Thursday 3 May 2007

The Crazy Business that is Football


May is always a busy time for football, much to Mrs Slicker's dismay.

The Business that is football has been one of our UK success stories over the past few years. Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992 it has been an uninterrupted money making machine.

Although some fans, especially the more traditional working class fans who can no longer afford to attend matches so regularly, despise the way the game has gone, there can be no arguments from a business view.

10 years ago the league was well behind Italy and Spain, good overseas players would tend only to come to England if there careers were nearing an end, players like Jurgen Klinsmann and Gianfranco Zola.

Nowadays, the best in the world can't wait to get here because the money is so good. This money though, made from slick marketing and a good product on the pitch, has huge consequences.

Just today, the Wigan chairman has threatened to sue the FA over not deducting points from West ham. He thinks it could cost his club up to £60 million, which is what an independent analysis said today. This is big money.

Big enough that American sports billionaires are keen t get in on the action and this will ratchet up even further the money in the game and probably the profits generated for it.

For all this though, the game has changed, unlike American sports where the leagues try to maintain parity, the opposite has happened in the UK. With the new extra money this is going to get worse, expect to see the same teams at the top forever, unless they do a Leeds!

25 comments:

Jeremy Jacobs said...

CU, I could write volumes about this subject. As you maybe aware, my passion is "real" football - i.e. leagues a tad lower than the "Premiership". The "Premiership" is a manifestation of what is wrong with football in this country. Foreign football associations/governments ensure that they structure the football in order to.

1. Improve technical ability ( which we don't do)

2. Pump money into grassroots football ( which we don't do)

That's just for starters.......

Jeremy Jacobs said...

And another thing. My club plays in the Ryman Premier where a rival, AFC Wimbledon, were deducted 3 points and fined for fielding an inelligble player. They were also thrown out of the FA Trophy.

For sometime, a cloud hung over the club as the authorities were considering a massive 18-point deduction. This would have caused disruption within that club to such an extent, that their bid for automatic promotion was foiled. After much deliberation, a three point deduction. In the event they had to settle for a play-off position and sadly for them they were defeated by a rival,Bromley FC.

Why is it that there's one rule for one FA affiliated club and one for another?

Hope West Ham get relegated

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I'm ashemed to say that it's taken me till this year to work out what the "Premiership" is! Interesting post, c/u.

CityUnslicker said...

JJ - Thanks for the comments. I think football is skewed, but this is because the FA are so weak.

Now that the situation exists it will be hard to ever change back. What is definitely wrong is the way different clubs are treated. bury were thrown out of the FA cup too for fielding an ineligible player.

I doubt that would ever happen to a Premiership club.

Welshcakes - you are doing well, i liked your posts on Italian football!

pommygranate said...

Does anyone remember going to watch a First Division match in the '80s, with its nasty crowd element, the terrifying surges (for a 12 year old boy, anyway) once a goal had been scored and the mediocre footballers on display?

The Premiership is a vast improvement.

Jeremy - you are a football snob.

Jeremy Jacobs said...

Snob - look mate, I mixed with the worst of 'em on the North Bank at Arsenal and had a nasty run-in at Tottenham several years ago, got screwed by Stan Flashman in 1979 for 2 FA Cup Final tickets so don't lecture me sonny Jim.

In recent times, I've mixed with the common man from Margate to Morecambe and various places in between. And believe me Leigh RMI on a cold December day doing a gig for the BBC is pretty common.

Capiche!

Croydonian said...

JJ - Much more of this being unkind to WHU and we will fall out....

Anonymous said...

I even enjoy a professional match in the flesh. My husband won a box at MU for next season and we are planning to see them play Tottenham - there are arch rival fans in my household from those two teams. I will tell you how it goes.

Ruthie said...

I wonder why soccer hasn't caught on in the U.S....

They didn't even air the last World Cup here until the wee hours of the morning.

Anonymous said...

Football is really dull - apart from the fighting - I like that. And the one poses in the nude and the one who looks like that cartoon troll thingy Shrek...

Anonymous said...

Let me ask you a question Slicker; how much money does premiership football generate for the local community and taxes as a whole?

You said it was a money spinner, but for who except for players?

CityUnslicker said...

Croydonian - WHU may be in a nice bit of legal bother I see! very east end...

CityUnslicker said...

Ellee - They are much different in the flesh as you say. A lot of people who hate football have only seen it on the telly.

In that sense it has much in common with the theatre.

CityUnslicker said...

Ruthie - the last world cup was in Germany, so the time difference did not help the US, the games were held in the evening German time.

CityUnslicker said...

Mutley - your diguise fails you. All dogs love chasing footballs, it is a scientific fact. My own Xena regualrly disturbs the chav';s on Bromley common by interefing on their sunday kickabouts.

Luckily for her she is too quick to get caught.

CityUnslicker said...

Shot - that is a difficult one in some senses.

Typically 70% of turnover goes straight the the players and staff.

But the profitable ones, of wich there are a few, will pay taxes. The players (except those on the Arsenal scam of being paid in jersey) pay huge PAYE.

As for the local community, I think you can make a valid case. Who would have heard of many UK towns and cities without the success of their football teams....towns like Manchester, Liverpool etc.

Sorry, could not resist, but maybe Wigan and Reading will be pleased and benefit from the success of clubs.

jungle jane said...

These days fading footballers go to Australia and join Sydney United. Dwight York just did a stint out there before he realised that Australia is the bum hole of the world and came back. Looks like Teddy Sheringham is next - there is a whole continent of blonde beauties out there for him work his way through...Dwight's Sloppy Seconds i think they are called.

CityUnslicker said...

Jane - they prefer that to the more lucrative, yet boring offers from Bahrain!

Pogo said...

I am so utterly uninterested in football that I support Walsall.

CityUnslicker said...

they are bigget than my team now pogo, Leeds!

Jeremy Jacobs said...

Jungle Jane

Nothing fading about Terry McFlynn of Sydney United

Jeremy Jacobs said...

Sorry Jane, I've messed up. Terry is at Sydney FC

Anonymous said...

Should there be a Salary Cap in Football?
Personally I think there should be! It’s just getting to be stupid money in football at the top of the premiership!
It’s always the same teams at the top proving that football success is based purely on money which ruins the idea of it being a sport! They’ve done it in rugby, basketball, hockey and American football and it makes the sports more competitive and better to watch!
I do a little Spread Betting (or more precisely Football Spread Betting) from time to time and most matches don’t hold much surprise who is going to win, its boring! I want to see a team at the bottom pulling off an amazing season beating last seasons winners in a close fought battle!
Make things fair! It shouldn’t be about money!

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