The Premier League has been the top tier of English men’s football since 1992. It unites historic clubs, global reach, and recurring storytelling opportunities throughout the entire season. For editorial teams, blogs, and social media, it offers reliable content pillars: matchdays, rivalries, tactics, data insights, and historical perspectives.
This IMAGO guide compiles the key background information on the league and shows how to turn it into valuable formats supported by strong visuals – including guidance on how to license the corresponding imagery directly through IMAGO. All essential licensing and legal information is summarized at the end.
IMAGO / News Images / Mark Cosgrove | Premier League Manchester City v Liverpool Nico O Reilly of Manchester City takes shot on goal during the Premier League match Manchester City vs Liverpool at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom.
The league comprises 20 clubs, with 38 matchdays in a home‑and‑away format. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw. At season’s end, three teams are relegated; they are replaced by two automatic promotions and the play‑off winner from the EFL Championship.
This clear structure creates reliable narrative arcs for weekend coverage, Monday themes, and data‑driven series. For social media, compact “match‑in‑numbers” posts, heat maps, or sequences of key scenes work well.
The season typically runs from August to May. A packed schedule around the holidays draws additional attention. International breaks, as well as the FA Cup and EFL Cup, shape the rhythm.
Summer and winter transfer windows provide occasions for squad analyses, profiles, and club strategies. Serial formats on arrivals and departures, development curves, or youth debuts perform well for blogs and social media.
Restart and professionalization: In 1992, the Premier League replaced the old First Division at the top. Early on, media and organizational structures were reoriented.
Consolidation at 20 clubs: Since the mid‑1990s, the 20‑team setup has been the standard. This improves comparability across decades and strengthens statistical storytelling.
Growing internationalization: Players, managers, and audiences have become increasingly global. This is reflected in playing styles, transfer markets, and worldwide coverage.
The data era: Expected goals, pressing metrics, and set‑piece efficiency analyses are now part of daily editorial work. They enable short explainers and interactive graphics.
IMAGO / Pressefoto Baumann | Elland Road Stadium, home ground of Leeds United
Arsenal’s “Invincibles” (2003/04): An entire season without defeat—reference point for consistency and team architecture.
“93:20” (2011/12): A last‑second goal decides the title race—symbol of the league’s dramatic intensity.
Leicester City (2015/16): The underdog triumph stands for competitive openness and smart squad planning.
Early chapters: The first Premier League goal, the “ever‑presents” since 1992, or the reduction to 20 teams provide robust anniversary formats.
IMAGO / Sportimage | Sergio Kun Agüero of Manchester City scores Barclays Premier League match Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers (QPR) at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester on the 13th May 2012.
Record tallies, scoring milestones, appearance records, and notable streaks are evergreen. They suit quiz posts, infographics, interactive timelines, and retrospective pieces.
Combined with current numbers, they build bridges between history and the present, giving analyses continuity and depth.
The Premier League brings together different game ideas. Positional play and ball circulation sit alongside dynamic transitions and variable pressing heights.
Managers have defined eras—through attacking automatisms, rest defense against counters, or standardized set pieces. These topics lend themselves to clear diagrams, clip sequences, and explanatory long reads.
Derbies such as North London, Merseyside, or Manchester anchor season highlights. They connect sport with local identity, rituals, and symbols.
Stadium profiles work as evergreens: architecture, location, fan routes, and atmosphere make for stand‑alone photo essays. For social media, close‑ups, choreographies, and reportage details before kickoff are effective.
IMAGO / News Images / Mark Cosgrove | Sky Bet Championship Play-off Semi Final Second Leg Leeds United v Norwich City Leeds fans go ballistic as they win to go through to Wembley during the Sky Bet Championship Play-off Semi Final
Academies develop talent over years. This is reflected in debut stories, loan spells, and transitions into first‑team squads.
Series on training pathways, daily routines, or youth competitions combine photo reportage and analysis—creating recurring formats beyond matchday.
Goal‑line technology supports quick goal/no‑goal decisions. The Video Assistant Referee intervenes in clearly defined situations.
For editors, concise explainer boxes with workflows, intervention thresholds, and examples are useful. Such modules transfer easily into articles, newsletters, and social media.
Centrally marketed media rights and global demand create a steady baseline of coverage. This makes planning easier across weeks, months, and seasons.
For publishers, a clear cadence pays off: previews, live signals, and post‑match follow‑ups with data wrap‑ups—supplemented by archive activations and historical references. This yields a robust program across website, newsletter, and social media.
Action & emotion: Goal celebrations, last‑ditch saves, manager reactions—strong single motifs for leads and thumbnails.
Context & culture: Fan routes, choreographies, city scenes on matchdays—visual added value for reportage.
Details & dramaturgy: Tactics boards, corner flags, gloves, rain under floodlights—close‑ups for Reels/Stories.
Serial use: Unified color palettes, consistent crops, and a recognizable visual identity improve recall and reduce post‑processing.
Sequences of three to five images tell a match moment: build‑up, key scene, reaction.
Short videos with animated graphics explain xG deviations or pressing zones.
Alt text and precise captions improve clarity and accessibility—without a separate deep dive into metadata.
Before matchday:
Define topic, target channels, and audience.
Curate motifs (match, history, fans, stadiums).
Plan format sizes for website, print, and social media.
After matchday:
Capture the core story (key moments, tactics, data).
Finalize visuals (crops, tonal values, thumbnails).
Maintain the archive and set anniversary markers.
“On this day…” Founding, first Premier League goal, unbeaten season.
“Manager’s workbench.” Adjustments between first and second half of the season.
“Rules explained.” Goal‑line tech, video assist, processes and limits.
“Derbies in focus.” History, numbers, stadium graphics.
“Youth & pathways.” Training, debuts, development curves.
Premier League football offers reliable storytelling opportunities year-round – from matchdays and rivalries to history, tactics, and data. Those who consistently work with high-quality, properly licensed images create content with clear intent, strong recognition, and lasting impact — for media outlets, agencies, brands, creators, NGOs, and education. All required Premier League visuals and sports content can be licensed directly through IMAGO — fast, legally compliant, and in premium quality.