Majority think Premier League good for Blackpool

AN overwhelming majority of respondents to an online survey believe Blackpool Football Club’s new Premier League status will provide a boost to the town’s economy.

The poll, conducted by Blackpool-based Moore and Smalley Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors, showed well over three quarters of respondents (79 per cent) thought having Blackpool in English football’s top division would boost the resort financially.

Blackpool kicked off their first top-flight campaign since 1971 in style with 4 – 0 away win over Wigan Athletic on Saturday 14 August , although couldn’t manage to repeat their opening day heroics when they faced Arsenal a week later. The Premier League’s huge national and international following, coupled with the romantic view of Britain’s most popular seaside resort, will attract significant profile for the town and boost visitor numbers, according to business leaders.

Andrew Norman, partner at Moore and Smalley, said: “It’s been well-documented that having Blackpool in the Premier League will boost the number of away supporters coming to spend the weekend in the town while following their team, and with the club taking part in more internationally televised matches, it will also create significant awareness of Blackpool’s tourism offering.

“The question on a lot of people’s lips is will this actually equate to a boost for the economy in terms of a higher number of visitors and increased spending and investment in the town. The results of our latest online poll suggest the vast majority think that it will.”

Peter Mearns, executive director of marketing and communications at Northwest Regional Development Agency, has said that Blackpool’s Premier League status will help showcase the area to potential businesses as a “good place to live, work and invest”.

For the 2009/10 football season, annual revenue from the Premier League was thought to have exceeded £1bn worldwide. Matches were beamed into 575million homes in 211 territories around the world and a total of 90,000 hours of action were broadcast.