A window on the past: the 32nd edition of the famous English Premier League has started. The 32nd edition of the Premier League was born by Jan Stejskal

The English Premier League, the most watched, most exclusive and richest domestic club competition in the world, has begun its 32nd year. Two Czech representatives – Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček – will be in the line-up of the participants in the services of West Ham United. Only one Czech goalkeeper, Jan Stejskal, made his debut in 1992/1993.

In the early 1990s, clubs playing in the First Division sought changes in English football and on 17 July 1991, the future members of the new league signed a founding agreement.

The release from the existing Football League and the English Football Association(The FA) was to free the new group to negotiate their own contracts regarding broadcasting rights and sponsors.

The departure of the Premier League clubs took place on 20 February 1992, after which the 22 clubs leaving the then league competition formed the Premier League, a limited company, on 27 May of that year.

The Premier League started on 15 August 1992 and included 22 clubs. Sheffield United defeated Manchester United in the first match of the competition 2-1, with the historic first goal scored by the home side’s Brian Deane. However, it was Manchester United who won the title. A reduction in numbers occurred before the 1995/1996 season, when four clubs were relegated in the previous season and the number of clubs settled at twenty.

It was a great honour for Czechoslovak football, then playing its last year in the joint federal league, that one of its ambassadors was present at this historic turning point – Jan Stejskal, a participant in the last world championship with the joint Czechoslovak national team in 1990 in Italy.

It was his performances in the national jersey (but also for the champion Sparta Prague) that brought him an English engagement. He arrived during the autumn of 1990 and played four years at Queen’s Park Rangers.

London’s Queen’s Riders finished in a sympathetic 5th place in the Premier League in their debut season, and the Brno-born player had a fair share of the credit. He earned the nickname Jan “Stay Cool” Stejskal, which, in addition to the similarity with the pronunciation of his name, referred to his proverbial calmness even in tense moments of the match.

The next year he was not the only Czech legionnaire. He was joined by two fellow goalkeepers who helped their teams to advance among the elite with great saves. Luděk Mikloško, also a participant in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, in the West Ham United jersey, and another Ostrava native, Pavel Srnicek, the 1996 European vice-champion, who defended the goal for Newcastle United.

The Czech enclave made up exclusively of goalkeepers has multiplied.

Jan Stejskal in the English First League:

1990/1991 – 24 matches

1991/1992 – 41 matches

1992/1993 – 15 matches

1993/1994 – 26 matches

Number of goals scored – 30

Source: Premier League, BBC