Thailand Premier League signs up EPL chairman

Thai soccer has signed up the English Premier League's master strategist in a bid to boost its standards and profile to the international level.

EPL chairman Sir David Richards will take up the role of consultant for the auction of the three-year TVbroadcast rights for the Thai Premier League, said Football Association of Thailand president Worawi Makudi.

Current broadcaster TrueVisions is in the last year of its contract, with the auction for a new threeyear TV deal to be held in March.

The Thai FA boss says Richards will not only act as consultant for the auction but also lend his expertise to the organisation of the country's football leagues.

"Sir David Richards has agreed to become a consultant for our association. He will look at the organisation of our leagues in particular," said Worawi.

Worawi says the appointment of such a highprofile expert mirrors the growth of Thai football in recent years.

"It shows that our football league has grown considerably over the last few years. Our firsttier league now is regarded among the top five in the continent and No 1 in Southeast Asia.

"We expect to earn annual income of around Bt600 million from the new TV deal. Foreign companies will join the bidding process, while several of the country's cable TV operators have also expressed their interest."

Each Thai Premier League team is expected to earn Bt15 million from television revenue in the 2014 season plus Bt20 million each for the next two years.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/01/15/thailand-premier-league-signs-up-epl-chairman/