans community culture,the performance of the team on the pitch and the facilities of the stadium(fans experience).The results show that :(1)With Aston villa's successful promotion to the premier league,the introduction of foreign capital has improved the club's financial situation and helped the club to develop new business markets.(2)More than half of the fans believe that the influx of foreign capital has had an impact on the club's long-established culture.(3)The introduction of foreign capital has improved the team's performance on the pitch,but most supporters believe that the improvement is mainly due to the coach.(4)Foreign investment has not had a substantial impact on stadium facilities and fans' experience,which is mainly due to the influence of the fan culture established by the club for a long time.The study of supporters' views on foreign ownership of clubs can serve as an important reference for fans to participate in football governance,it can provide reference for Chinese professional football fans to participate in management.