Barclays Premier League to host fan park event on Dec 13-14 in Mumbai

Mumbai: The official sponsors of English Premier League, Barclays visited the Deccan Chronicle office on Saturday in Mumbai.

The Premier League and sponsor Barclays will host their second international fan park event on 13–14 December in Mumbai. Barclays Premier League Live (BPL Live) will offer fans in India the opportunity to watch live matches broadcast on a giant 380-square-ft screen, meet legends of the Barclays Premier League and get up close with the iconic Barclays Premier League Trophy.

Barclays Premier League Live will take place at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on the weekend of 13–14 December. This unique experience will mark the first time Indian football fans are able to engage with the Barclays Premier League in person.

Barclays Premier League Live is a free, interactive experience designed for fans of all ages to enjoy. There is capacity for 12,000 supporters each day and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The local opening times* and live matches to be shown are:

Saturday 13 December:

Barclays Premier League Live opens at 2:30pm and closes at 10:30pm

7pm – Indian Super League semi-final (screen 2)

8:30pm – Chelsea v Hull City(screen 1)

8:30pm – Leicester City v Manchester City(screen 2)

Sunday 14 December:

Barclays Premier League Live opens at 1pm and closes at 9pm

4pm – Arsenal v Newcastle United (replay, screen 1)

7pm – Manchester United v Liverpool (screen 1)

7pm – Indian Super League semi-final (screen 2)

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: “We are very excited at the prospect of bringing Barclays Premier League Live to Mumbai to engage with fans of the League, and our clubs, in India. We know that fans around the world enjoy the passion and excitement on display when they watch our competition and we think this event will be the next best thing to being in the stadium on a match day.

“We are particularly looking forward to coming to India as interest in football is at an all-time high. Mumbai will provide a spectacular setting as we work with our partner Star Sports to bring the Barclays Premier League to our Indian fans.”

Barclays India CEO & Country Head, Jaideep Khanna, said: "Football as a sport, and the Barclays Premier League in particular, is fast gaining popularity in India. We want football fans of all ages to experience the league up close through BPL Live.

“With a fast growing business and with over a tenth of Barclays’ global employee base, India is a hugely important market for us. We are delighted to be bringing our clients, colleagues and football fans closer to the Barclays Premier League."

STAR India President – Sports, Nitin Kukreja, said: "We are delighted to welcome the Barclays Premier League Live event to India. This is a fantastic opportunity for BPL fans to enjoy the game together and interact with legends like Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel. 

Star Sports is leading the initiative to grow football in India and having events as the Barclays Premier League Live alongside the Hero Indian Super League will help bring more and more fans closer to the beautiful game.”

Barclays Premier League Live is all about giving international football fans the opportunity to experience the passion and excitement of Barclays Premier League matches. Fans can take part in a number of activities at BPL Live including:

The Live Match Zone:
The main arena where fans will watch the live Barclays Premier League matches on a giant screen.

The Trophy Zone:
Fans will be able to get up close to the Barclays Premier League Trophy.

The Club Zone:
Supporters will be able to learn more about the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs, and through green screen technology, will be able to picture themselves lifting the Barclays Premier League Trophy decorated with the ribbons of their favourite club.

The Screening Zone:
Supporters will experience the noise and excitement of a match day before learning all about the winning teams and captains of the Premier League in this exclusive film.

The Pitch Zone:
There will be a mini-football pitch where Barclays Premier League clubs will be conducting skills sessions with local football teams, and there will also be the chance for young fans to have a game of football run by Premier League community coaches.

The Skills Zone:
There are three football skills pods for supporters to test their accuracy, close control and shooting power.

Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel will be in attendance to offer the crowds their pre- and post-match insight on the live matches. The Premier League legends will also take part in autograph-signing sessions and interact with fans.

All of the action will be overseen by John Dykes, the lead anchor for Premier League Productions worldwide, who will keep the crowds entertained in between the Barclays Premier League matches. Premier League clubs and official partners will be present at the fan park with interactive games and the opportunity for fans to meet club mascots.

The Barclays Premier League is the biggest continuous annual global sports event in the world, with matches broadcast to 650 million homes in 175 countries.

The Barclays Premier League is the most watched continuous annual global sporting event in the world. Last season 13.9 million fans attended matches with record average stadium occupancy of 95.9%. Across nine months of the year, 380 matches are viewed in 175 countries with coverage available in over 650 million households.