Football, on a cliff edge!
- Thread starter Whitstabletangerine
- Start date
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
While I agree that the govt should be helping lower league football more, i suspect that all the while teams in the EPL are signing players for £50-£70m etc. then the rest of the football league will not be subsidised. Indeed, I think the general public would consider a bail out of football rather unsatisfactory given premier league wages/fees that are still being paid.
Then again, the argument from the EPL will no doubt be, why should the EPL have to pick up the bill/save us either? I don't think they care too much about the lower leagues IMO.
Then again, the argument from the EPL will no doubt be, why should the EPL have to pick up the bill/save us either? I don't think they care too much about the lower leagues IMO.
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
I wonder, would now be a perfect time for fans to take ownership of the clubs again? if there is a mass collapse of clubs in the EFL, then the govt bail outs could be done in the same way the bank bail outs were. The general public could take ownership back of our clubs, and we could run them much more like the germans do theirs, with (i believe) 51% fan ownership models etc.
With jobs losses imminent in many sectors, footballers will be low down the sympathy list i feel.
Football is a commercial business not a charity. Too many clubs have been spending huge amounts of money chasing unrealistic dreams. Fans treated as cash cows.
I whisper this but maybe there are too many professional clubs. An overbloated industry.
The football bubble may be about to burst but is that necessarily a bad thing?
With the economy about to go tits up even the clubs that do get through this will need more realistic expectations from now on.
Rising unemploment = less to spend on little luxuries such as season tickets or sky sports subscriptions.
Football is a commercial business not a charity. Too many clubs have been spending huge amounts of money chasing unrealistic dreams. Fans treated as cash cows.
I whisper this but maybe there are too many professional clubs. An overbloated industry.
The football bubble may be about to burst but is that necessarily a bad thing?
With the economy about to go tits up even the clubs that do get through this will need more realistic expectations from now on.
Rising unemploment = less to spend on little luxuries such as season tickets or sky sports subscriptions.
Fans and lower league chairpersons have been banging on for ages about the inequality in football.
This ‘shock’ to the system to bring the issue to the forefront. I hope that football takes the opportunity to address some of the structural problems that exist.
In terms of any bailout - whether it be from the government or the EPL - I don’t think it is as simple as some might think. How does the cash get divided up between clubs?
There are clubs in the Championship who regularly make multi-million £ losses which are funded by their owners. Should they be given help?
Would it be fair for Gillingham and Sunderland to be given the same amount of help? Or should be be proportional to average lost gate receipts?
Should clubs like Southend get a ‘leg-up’ when there are indications of financial mismanagement even before COVID?
This ‘shock’ to the system to bring the issue to the forefront. I hope that football takes the opportunity to address some of the structural problems that exist.
In terms of any bailout - whether it be from the government or the EPL - I don’t think it is as simple as some might think. How does the cash get divided up between clubs?
There are clubs in the Championship who regularly make multi-million £ losses which are funded by their owners. Should they be given help?
Would it be fair for Gillingham and Sunderland to be given the same amount of help? Or should be be proportional to average lost gate receipts?
Should clubs like Southend get a ‘leg-up’ when there are indications of financial mismanagement even before COVID?
EagerExile
Vital Squad Member
Yes Mick, it's a terrible thing. The professional football pyramid in this country is unique and we must do everything we can to retain it. The gaps are big enough as it is. Once a club goes part time, their chances of progression are massively reduced - and I for one want to hold onto the dream that maybe one day we'll make it to the top. One million quid wouldn't pay almost any player's annual wages in the Premier League. Yet it would keep our whole club afloat for several months. The solution is simple. The top tier clubs need to contribute £5m each (small change for them) into a rescue fund. Whether they will is another matter.
Therealwaldo
Vital Squad Member
The nonsense in this and lots of other things is that the pandemic could lead to the loss of things that out of the pandemic are needed. Bury FC will prove again that the need for a professional football team in the town of Bury hasn’t gone away. In all probability a phoenix club will rise from the ashes. There will be loads of businesses that would normally survive that could be forced out of business just because of the pandemic. If the infrastructure remains, it’s not the end of the world. If the infrastructure goes, then it will be very difficult for a business to be revived. In these troubled times, it needs the government to designate infrastructure as ‘community assets’ so that football grounds don’t go (an issue at Bury). If theatres were to close, it would be a disaster if they were to be sold off. And you could repeat that for all sorts of other community entertainment venues. The government must ensure that there isn’t widespread asset stripping in the current circumstances.
It doesn't help when people think that the Premier League is "football".
This from a letter to the Metro last Friday.
(slight edit)
"English Football League chief exec. Rick Parry says clubs will lose £200 million in matchday revenue if they have to play the season behind closed doors.
I hope the top clubs don't expect any bailout or sympathy while they continue to pay out eye-watering sums in transfer fees and salaries.".
He went on a bit more.....
...... but no awareness that the EFL sits below the PL - and the vast majority of EFL salaries are not "eye-watering".
Sturdy Gill
Vital Squad Member
Spot on how do you equate payments and the likes of Sarfend already being in the shite. To be honest I can’t see joe public wanting the public purse being utilised to support football in any shape or form.
In short the football world needs to sort this out the EPL and PFA have millions in the account the PFA apparently has the tune of £60m
Vambogills
Vital Football Hero
The EPL clubs are mostly owned by chairman who who bought the clubs to make money. The people running the EPL are on massive wages sustained by the massive turnover of the TV billions. I fear that unless the govt. can squeeze some sort of support levy out of the TV cash then there will be little else that can be done. When you hear Man Utd squealing that they are running short themselves then what chance an agreement from the other clubs to cascade a few quid down the pyramid.
Very little I fear.
Very little I fear.
Governments are guardians of tax payers money and have to make choices on how that money is used. Voters choose a government on their peception of whether they think their money will be raised and spent wisely.
It would be a brave government to bail out an industry that is perceived to be awash with cash (although we know that is just at the top level).
There was a debate on radio 2 at lunchtime about universities. Should they be bailed out? (some unis have said that they need the rent from students on campus otherwise they'll fold).
Again, many tax payers will see their own job insecurities and think why should my tax go towards subsidising educating these priviledged kids when i might not be able to pay my mortgage next year? (rightly or wrongly).
The government won't be able to help every industry - so which will they choose?
It would be a brave government to bail out an industry that is perceived to be awash with cash (although we know that is just at the top level).
There was a debate on radio 2 at lunchtime about universities. Should they be bailed out? (some unis have said that they need the rent from students on campus otherwise they'll fold).
Again, many tax payers will see their own job insecurities and think why should my tax go towards subsidising educating these priviledged kids when i might not be able to pay my mortgage next year? (rightly or wrongly).
The government won't be able to help every industry - so which will they choose?
LockdownLife
Vital Squad Member
I hadn't thought of that, but doing it off lost gate receipts seems the 'fairest'.
If you were overspending in relation to that previously then it's not an effect of corona and therefore it would be wrong to expect others to provide a bailout. This way it encourages clubs not to overspend (shocked its not more normal to sensible) and keeps the risk there for clubs that choose to do so.
Captainreblue
Vital 1st Team Regular
The government should provide support for the financial loss of gate receipts as its them that have put the restrictions in place and stopped clubs receiving that income, an income that is what keeps many clubs in the lower leagues afloat day to day or week to week.
Question is can they afford or have the will to help out every industry affected by the government's restrictions.
As much as the EPL is awash with money IMO they have less of an obligation than the government to give financial help given the reason for clubs struggling for cash income. That short fall is not of the EPL making.
Question is can they afford or have the will to help out every industry affected by the government's restrictions.
As much as the EPL is awash with money IMO they have less of an obligation than the government to give financial help given the reason for clubs struggling for cash income. That short fall is not of the EPL making.
Vambogills
Vital Football Hero
I get the feeling Rick Parry only thinks of the 'big name' clubs when he talks about the EFL. I bet he could not name all the clubs currently in L2!
markinkent
Vital Football Hero
We could always share with Holland and Blair
alphabet_king
Vital 1st Team Regular
Neither could i!
